What Rocket Science Tutors Inc is doing in 2014 to Ignite STEM Learning in Middle and High School students

1. ENGINEERING THE
CLASSROOM
THE 4Cs, THE ENGINEERING
PROCESS & PROJECT BASED
LEARNING- A REPORT FROM THE
FRONT LINES
A.J. (Nino) Polizzi
CEO, Rocket Science Tutors
949-289-4772
nino@rocketsciencetutors.com

2. “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a
state of civilization, it expects what never was
and never will be”
- Thomas Jefferson

3. AGENDA
THE PROBLEM
APPROACH
ROCKET SCIENCE TUTORS (RST)
THE ACADEMY
SUMMARY / CONCLUSIONS
QUESTIONS

4. STEM LEAKY PIPE

5. THE WORLD TODAY
RATE OF CHANGE IS ACCELERATING
GLOBAL ECONOMY THREATENS OUR POSITION
TECHNOLOGY CREATES PROSPERITY / SECURITY
TECHNOLOGY REQUIRES EDUCATED WORKFORCE
INDUSTRY & EDUCATION NEED ALIGNMENT
EDUCATION IS THE ROOT CURE

6. APPROACH
PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL)
LEARNING BY DOING
FOUR Cs
COMMUNICATION / COLLABORATION / CREATIVITY / CRITICAL THINKING
ENGINEERING PROCESS
 DEFINE PROBLEM
 ANALYZE
 DESIGN
 BUILD / TEST
 REVIEW / REFINE / REPEAT

7. EXCITE AND MOTIVATE STUDENTS IN STEM BY
USING THE ENGINEERING PROCESS TO DEVELOP
THE “FOUR Cs” –
 COMMUNICATION
 COLLABORATION
 CREATIVITY
 CRITICAL THINKING
THE FOUR Cs

8. CONFIDENCE TO TRY AND FAIL
CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO
COMPETE GLOBALLY
CONQUER OUR SITUATION
CONTROL OUR DESTINY
ADDITIONAL Cs

9. PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL)
Real-world problems create interest and provoke serious thinking as
students acquire/apply knowledge in a problem-solving environment
 organized around an open-ended driving question or challenge
 creates a need to know essential content and skills
 requires inquiry to learn and/or create something new
 requires the 4Cs critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration,
communication
 allows some degree of student voice and choice
 incorporates feedback and revision
 results in a publicly presented product or performance
 Teacher functions as facilitator/coach as appropriate

10. NEW IDEA? NOT HARDLY! ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN DEWEY (yes,
THAT John Dewey) in 1897:
"The teacher is not in the school to impose certain ideas or to
form certain habits in the child, but is there as a member of the
community to select the influences which shall affect the child
and to assist him in properly responding to these.......I believe,
therefore, in the so-called expressive or constructive activities as
the centre of correlation."
PBL

11. A) DEFINE THE PROBLEM
What problem are you trying to solve? What do you need to do?
B) ANALYZE
What will you “Need To Know”? What are some possible solutions?
Perform some research on the problem.
C) DESIGN
Sketch some potential designs. Discuss advantages &
disadvantages with the team. When ready, build a prototype
D) BUILD & TEST
Try out the design. Did it work? Did it meet all the requirements?
What changes are needed to make it work better?
E) REVIEW, REFINE, REPEAT
How can the design be improved? Review the process- what did you
learn? What would you do differently next time?
THE ENGINEERING PROCESS

12. MISSION
Ensure America’s technological future by generating
Interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering &
Math) through real-world examples in a sustained
classroom environment with an all-volunteer corps of
engineers and scientists
ROCKET SCIENCE TUTORS
FOUNDED 2006 WITH A FEW FRIENDS / COWORKERS
TO ADDRESS THE “STEM ISSUE”

13. ROCKET SCIENCE TUTORS
Bringing STEM to life with real-world examples and hands-on labs. Students use math,
measure performance and experience the thrill of “making something”
CHARACTERISTICS
 ALL VOLUNTEER WORKFORCE Engineers/Scientists/UCI Grad Students
 24 WEEK AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM Essential for solid understanding
 1:5 INSTRUCTOR-STUDENT RATIO Provides technical role models
 DESIGN- BUILD-TEST EMPHASIS Includes rockets, bridges, mousetrap cars
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
 PREPPING FOR 10th YEAR OF OPERATION
 OPERATING AT 4 MIDDLE SCHOOLS & 1 HIGH SCHOOL IN SANTA ANA
 PROVIDED 1000+ STUDENT CONTACT HOURS LAST SCHOOL YEAR
 CONDUCTED ANNUAL FIELDS TRIP TO UCI ENGINEERING LABS
 “GRADUATED” > 600 STUDENTS TO DATE
“…they helped me experience what an engineer does.”- Student comment
www.rocketsciencetutors.com
Rev New

14. Working at Learning

15. Working at Learning

16. UCI FIELD TRIP

17. BRIDGE BUILDING LAB EXPOSES STUDENTS TO THE
ENGINEERING PROCESS AND PROVIDES THEM WITH
A “REAL-LIFE” EXPERIENCE
EACH STUDENT DESIGNS A TRUSS BRIDGE, BUILDS
IT FROM BALSA WOOD AND THEN TESTS TO FAILURE
THROUGH A FAILURE ANALYSIS, STUDENTS LEARN
FROM FAILURE
DESIGN- BUILD-TEST

18.  INTRO TO BRIDGES
 BASIC STRUCTURES
 TRUSS STUCTURES
 BRIDGE REQUIREMENTS
 ENGINEERING DRAWING
 FABRICATION INSTRUCTIONS
 TEST TO DESTRUCT
 FAILURE ANALYSIS
LAB 036: BRIDGE BUILDING

19. BUILDING BRIDGES 8TH GRADE

20. BRIDGE BUILDING- 11th GRADE

21. PUBLIC, CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL OPENED AUG 2014
LOCATED AT FAIRVIEW & 17TH IN SANTA ANA
FOCUS ON COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS
ENGINEERING & DESIGN PATHWAY CURRICULUM

22. SOLID FOUNDATION
ENGINERING CURRICULUM AT THE ACADEMY IS DEVELOPED BY
ENGINEERS WITH EXTENSIVE INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
CURRICULUM IS PROVIDED IN A PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL)
ENVIRONMENT WITH A “HANDS-ON”, DESIGN/BUILD/TEST
APPROACH
REAL-LIFE SKILLS IN COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION,
CREATIVITY AND CRITICAL THINKING ARE EMPHASIZED

23. SUMMARY
• STEM BANDWAGON HAS LOTS OF RIDERS- NOT ALL THEM
UNDERSTAND STEM OR ENGINEERING!
• STUDENTS RESPOND WELL TO THE “ENGINEERING” APPROACH
AND ENJOY THE CHALLENGE OF “LEARN BY DOING”
• MATH SKILLS NEED IMPROVEMENT!
• DON’T WAIT UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL TO “INFUSE” STEM
• STUDENTS HAVE LITTLE “BUILD” EXPERIENCE BUT ARE EAGER
TO LEARN
• TEACHING IS A LOT OF WORK!