A quick recap of recent and notable YES (Youth Engineering Solutions) and EiE (Engineering is Elementary) activities.
Dr. Christine Cunningham at the Congressional Briefing on “Making Science Count.” Credit: C. Cunningham.
This fall, Dr. Christine Cunningham (Senior Vice President of STEM Learning at the Museum of Science, Boston) spoke at a Congressional Briefing on "Making Science Count." She participated through her role as a member of the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). NAGB oversees policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a.k.a., "The Nation's Report Card,” which is an assessment of U.S. student knowledge across subject areas. Focusing in on science assessments, Dr. Cunningham’s talk introduced the recently adopted NAEP science framework to be used for assessments for 2028 and beyond. She also shared the NAEP Report Card results for science from 2009-2019, which revealed the significant work needed to help students reach the “proficiency” level. The first set of post-pandemic science results are scheduled for release in 2025.
National Academy of Education Induction Ceremony
Dr. Cunningham at the 2024 National Academy of Education induction ceremony. Credit: C. Cunningham.
Dr. Cunningham was also officially inducted into the National Academy of Education in Washington, D.C. in October. This incredible honor was bestowed for her significant contributions to educational research and policy. Dr. Cunningham was one of 14 members inducted into the prestigious academy this year.
Shortly before the ceremony, she sat down for an interview at the Museum to discuss the award and her work:
We hope you’ll join all of us in saying, “Congratulations, Dr. Cunningham!”
Educating the Educators: YES/EiE Conferences Roundup
The YES/EiE Booth at this year’s SLECoP Convening. Credit: C. Cunningham.
The 2024 SLECoP Convening in Chicago
The 2024 STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice (“SLECoP”) Convening was held this October in Chicago, IL. The three-day conference’s theme of “Access in Action” focused on several legacy ideas (i.e., innovating for inclusive STEM and empowering the next generation, etc.) that were a perfect fit with Dr. Cunningham’s presentation: “Youth Engineering Solutions (YES): Empowering equity-oriented preK-8 engineering.”
After speaking to a room of STEM leaders and practitioners about youth engaged in YES’s socially-engaged engineering framework, Dr. Cunningham then led them through the YES Engineering Rescue Shuttles unit. STEM leaders were able to engage in the unit’s engineering activities as students would, channeling their creativity into designing shuttles to land a rope near a person in need of rescuing. The session concluded with participants sharing their shuttle designs, reflecting on the components of the equity model and the engineering practices they experienced and how they could infuse them into their STEM programming.
Professional Learning Teacher Educator Institutes
A teacher tested out pumpkin pollinators during an elementary school workshop. Credit: B. Logan.
Our Professional Learning (PL) team also held several workshops, webinars, and Teacher Educator Institutes (TEIs) recently, helping hundreds of educators understand high-quality STEM concepts and pedagogy, as well as how to lead sessions for other educators. October’s TEIs focused on preparing teachers with the tools they needed to educate their colleagues on teaching STEM and using YES curriculum in the classroom. November's workshops focused on introducing teachers to teaching high-quality STEM and incorporating YES into the classroom.
For those unable to make it to the Museum in person, the PL team also held monthly webinars on early childhood engineering, engineering and the environment, and the YES engineering approach that’s found in all YES curriculum. Although registration is required, the webinars are free to attend and can be found on our Webinars and Workshops page. If you have an idea for a topic that you’d like to see covered for the webinar series (or even, as a workshop), please let us know by filling out our survey here.
MA STEM Week
This year's MA STEM Week Engineering Design Challenge at the Museum was from YES Plastic Filters.
Massachusetts STEM Week 2024 (“MA STEM Week”) was held from October 21-25th. Schools across the state partook in the week-long event organized by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education and the STEM Advisory Council, alongside the nine Regional STEM Networks of the Commonwealth. With the theme of “STEM starts now,” the goal of MA STEM Week was to encourage everyone, of any age, to learn about STEM jobs and participate in STEM activities happening throughout the state. The Museum’s engineering design challenge for the week was a modified version of our YES Engineering Plastic Filters unit—which you can download for free here. (The full 9-lesson unit Plastic Filters teachers’ guide is available for free here.)
A Special STEM Week Visit
MA Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler listened to a student during the Plastic Filters Design challenge at Bradley Elementary School. Credit: Massachusetts Executive Office of Education.
On the final day of MA STEM Week, MA Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler, and Museum of Science President Tim Ritchie visited Bradley Elementary School in East Boston to see our STEM design challenge in action! It was a truly memorable day, full of great designs, collaboration, and inspiration. But don’t just take our word for it: check out the video of the visit, as reported on by WCVB here.
MA STEM Teacher Fair
YES team members at the MA STEM Teacher Fair. Credit: D. Shah.
The MA Teacher Fair was held at Gillette Stadium on October 19th, and YES’s own Senior Director of Curriculum, Dipa Shah, along with team members Scott Hodne and Marianne Knowles were there! Joined by Mary Dzaugis from MathWorks, the quartet interacted with nearly 200 educators and their families, as they engaged in the MA STEM Week plastic filters challenge, and the Eco-friendly Slippers traction test station, and user reviews computer science module.
“It was an amazing event,” said Dipa. “We were able to spread the word about our free resources to so many elementary, middle, and high school teachers; afterschool educators; and librarians.”
Marianne enjoyed the opportunity to connect with teachers. “I was excited to share our one-hour Engineering Challenge with teachers who were looking for something quick to do in honor of STEM Week,” she said, adding, “Engineers from the ages of four to 14 were all actively engaged in designing, testing, and improving filters to catch plastic trash before it entered the ocean.”
Scott (green shirt) and Mary from MathWorks (gray shirt) at the MA STEM Teacher Fair. Credit: D. Shah.
Scott also had a great time introducing YES resources to teachers and their families. “It was so much fun watching participants create, test, and then work to improve their designs,” he said. “For a few minutes they were engineers, and it was the perfect way to demonstrate and discuss the many free educator resources we provide and other units and activities to which they can have access.”
STEM at Home with EiE Families
A sample of the free EiE Families' STEM activities available for families.
EiE Families has released several new activities and interactive introductions to accompany our at-home engineering and computer science activities. These short online experiences introduce families to the engineering design process and important ideas in computer science, so they are ready to try out the hands-on activities with confidence.
Thanks to the generous support of the Overdeck Family Foundation, all EiE Families resources—including the new online introductions, downloadable activities, and the website itself—are available for free in both Spanish and English on the EiE Families website.
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Looking for more ways to incorporate STEM at home? Check out this great article on the National Association for the Education of Young Children website, written by YES team members.
For more on the MA Teacher Fair, including resources, visit the event website here.
To learn more about the new NAEP science framework, please visit the NAGB website here.
To learn more about this year’s SLECoP Convening in Chicago, please visit their website here.
