Chapter 13 Fostering Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets Through Project-Based Learning PDF

Chapter 13 Fostering Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets Through Project-Based Learning Jamaal Young Mary Margaret Capraro Department of Teaching, Learning & Culture Department of Teaching, Learning & Culture Aggie STEM...

Chapter 13 Fostering Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets Through Project-Based Learning Jamaal Young Mary Margaret Capraro Department of Teaching, Learning & Culture Department of Teaching, Learning & Culture Aggie STEM Aggie STEM Texas A&M University Texas A&M University Success in the modern workplace requires more than expertise in a single field or even range of fields, including those in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Young learners must develop skills that allow them to communicate with peers and colleagues of various backgrounds and with differing knowledge and experience. Additionally, today’s students must be equipped to solve the problems of tomorrow, the solutions to which will not be found in a single field. One way to prepare students for these challenges is to foster within them an interdisciplinary STEM mindset. An interdisciplinary STEM mindset encourages the development of interpersonal communication skills by requiring students to collaborate with their peers. Furthermore, when used within the framework of project-based learning (PBL), interdisciplinary learning requires students to think broadly and engage with fields and concepts across STEM and outside of STEM, encouraging creativity and the broadening of skills and interests. These skills will define future innovators and should be fostered in today’s classrooms. Fostering Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets 227  Chapter Outcomes When you complete this chapter, you should better understand and be able to explain the importance of an interdisciplinary STEM mindset the ways interdisciplinary STEM PBL supports the development of interpersonal skills why collaboration, and other interpersonal skills, are beneficial and necessary for young learners to practice and develop When you complete this chapter, you should be able to define the characteristics of an interdisciplinary STEM mindset and how each encourages the use of interpersonal skills model key practices imbedded in interdisciplinary STEM PBL identify the affordances of PBL as a means of developing interdisciplinary STEM mindsets and interpersonal skills review a lesson plan and identify which goals and objectives foster an interdisciplinary STEM mindset Chapter Overview This chapter explains the importance of interdisciplinary learning and the reasons why students need to adopt an interdisciplinary STEM mindset. We then discuss the importance of interpersonal skills and how these and interdisciplinary STEM learning are fostered through STEM PBL. We conclude the chapter by providing an exemplar STEM PBL activity that engages students in interdisciplinary STEM learning. Authentic problems require interdisciplinary knowledge and expertise. Thus, many STEM professionals often come together as a larger team to overcome problem complexities or design challenges. On January 9, 2007, Apple made history when it unveiled one of the most iconic products in consumer electronics history. The iPhone has since become the phone of choice for hundreds of millions of people around the world. It redrew mobile phone design and changed the entire phone industry. And it pretty much led to the end of standalone music players, GPS receivers and low-end to midrange digital cameras” (Guglieimo, 2017). When Apple first conceived the ground-breaking iPhone, the organization compiled an interdisciplinary team of software engineers, hardware engineers, graphic designers, web- developers, and business professionals to bring the project to fruition. This is just one example of how innovation necessitates interdisciplinary planning, design, and implementation. 228 Fostering Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets Developing interdisciplinary mindsets is an essential yet often overshadowed outcome of STEM PBL. STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise, enabling the development of STEM literacy and with it the ability to compete in the new economy (Southwest Regional STEM Network, 2009). Likewise, PBL is defined as a pedagogy that moves away from individual lessons on specific topics to lessons emphasizing hands-on, long-term interdisciplinary and student-centered activities (Dole et al., 2016). An interdisciplinary focus is a noticeable component of both STEM and PBL, but in practice the interdisciplinary nature of STEM PBL is unfortunately limited to integration of student knowledge across the four dominate content themes of STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. There are many definitions and interpretations of interdisciplinary instructional practices. One definition of interdisciplinary is the mindful involvement and integration of several academic disciplines and methods to study a central problem or project (Jacobs, 1989). Put another way, “Interdisciplinary refers to the explicit recognition and connection of content and instruction from more than one subject or academic discipline in a teaching and/or learning experience” (Taylor et al., 2006, p. 7). Here we conceive interdisciplinary STEM PBL as an instructional