Long-Term,
Student-Centered
STEM
Research Projects
Patience and
commitment in science classrooms is not only demonstrated by achieving
students, but also by teachers modeling this same behavior as facilitators of
long-term research projects.
During fall
semester of 2012 students in my physics classes began to work through
preliminary research procedures that are necessary when conducting scientific
investigations. The goal was to research
and produce electricity from alternative sources of energy (solar panels, wind turbines and fuel cells) without creating a
carbon footprint. Since September
students have studied sources of energy by class discussions, reading articles
and researching new innovations dealing with nonpolluting energy production.
Over the past
three month students have worked through a process of systematic preparation to
initiate a scientific inquiry process.
These student-centered and long-term research projects are worked
through different stages of the STEM
Research Process. From idea
generation to a focus upon a topic and the implementation of research design,
these critical steps are taken and begin the assent to the science research
challenge.
By facilitating an
organized investigation process, without step-by-step procedure, it has allowed
students to be more creative, and develop a real sense of exploration and
ownership. The STEM Research Process, tied to a teacher’s commitment and patience
to let the process emerge, will create a
21st century learning environment that includes the following: time
on task, real exploration, developing ownership of the project goals and
inspired deep-thinking of the
experimental results. These are the fundamental ingredients fostering
success in the 21st century science classroom.
Long-term research
projects require a new set of abilities and skills that are now necessary to
meet the problem-solving demands of our modern society. Collaboration skills, openness to new ideas,
effective communication skills and a commitment to evidence-based reasoning are
important attributes needed by students to work effectively within talented
groups of individuals coming from diverse backgrounds and interests.
These long-term research
projects, placed squarely within the current physics curriculum, help to determine educational outcome in the
science classroom by providing a creative learning environment to do research,
collaborate and construct reasoning out of the experimental process. Learning comes alive and grows with all of
its complexities, forms and relationships.
This school, with its science classrooms, will now become the sought
after “institution of learning” nurturing the creative and thoughtful process
of inquiry and problem solving. It is science education at its best!
During this spring
semester the physics students will initiate their scientific investigations and
produce experimental results that support or disprove their hypothesis. It is critical that the interpretation of these
results, drawn conclusions and graphical presentations ultimately showcase
their scientific findings and are the means by which performance is measured.
