EDUC 5272- Advanced Practices for Teaching the Stem Fields at the Elementary and

Middle School Levels

Writing Assignment Unit 7

University of the People

Instructor: Dr. Jamie Taber

Date: Oct. 19, 2022

When we consider that most of the world's fastest-growing occupations require a thorough grasp

of math, science, engineering, and technology, the relevance of STEM education in

schools becomes evident. Rapidly expanding technologies enable advancements in engineering

and science, and math underpins all these fields. However, in the middle school grades, when

academic disciplines are often taught as discrete, different topics, this interconnection of STEM

domains can be challenging to recreate. Another issue is that teachers have always employed

traditional educational approaches with all students. Direct teaching is a teacher-centered

strategy in which the teacher prepares a reasonably planned session separated into review areas,

introduces the new skill, guides students in practice, and then gives them autonomous practice

(Magliaro, Lockee, & Burton, 2005). This conventional method of education is frequently

employed when learning is procedural and needs numerous stages, as some STEM learning does

(Cohen, 2008). However, as the 21st century progresses, teachers are shifting from that passive-

learning method of instruction to active learning by middle school students. Teachers provide

real-world issues for young teens to solve, then give assistance and tools to assist them.

Collaboration among students is a significant outcome of the active problem- and project-based

learning that characterizes the STEM curriculum in middle school (Ralston, 2016). When

students collaborate to solve a common problem, they develop skills beyond the academic; they

develop "soft skills" that will be required in their future careers, such as verbal communication,

listening skills, presentation skills, team building, conflict resolution, organization, and planning

(Bell, 2010).  STEM practitioners in the community may model these abilities, as well as STEM

content skills and procedures, for learners.

the Niehoff resource that you have selected for your project.

In the Niehoff resource, “7 Real-World Issues That Can Allow Students to Tackle Big

Challenges,” the author identified seven real-world areas of challenges that lend themselves well

to providing context to STEM instruction. They include Climate change, Healthcare, Food

insecurity, Violence, Homelessness, Sustainability, and Education.

The real-world area of challenge from the Niehoff resource for this project: Sustainability

Grade Level(s): 7, 8

Subject Area(s): Science

Activity Length: 2 hours, 30 minutes (Appx. 3 class periods)

Materials: Students will gather a variety of discarded clean plastic bags and other thin plastic

materials for this project, such as plastic bags that formerly held the daily newspaper, bread,

bagels, tortillas, fruit, frozen veggies, and so on.

Clear plastic wrap

Plastics with colors and pictures, such as pet food bags, dental bags, frozen vegetable bags, store

grocery bags, etc. (Once you start looking, you will notice that colors are everywhere.)

Used bubble wrap and plastic air cushions

Develop a problem statement or question to be investigated by the students, using their

skills in STEM. Provide context for the problem; why is it important in your community to

address this problem?

What do we do with an object when it has served its original purpose?

Can we use it for something else?

Create a vision for a project that students could do to investigate the problem you

identified, using their STEM skills:

Overview of the project

I can back up my views by demonstrating the importance of oceans for sustainability and

recycling plastic bottles. Plastic recycling is a worldwide issue that requires global cooperation

to tackle. Plastic is everywhere, including our homes, schools, businesses, parks, seas, and

animals. However, only a small portion of plastic is now recycled, and the remainder

accumulates in the earth's ecosystem. Plastic components take a long time to disintegrate,

negatively impacting human, animal, and ocean life. Making a lesson plan for this project raises

knowledge of global challenges and their remedies. Learners in this exercise discovered how

plastic recycling helps to reduce ocean pollution.

Learning Goals

 Recognize how much and the types of plastic we consume in our everyday lives.

 Understand that upcycling is a technique to limit the quantity of plastic thrown in the

garbage and the environment. 

 Understand that plastics can be made to do a variety of jobs.

 Learn about environmental sustainability and think of ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle

in classrooms and at home.

Vocabulary Words: Global competence, conservation, recycle, reuse, reduce, landfill, litter,

pollution/pollutants, hazardous waste, trash, global issues.

What types of “outside of class” STEM work would students do on this project? In other

words, what would they do out in the local community & strategies to involve members of

the community in the project?

This global issue touches everything from energy to food to resources to the economy, health,

and well-being. Students are becoming increasingly aware that how we manage sustainability

concerns determines our species' very survival. They recognize that meeting this challenge will

require new ways of thinking, priorities, standards, and methods of doing things. Future

innovation is crucial to sustainability. Students have beautiful chances to cooperate, think

critically, communicate, and be creative when determining if an existing technique, method,

resource, or even industry is sustainable without substantial change and adjustments. Students

that take on these challenges will be our future corporate, political, and cultural leaders (Neuhoff,

2018). Outside of class, students have various ways to help make people aware of sustainability.