approach that leverages related and tangential STEM content to engage students across multiple content areas in authentic, ill-defined tasks with well-defined yet interdisciplinary outcomes. In the remainder of this chapter, we will introduce a broader more inclusive perspective which we define here as “interdisciplinary STEM mindset.” A focus on development of an interdisciplinary STEM mindset has important implications for teaching, learning, and innovation in the classroom and beyond. What Are Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets? The jobs of tomorrow have yet to be conceived, but if students can navigate interdisciplinary problem-solving environments, they will acquire the experiential knowledge needed to succeed in new and developing fields. Having an appropriate mindset to meet these future challenges is requisite to navigating these unchartered professional environments. Mindsets have been well conceived within education and the medical sciences. The affordances of a growth mindset compared to a fixed mindset has emerged as an important area of research within the STEM education discipline (Boaler, 2019; Dweck, 2008). According to Dweck and Yeager (2019), a growth mindset is the belief that human capacities (e.g., abilities, talents, intelligence) are not fixed but can be developed over time. Here we focus on mindset in the most general sense. A mindset is a belief that orients the way we handle situations—the way we sort out what is Fostering Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets 229 going on and what we should do. (Klein, 2016). This perspective characterizes mindset as an individual’s way of thinking. Thus, we define an interdisciplinary STEM mindset as an approach to STEM-related tasks that welcomes the utilization of a broad spectrum of knowledge, skills, and experiences from traditional and non-traditional STEM content to produce innovations rather than solutions to problems. Students that possess interdisciplinary STEM mindsets recognize that their personal limitations within and across STEM content are opportunities to development broader and deeper understandings rather than shortcomings or inadequacies. These students welcome different perspectives and approaches to problems and seek to gain knowledge through social interactions that embody the social constructivist approach to learning. Interdisciplinary STEM PBL should force students to identify their academic limitations and practice productive help- seeking behaviors through interactions with peers and mentors within and beyond STEM content areas. For example, a well-designed interdisciplinary STEM PBL should affirm the mathematics prowess of a budding mathematician while helping her to realize that she lacks skills in computer science and that she needs to possibly interact with some of her peers in the fine arts to refine the aesthetics of her project design. This type of interdisciplinary cross- training is common within medical education. In medical education, scholars believe that it is important for future doctors to learn how to interact across specialties, disciplines, and ranks. For instance, a neurosurgeon needs to be aware of the talents and skills that his scrub nurse brings into the surgical space, and together they must have an established understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and limitations. Thus, the development of interdisciplinary STEM mindsets can be observed in the integrated PBL learning task modeled in medical education. These integrated approaches can support the development of an appreciation of the roles of others in different disciplines (Solomon et al., 2003). Furthermore, these interactions and processes also help to develop students’ consciousness of disciplinary and cultural boundaries and can foster an increase in their appreciation of different perspectives to support sustainable solutions (Fortuin & Bush, 2010). This is just one example of the utility of developing an interdisciplinary STEM mindset to support the broadening of STEM learning outcomes. Appropriately, if a student possesses an interdisciplinary STEM mindset this perspective comes naturally, yet research examining social emotional learning within STEM suggests that many STEM education programs lack a focus on these important skills and practices (Garner et al., 2018). Nonetheless, an essential component of PBL is the bridging of discrete subject areas into projects that address challenging questions or issues. These questions or issues drive students to encounter and struggle with the central concepts and principles of a discipline 230 Fostering Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets (Thomas, 2000). Here, through the development of an interdisciplinary STEM mindset, we argue that STEM PBL can help to engage students in varying types of academic and personal struggles that develop conceptual as well as interpersonal and professional growth. An interdisciplinary STEM mindset supports a unique set of learning outcomes that extend beyond content-situated understandings to the development of interpersonal skills that are important in the classroom as well as in the workplace. We argue that an interdisciplinary STEM mindset requires a student to develop or possess the following interpersonal skills that are necessary for success in the workplace: (a) communication, (b) conflict management, (c) empathy (d) leadership, (e) listening, (d) negotiation, (f) positive