Learn 2 Teach Teach 2 Learn Overview 12

The Learn 2 Teach, Teach 2 Learn program is a STEM education program located in Boston that aims to engage underserved youth in science, technology, engineering and math. The program uses a "constructionist" learning approach where youth learn by designing and building projects to share with others. High school youth learn skills in the spring and then teach elementary and middle school youth those skills by having them build projects over the summer. The goal is to create a large population of Boston youth engaged in STEM to catalyze cultural change around what youth from underserved communities can achieve.

Uploaded by

Susan Klimczak

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

0% found this document useful (0 votes)

198 views

Learn 2 Teach Teach 2 Learn Overview 12

Uploaded by

Susan Klimczak

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

You are on page 1/ 3

Learn 2 Teach, Teach 2 Learn Program

At the South End Technology Center @ Tent City

359 Columbus Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02116 Mel King, Director 617.578.0597 [email protected] Learn 2 Teach, Teach 2 Learn is a socially innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) maker education program. Technologies of the heart, which underlie our program and make it successful and relevant for our youth, include high expectations for what they can achieve, accessible near-peer learning with multi-layers of role models who look like them, a focus on developing creative confidence and self-esteem through tangible mastery, and an ethic of cooperation and community service. High school youth teachers learn through the active planning and design of useful and personalized projects, and pass their skills and knowledge on to elementary and middle school youth. As in the professional STEM fields, brainstorming ideas, making and teaching happens in cooperative groups. Longtime collaborators at the MIT Media Lab provide technical and education expertise and support. The program has already developed a pipeline of several generations of skilled youth: recent elementary and middle school youth have become high school youth teachers; a number of former youth teachers have returned to lead the program as college mentors. The goal of Learn 2 Teach, Teach 2 Learn (L2TT2L) is to create a critical mass of 3-5,000 Boston youth (5-10% of the Boston Public School enrollment) fundamentally and creatively engaged in the latest science and technology who can catalyze cultural change in our community about what is possible to achieve. Each year, we reach over 500 Boston youth in over 20 community organizations located in neighborhoods most in need of education resources. We have a model that not only works for our Boston youth, but has also been nationally recognized as an exemplar STEM program by a consortium of high tech corporations and their independent evaluators (Change the Equation, 2012). We are focused on expanding our STEM model further by increasing educational capacity in Hub community organizations (e. g. Archdale Community Center STEAM Club) and by introducing the model into the Boston public schools through a pilot in-school program at the McKinley Schools this year. People from around the world come to the South End Technology Center @ Tent City (SETC) to check out what we are doing so they can use our model with their youth. Problem we are solving. We are acting because we cannot wait for the Boston Public School systems to do the work of STEM education reform while a stubborn achievement gap continues to exists= for our youth of color. We insist that schools begin to see how they can move some of their resources into our approach to STEM. The 2012 Engage to Excel Report by the Presidents Council on Science and Technology shows that our urban youth are more disengaged from science and technology than ever because their interest is not ignited by enough encounters with people who have a passion for STEM. In schools, our youth are not exposed to STEM in ways that reveal the disciplines inquisitive and artistic nature (Emdin, 2011). This is why the report recommends changes to include teaching methods with more active learning that encourages discovery and helps young people uncover STEMs creative possibilities (Holden & Lander, 2012). Yet changing how we teach STEM is not enough. The report also argues that cultural change is also needed in teaching and learning communities to make STEM education more welcoming to those who are underrepresented. (Holden & Lander, 2012). What many of our youth need are approaches that develop a foundational self-esteem, a belief in themselves as deserving and capable of meeting high expectations about what they can learn, what they can achieve, and what they can contribute to their communities with STEM (King, 2011). Pedagogy. L2TT2L's approach combines the learning theory of constructionism with longstanding and successful community youth development practices. Constructionism is a learning approach that focuses on the reconstruction of knowledge, especially by building things, rather than simply the transmission of knowledge without a compelling context. Dr. David Cavallo from the MIT Media Lab, co-founder of L2TT2L, adapted constructionism for K-12 STEM learning (Cavallo, 2000). The theory claims that youth learn best as they design

