OLIVESBURG — There aren’t many tests in Brock Hay’s middle school STEM courses.
Instead, students in science, technology, engineering and math classes prove they understand and can apply concepts by completing projects.
“It’s an opportunity for a new type of student to flourish in my opinion,” said Hays, a fourth-year teacher at Crestview Middle School.
“This is not a test-heavy class, so it’s not requiring students to go home and study every single night. It’s a lot more application of hands-on problem-solving in the moment.”
Hays spent his first three years at Crestview teaching traditional middle school science classes. This year, he’s teaching a range of new, elective STEM courses for 5th through 8th graders.
Before taking on the fledging department, Hays went through multiple weeks of professional development with Project Lead the Way, a STEM education non-profit. Much of the curriculum also comes from PLTW.
Hays said the middle school’s new STEM courses give students a chance to figure out whether they might be interested in a STEM career after high school. They are also designed to foster critical thinking, science literacy and teamwork.
“Starting off as a 5th grader, kind of getting the spark going, I think it’s really cool,” he said. “I think that’s kind of the main reason we started this year.”
Middle school Principal Brian Kinnard said the district plans to extend its STEM program into the elementary and high school.
“We are implementing here at the middle school first to generate interest and start the feeder concept for building it up to the high school,” Kinnard said.
Feedback on the program has been positive, he noted. Students have been excited to create and share their projects.
In earlier grades, students get an overview of multiple STEM topics. Hays said over the course of the school year, his younger students will learn how to monitor and track infections like the common cold, create a prototype prosthesis for injured animals, explore the functions of the brain and construct and code robots.
Students in 7th and 8th grade can take two courses. The first focuses on automation and robotics. Students learn to build mechanisms like bevel and idler gears and belt and chain drives, which are used in cars and garage doors.
Hays said next year, the class will likely be extended from a quarter to a semester. The extra time will allow students a chance to program and code VEX robots.
Maycee Tackett, an eighth grader, said automation and robotics was her favorite class. Tackett was already part of Crestview’s Future City class and registered because she wanted to dive deeper into the world of STEM.
Tackett and her project partner Bronson Rose pulled a segmented chain over a series of gears, so that all of them could be spun with a single crank. Earlier in the semester, they designed a walk-in closet complete with shelving, mirrors and shoe caddies. Their project notebooks showed a basic sketch annotated with dimensions and other notes about the potential cost, materials needed and the design’s advantages and disadvantages.
During the flight and space course, students will learn about the science of flight and requirements of living in space. The course will culminate in a project that requires students to create and plan a mission to Mars.
In addition to Hays’ classes, students at Crestview Middle School can take courses in apps and web design and Future City, a project-based course where students research, design and build their own metropolis.
“It is important for students to have these experiences to enjoy learning and to help prepare them for their future,” Kinnard said. “The shape of employment and jobs has changed dramatically over the years with more technology emphasis.
“Students will need technology skills to be competitive and successful in a field of their choosing.”
Some of the jobs future students will work haven’t even been created yet, so teaching a STEM mindset is just as important as the skills themselves.
Hays said a principle students learn in STEM is seeing the world from an engineer’s perspective by using the design thinking process. Engineers and product designers typically start with a problem in mind, then research and brainstorm solutions.
Next steps include creating a plan or prototype, testing the new product or method, then analyzing the results and making improvements.
An entrepreneurial mindset is another key aspect of the class. While sketching designs for a piece of furniture or organizer, Hays asked his students to consider factors like functionality, price and a consumer’s desires and needs.
“Rather than just making a product, we have to think of the consumer,” he said.