attitude, and (g) teamwork. All of these interpersonal skills have many aspects and are essential for student success. Many are also considered 21st century skills, which are further discussed in Chapters 8 & 9. An interdisciplinary STEM mindset supports communication development. Students with this mindset are comfortable communicating in multiple mediums (e.g., face-to-face, email, web conferencing) to convey effectively their understandings, ask questions, seek help in small groups or from teachers/mentors, as well as present the project outcomes verbally through public speaking tasks. Moreover, in an examination of the effects of an interdisciplinary approach to scenario-based PBL on cross-disciplinary communication between medical professionals, Solomon and Salfi (2011) observed an increase in peer-to-peer learning and communication confidence across disciplines. Essentially, the researchers witnessed more productive interactions across 96 students from various medical fields (e.g., doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and pharmacy students). This is important because these professionals often interact with the same patients, yet they are traditionally trained in silos that limit their interactions until they are in the field. In the next section, we explicate how PBL can help to promote development of the above interpersonal skills by supporting an interdisciplinary STEM mindset. Fostering Interpersonal Skills Through PBL Interpersonal skills are often identified as an underdeveloped and unprioritized STEM education outcome. In practice, STEM professionals are charged with solving complex problems that are often embedded in an integrated social, environmental, or economic context. These more context-laden forms of inquiry require a more humanized approach to STEM PBL that focuses on emergent concerns related to social, emotional, and interpersonal skills. Therefore, interdisciplinary STEM PBL must encourage students to embrace a broader view of solutions that also incorporate possible implications that can arise after implementation and in consideration of sustainability. Fostering Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets 231 Engaging students in interdisciplinary STEM PBL has a direct impact on the development of knowledge and skills that support an interdisciplinary STEM mindset. Students engaged in interdisciplinary inquiries focused on real-world issues must have the interpersonal skills to interact, plan, and implement solutions with students from different backgrounds, personality types, and levels of STEM content proficiency. It is through these types of interactions that we can begin to see true innovation take place. PBL is suited for interdisciplinary instruction because it naturally involves many different academic skills, such as reading, writing, and mathematics, and it is suited for building conceptual understanding through the assimilation of different subject areas. For example, PBL activities typically address written and oral communication skills because students communicate their findings to their classmates through written products and presentations. PBL activities may also incorporate other academic skills, such as critical-thinking and problem-solving skills and visual and fine arts skills. PBL is also suited for instruction across a broad spectrum of subject areas. For example, PBL activities often include content related to social sciences (see Chapter 15) and government because the issues and problems that are investigated as a part of PBL are real and directly applicable. Empirical research has substantiated many academic benefits of interdisciplinary STEM PBL (Fulton & Britton, 2011; Stinson et al., 2009). According to Hall (1995), using interdisciplinary STEM helps to (a) eliminate fragmented curriculum, (b) support developmentally appropriate instruction, (c) promote a less rigid curriculum, and (d) meet the needs of a diverse population of learners. Likewise, numerous challenges have been identified related to interdisciplinary STEM PBL. Coate and White (1996) contended that interdisciplinary STEM PBL is limited due to time constraints, planning and implementation logics, the absence of ancillary materials, differences in students’ prior knowledge, as well as students’ instructional preferences. These historical affordances and constraints remain. However, what remains underexamined are the so-called “soft skills,” or interpersonal attributes. An interdisciplinary approach to STEM PBL is one means to develop a student’s interdisciplinary STEM mindset to inform learning outcomes. Hence, our focus in the present chapter is on shifting the discussion to the interpersonal benefits that can help support the development of highly sought-after STEM professionals that possess strong interpersonal skills. Table 1 presents the key characteristics of interdisciplinary STEM PBL and the corresponding primary interpersonal skills developed by each characteristic. 