Dublin City Schools
Given current trends in the industry, it probably comes as no surprise that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education is a major point of focus for the Dublin City School District.
What may be a surprise to the uninitiated, though, is just how extensive Dublin’s STEM education program is. Over the past few years, the district has redoubled its efforts to integrate STEM into curriculum at all grade levels – both the four main components (science, technology, engineering and math) and the problem-solving skills behind them.
Studies show that STEM skills are prized by employers, and the need for employees who have them is projected to grow at a much faster rate than the need for employees in other areas. It makes sense for a school district to emphasize them. But providing the opportunity to learn will only take a district so far, as that approach only captures the students already inclined to pursue STEM education. One of the big challenges, then, is fostering interest in the field – establishing a base of appreciation early on to prevent those “But I just don’t like science” conversations down the road.
At the heart of Dublin’s STEM overhaul is Kimberly Clavin, manager of STEM initiatives, who came to the district in August 2013 and
immediately set to work on two goals: define what STEM means to Dublin and pump up the associated programs any way she could. Clavin, who has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, worked as an engineer and then taught at The Ohio State University before she came to Dublin.
She identified five tools that boost student achievement: dual enrollment, mentorships, internships, project-based learning and teacher externships.
Dublin rolls out its STEM program in three stages corresponding to the three grade levels: Elementary school is the exposure stage, middle school is the engagement stage and high school is the immersion stage. The goal is to integrate experiences into classroom work, ensuring students broaden their knowledge base without neglecting their other academic needs. Fun projects aren’t rewards for good work in the classroom; the projects themselves are the classroom work.
The key to nurturing problem-solving skills at all ages, Clavin says, is setting goals and then letting students figure out how to achieve them, rather than walking them through the process. That gives students ownership of their learning and teaches them about risk management.
The effect of the STEM integration is that even students not otherwise inclined toward the relevant career fields begin to see the benefits. Students interested in other areas are encouraged to explore connections; for instance, art students don’t instinctively see correlations between their field and STEM fields, but may discover them through research on available jobs.
“I tell them to go to Monster.com or Indeed.com and start searching the words they’re interested in to see what jobs are out there,” Clavin says.
Eleventh- and 12th-graders also have access to three STEM Academies: Biomedical Research, Engineering Design and IT. Each is headquartered at a single district high school, but is open to students from all three. School-hopping students transport themselves elsewhere in the district for a few periods of the day, which are block-scheduled so they can take multiple classes with the same focus – for instance, Biomedical Research Academy students also take 3D design.
The experiences to which academy students are exposed allow them to approach their chosen field from a variety of angles. Engineering Design Academy students, for example, learn math, coding, wiring and soldering, and have recently worked on a project to build a remote-controlled underwater vehicle – all opportunities to deepen their understanding.
“It’s a big part of my life,” says engineering student Shilpa Revi, a senior at Dublin Coffman High School.
The schools work with colleges and industry professionals to determine what skills are important for students to have. Greg King, who teaches the engineering academy, worked with engineering professors at OSU and learned it wasn’t just skill they sought.
“The No. 1 thing they say is it’s not knowledge of any specific content, it’s students who can solve open-ended problems,” King says.
To that end, King and other teachers often hold off on pointing out problems with students’ projects. They let the students figure out for themselves why their current attempt failed, then puzzle through how to solve those problems.
“Failure’s just something that always happens on the way to solving a problem,” says King.
A grant from the state of Ohio led to the district’s three-pronged K to Career program.
One component is ProPortal, a virtual mentoring initiative that the district will pilot in May. With it, students and teachers at all grade levels can connect with industry professionals via Web messages and live chats.
“Basically, it’s a social network for mentorships,” Clavin says.
Professionals sign up and specify their areas of expertise, and when teachers or students find the need for a given area of expertise, they can easily contact a potential mentor. The line-up of experts for the May rollout is impressive, Clavin says, and will expose students to a whole world of opportunities.
Even though ProPortal has not yet launched, district teachers have already been forging connections with professionals to improve students’ learning experiences. Coffman science teacher Brock Wysong had his physics students talk to a Disney theme park mechanical engineer for a project in which they designed their own simulated roller coasters, helping them understand the necessary science and safety measures.
“It’s a good way of tying in the concepts we’re learning about, (such as) G-forces and momentum,” says Cameron Justice, a Coffman junior and one of Wysong’s students.
“No one at the school’s ever done a project like this,” says classmate and fellow junior Daniela Dluzynski.
Through the IT Academy, the second part of K to Career, students can take college-level information technology and computer science courses through a partnership with Columbus State Community College and Tolles Career & Technical Center, earning college credit and technical certification in the process.
The third and final component is Experience Builder, an e-learning professional development program for teachers that gives them more opportunities to bring the outside world into the classroom. Through the material available, teachers will not only be able to integrate STEM concepts into their lessons, they will also be able to encourage attributes employers favor – such as loyalty, communication and resilience – and earn credit toward their own continuing education requirements.
The district also has non-STEM academies focused on business, teaching and young professionals.
One bonus to Dublin’s STEM endeavors is the exposure to real-world applications and problem-solving helps students better understand potential career fields. That means heightened preparation going into college and, for some, a greater sense of purpose – which cuts down on the major-switching common among today’s post-secondary students.
The academies allow students to work with businesses and/or consult with professionals, and they also confer the opportunity to earn college credit – both major areas of emphasis at the state level.
Further information on Dublin’s STEM offerings can be found on their website, dublinstem.wiki.dublinschools.net.
Garth Bishop is managing editor. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
Cool Things Dublin Students Are Doing
Elementary School
-Using littleBits, color-coded magnetic pieces, to learn about circuits and make items such as dimmer switches and sound sensors
-Using Raspberry Pi miniature computers to learn coding
-Using Makedo to build items out of cardboard, including adaptive toys for children in hospitals
“The kids can make just about anything with that.” –Kim Clavin
-Studying and designing ramps
-Working with Roto, a Dublin-based company that designs museum exhibits
-Fixing broken bicycles, then donating them after repairs
Middle School
-Designing ringtones
-Studying aqueduct design
-Designing inventions with biometric use; examples include an app that allows students to contact teachers anonymously when confused by an assignment, and a sound sensor that detects “fight!” chants and alerts security accordingly
-Using a sketch program to design Roman villages
High School
-Using Arduino microprocessing controllers for interactive devices
-Using a computer program to design roller coasters, consulting with a Disney employee to gauge safety levels
-Growing vegetables with hydroponic equipment
-Designing elevator safety circuits
-Designing and building trebuchets, complete with 3D printed bearing holders