Students can start a variety of initiatives by volunteering in their communities:

Plan a trash pickup day: Students might start a little initiative as a class to collect litter on

school premises or in the surrounding community. They can collaborate with students from other

classes, the entire school, or even local towns and community action organizations to spread the

word and participate in a more considerable cleaning with the support of teachers and parents
(How Students Can Help Reduce Single-Use Plastic to Protect the Environment - Project

Learning Tree, 2019).

Volunteering in local libraries: Students may learn more about sustainability by researching

plastic trash and how certain plastics are valuable and lifesaving. In contrast, others are perhaps

needless and lead to pollution in our environment. Students can strive to create a poster or

presentation that shows all the benefits of using plastic as well as how it might harm the

environment. They can also discuss how recycling plastic might aid in environmental

sustainability. They can volunteer in local libraries to educate young children about plastic

pollution and its long-term consequences.

Run a campaign: Students may start a campaign by forming a group of students and taking it to

other communities to raise awareness about plastic trash and sustainability.

Organizing webinars: With the help of teachers and parents, students can organize free webinars

on sustainability. Webinars are an excellent way to communicate and bring awareness to the

community.

Newsletters: Create newsletters for various groups to get the attention of your neighbors and

submit an article to your local newspaper describing the benefits of recycling.

Establish a Recycling Club: Establish recycling groups after school or in neighborhoods.

What types of “inside class” STEM work would students do on this project?

Inside the class, Students will explore pedagogical contributions to education for sustainable

development (ESD) so that they can help the community to save our world. Pedagogical

Contributions to ESD rely on pedagogies from a wide range of fields, not simply content:

• scientific inquiry
• geographic spatial analysis

• language arts communication skills

• arts-inspired creative thinking

• higher-order thinking abilities from several fields

Each area's combined educational techniques and tactics contribute to being aware of what our

community's needs are and how to encourage creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving

skills, all of which are cognitive talents that support sustainable communities. Everyone benefits

from a healthy environment. Everyone bears some of the blame. It depends on people in less

developed nations, whose struggle to fulfill necessities and enhance their quality of life

endangers the Earth's systems. It also depends on individuals in industrialized countries, whose

living standards and consumption levels significantly stress the Earth's resources and global life

support systems. Because the Earth is our home, we must all work together to guarantee that

future generations can achieve their fundamental human requirements. Students will cooperate

on an action plan for responsible global citizenship in this learning activity.

Students can explore more by going on quizzes. They can create posters, and presentations,

watch YouTube clips and do Ed puzzles.

How would you initiate a partnership with these community members?

Non-profit groups, community organizations, and library programs work together to launch

various sustainability initiatives. Teachers can contact these organizations and suggest that their

students implement volunteer sustainability activities with them to help create awareness in the

community.
Conclusion: It is critical for the Earth's future well-being that people realize that all systems,

including human systems, are interconnected and that just as we all rely on the environment to

satisfy our fundamental needs, we all share responsibility for the ecosystem's health. Positive

activities will arise from such awareness to repair the damage that has already been done and to

build long-term strategies for serving the needs of all people. After this activity, participants will

be able to explain why it is so important to recycle the plastic around us to save our oceans.
 References

 Bell, S. (2010). Project-based learning for the 21st century: Skills for the future. The Clearing

House, 83, 39-43. 

Cohen, M.T. (2008, October 23). The effect of direct instruction versus discovery learning on the

understanding of science lessons by second-grade students. NERA Conference Proceedings

2008. 

 https://opencommons.uconn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1027&context=nera_2008

How Students Can Help Reduce Single-Use Plastic to Protect the Environment - Project

Learning Tree. (2019, June). Project Learning Tree.

https://www.plt.org/educator-tips/reduce-single-use-plastic

 Magliaro, S.G., Lockee, B.B., & Burton, J.K. (2005). Direct instruction revisited: A key model

for instructional technology. Journal of Educational Research, Technology, and Development,

53, 41-55.

Niehoff, M. (2018, March 22). 7 real-world issues that can allow students to tackle big

challenges. Getting Smart. 

http://www.gettingsmart.com/2018/03/7-real-world-projects-that-allow-students-to-

tackle-big-problems/

Ralston, T. (2016). Supporting communication and collaboration in project-based learning

activities. Retrieved from 

project-based-learning-activities