232 Fostering Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets Table 1 Interpersonal Skills Developed Through Interdisciplinary STEM PBL Key Characteristics of Primary Interpersonal Skills Developed Interdisciplinary STEM PBL Ill-defined Interdisciplinary Task Because the task presented in PBL is ill-defined, students must communicate their individual understandings to their team and negotiate a shared vision or approach to the solution. Well-defined Interdisciplinary Unlike the tasks in PBL, the outcomes are well-defined, which means Outcomes that a leader or leaders must emerge to ensure that the outcome fits the parameters outlined in the project and keep the team moving forward through encouragement and a positive attitude. Cooperative Cross-Disciplinary Cooperative learning and group contributions are especially necessary in Group Learning Activities a well-defined interdisciplinary STEM PBL lesson because one person should not possess all of the knowledge and skills to complete the tasks. This means that the team must depend on shared knowledge, which can lead to conflict. How the team manages these conflicts will determine the success or failure of the project. Multidisciplinary Standards and The incorporation of multiple STEM and non-STEM disciplines is vital Foci for requiring talented students to develop their help-seeking behaviors as a means to develop peer empathy, metacognition, and effective team communication. Authentic Problem-Driven The problem is the driving force of the inquiry and should thus require Projects the team to unpack all of the nuances related to the tasks using effective communication and listening practices that incorporate critical yet constructive feedback. Success Based on Culminating The performance-based nature of the tasks should require multiple Performance presentation modality to include written, digital, and auditory mediums to allow for differentiation and neurodiversity. Cooperative Activities with Self- Most PBL activities are group oriented with the need for students to Directed Independent Problem- take ownership and leadership on specific project-related tasks. This Solving Challenges helps to promote listening and communication as well as negotiation when students vie for similar project tasks. In order to create teams of multidisciplinary STEM- and non-STEM-focused students, teachers must plan to place students in small groups across levels of prior knowledge and among or across subject area interest. This will support the interdisciplinary nature of ill-defined tasks and well-defined outcomes present in the project by creating groups with divergent thoughts and experiences. This supports the negotiation of the groups’ vision and identity, which will transform how the group approaches and completes the project as described in Table 1. Table 1 highlights the importance of cooperative cross-disciplinary learning activities. Working to implement interdisciplinary STEM PBL that promotes interpersonal skills development necessitates that students have opportunities to collaborate with identified and unidentified STEM affinity peer groups. Therefore, schools that are looking to enact interdisciplinary STEM Fostering Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets 233 PBL as a means to increase the STEM literacy of all students should focus attention on creating opportunities for students to work on projects outside of STEM content area classrooms (e.g., fine arts, physical education, and public speaking). This change of environment supports a multidisciplinary project emphasis and can place many STEM-dominant students in spaces where they may no longer possess all of the expertise, which can help to foster their help- seeking behaviors and related interpersonal skills. Further classroom considerations when implementing STEM PBL are discussed in Chapter 6. Allowing out-of-school (OST) project planning times for students also helps to authenticate the project by allowing it to exist beyond the confines and limitations of the school day. This planning may take place before, during, or after school hours. OST STEM planning will allow students to become more familiar with each other as colleagues rather than coworkers, which can support positive conflict resolution during the cooperative group activities. This can also help to develop the comradery necessary to fully immerse the students in the project as a collective, focused team. Furthermore, these OST interactions help to provide a space for students to critique and refine their project through authentic and constructive communication as presented in Table 1. During the culminating activity, an interrelatedness of knowledge must be present among the team members. Subject-area boundaries should be difficult to distinguish if the project was truly reflective of an interdisciplinary approach. As presented in Table 1, the presentation should not be limited to a single modality. Likewise, the voices and contributions of all the group members should be present and apparent yet cohesive. When teachers plan interdisciplinary PBL activities, they should allow for some autonomy with student-directed problem solving. As displayed in Table 1, the topics espoused in projects should necessitate understanding from all group members and require supportive communication practices that incorporate listening, leadership, empathy, and negotiation. In practice, leveraging the affordances of interdisciplinary STEM PBL to support the development of interpersonal skills is an arduous task; thus, in next section we provide insights based on the implementation of an interdisciplinary STEM PBL recycling design project. Fostering Understanding of Interpersonal Skills Development Through an Interdisciplinary STEM PBL Exemplar Interdisciplinary STEM PBL requires thorough planning and creativity to produce a project that is rigorous across all