and build things and that for the greatest learning to happen, the youth must both share their design process and what they make with others. Constructionism blends well with the practical and research-based youth development insights of L2TT2L cofounder Mel King, who has over 50 years experience in community and youth development practice in Boston and beyond. L2TT2L was based on his insight that adults are obligated to provide youth with a safe social culture and to introduce youth to the culture of responsibility that accompanies the meaningful work and community service they engage in. But our real innovation is that we also introduce youth to the culture of making things: being the makers of ideas, innovations, and inventions; being able to both explain and document their work so that others can see how they did it and replicate what they have accomplished; getting and giving helpful feedback to move ideas and projects forward; and being able to see failures as important learning opportunities for getting better. Learn 2 Teach, Teach 2 Learn Program Cycle. Learn 2 Teach, Teach 2 Learn redefines the term "teacher" for youth who often have mixed or negative feelings about their own teachers. Youth have the opportunity to gain their own experience and reflect on their own role as learners, builders, and teachers. The journey as a new youth teacher starts in March, when applications are due for the spring and summer program and continues through participation in the AprilAugust cycle of Learning, Building and Teaching, then beyond for some youth teachers, into after school programming for some youth teachers. Spring Learning takes place for 4 hours each Saturday over 12 weeks from April through June. New youth teachers gain skills in our six core modules - computer programming, physical programming, alternative energy, digital design and fabrication, graphic design and fashion technology programming - through a series of handson activities. Each activity is designed for the new youth teachers to acquire particular skills and knowledge (with a focus on computational thinking) through designing and project-building in each of the modules. While the goal for each activity is predetermined, substantial room is provided for personalization and individual expression (Klimczak, Millner & Baafi, 2011). Teaching takes place at SETC and the MIT Media Lab, our longtime higher education partner. In this way, youth teachers are prepped for the Summer Building and Teaching sessions, which run for 6-7 weeks of the summer, 6 hours per day, Monday through Thursday. Summer Building starts in July. Youth teachers brainstorm projects that can use a combination of the core modules to solve problems significant to them and their communities. They then break into groups of 3 to 5 and spend the next three weeks designing and building prototypes of solutions to the problems. Youth get real world engineering experience, learn to treat mistakes as learning experiences and have the opportunity to strengthen their skills in the modules that are particularly important to solving their chosen problem. Projects are presented to the larger community, including community groups, parents, friends, foundation supporters and university partners, at our well-publicized and well-attended annual end-of-summer Project Exposition. Summer Teaching preparation begins during the second week of the summer as the projects are well under way. Youth teachers work to refine activity plans (guides for the youth teachers) and activity sheets (guides for the middle/elementary school learners) that they will use when teaching during the free summer technology camps we sponsor with over 20 community organizations across Boston. For the last three weeks of the summer, our youth teachers travel to many of these organizations and/or the organizations' middle/elementary school students come to the SETC. Youth teachers engage the children in hands-on STEM and have an opportunity to spread their enthusiasm for technology, engineering and science. The middle/elementary school students are exposed to activities similar to those the new youth teachers were exposed to in the spring, with each activity allowing for personalization by each individual learner. In the fall and winter, Learn 2 Teach, Teach 2 Learn offers after school STEAM (STEM + Arts) programming to community organizations (employing former youth teachers) and a free workshop series for Boston teenagers who would like to become youth teachers.

References
Cavallo, D. (2000). Emergent design and learning environments: building on indigenous knowledge. IBM Systems Journal, 39(3 & 4), 768-781. Retrieved from http://ebookbrowse.com/emergent-designdavid-cavallo-pdf-d67660261 Change the Equation. (2012, November 1). Stemworks database. Retrieved from http://changetheequation.org/improving-philanthropy/stemworks Emdin, C. (2011, November 15). Five reasons why your child won't be a scientist (and what you can do about it). Huffington Post Education. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopheremdin/children-science_b_1081642.html Holden, J. P., & Lander, E. Executive Office of the President, President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. (2012). Engage to excel: producing one million additional college graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Retrieved from President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/pcast/docsreports King, M. (2011, June 6). Learn 2 teach, teach 2 learn breakthrough: connecting technologies of earth and heart for social innovation and invention in our community. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/56863203/BreakthroughAwardNominationNarrative-2 Klimczak, S., Millner, A., & Baafi, E. (2011, October 14). What goes into developing a Learn 2 Teach, Teach 2 Learn activity?. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/68749817/OrganizingL2TT2LActivitiesPublic