integrated content, perhaps moreso than non-interdisciplinary PBL. Traditional PBL attempts to develop projects that are suitable for meeting the goal and objectives of an integrated unit within a curriculum or course of study (Powers & DeWaters, 2004). Because of this, the inherent integration of science, technology, engineering, and 234 Fostering Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets mathematics present within STEM facilitates a comfortable amalgamation of STEM and PBL to support the learning of curriculum within units. Interpersonal skills are necessary for actualization of authentic STEM PBL, however, and we argue that these skills are best utilized within interdisciplinary STEM PBL. The recycling camp described below is an exemplar of how to leverage interdisciplinary STEM PBL to support the development of an interdisciplinary STEM mindset and interpersonal skills. Through PBL activities, students are encouraged to become independent problem solvers and teachers foster their students’ understanding across diverse subject areas. The typical PBL is not traditionally very context laden. This aspect of the recycling project discussed below is unique because it facilitates the inclusion of content and perspectives that are related to STEM but often only remotely incorporated as a component of PBL. Here the importance of recycling is thrust into the forefront of the lesson activity, which will require many students to acquire more subject matter knowledge through different data collection and communication practices that support the development of interpersonal skills. In STEM PBL, students typically work in cooperative learning groups on meaningful activities that are relevant to real-world issues. These activities are designed to motivate students through their content and by appealing to students’ personal interests. As teachers carefully plan these projects, a natural interconnectedness of topics is supported that introduces curriculum more comprehensively. The recycling design project is an interdisciplinary STEM PBL that engages students in an inquiry-based activity that integrates (a) science, (b) mathematics, (c) social studies, (d) language arts, and (e) fine arts. The recycling design project is very context laden and requires the student to explore concepts related to environmental social responsibility. This comprehensiveness and connectedness fosters student understanding and motivation. These characteristics also help to increase the likelihood of maintaining the rigor of the project across content areas as they become more connected. Aside from encouraging the fidelity of project content delivery, interdisciplinary STEM also supports the development of interpersonal skills. The recycling design project requires students to create an exhibit for a children’s museum that is created from five different recycled materials. To complete this task, the group members must communicate their perceptions and understanding of the project and then negotiate a collective understanding of the challenge. This process requires students to utilize several interpersonal skills, such as listening, communication, and possibly conflict management. Because most lucrative careers require employees to work within teams to accomplish goals, this and other interdisciplinary STEM PBL activities can help foster or refine many of these often underappreciated and undertaught skills. Fostering Interdisciplinary STEM Mindsets 235 The cross disciplinary nature of the recycling design project promotes cross training. In the business world, cross training is defined as providing employees opportunities to explore jobs and activities outside their current responsibilities or skillset. Through well-defined multidisciplinary outcomes, interdisciplinary STEM PBL activities such as the recycling design project promote the exploration of new skills or interests outside the traditional STEM umbrella. For instance, the recycling design project requires students to make design and presentation decisions that incorporate elements of marketing and graphic design, which are important to the success of any innovative new technology or product. Products that are not well marketed or visually appealing are often unsuccessful; thus, these are important considerations. However, if students are not open to these considerations or lack a positive outlook towards their peers who show an interest in these project elements, they may miss career opportunities in the future. Description of Recycling Design Project Well-defined outcome and ill-defined task: Students, in groups of four, will design an educational exhibit (maximum size: 3’ by 3’ by 3’) for a children’s museum using recycled materials to increase awareness about the importance of recycling. The exhibit must be stand- alone and incorporate at least five different recycled materials. Their Recycling Slogan and project explanation must appear on a separate sheet attached to their exhibit and consisting of no more than 300 words in at least 48-point font. Students must create their engineered exhibit plan (see plan requirements) and present their ideas through an oral and visual presentation (see requirements for oral and visual presentation) to the board of directors of a children’s museum. Their presentation must include information about the science behind plastics and recycling, the mathematics of combining shapes of recycled water bottles (