Almost a decade ago, Madison-Ridgeland Academy (MRA), in Madison, Mississippi, was facing a problem common in schools around the country: low test scores – particularly in the STEM disciplines. Until then, learning science was less focused on doing science and more focused on note taking and lectures. At that point, MRA knew something had to change.
The school turned to Pitsco, and to hands-on learning, where they chose Expeditions to spearhead the shift towards active engagement. Soon, classrooms became laboratories where students were both asking questions and leading themselves to the answers. Kids saw for themselves how math and engineering principles kept coastal communities safe during storms; how generating electricity required thinking about science and technology as logic puzzles; how seeing STEM in action made it easier to grasp and exciting to apply. And for science teacher Kandice Rowe, improved test scores were only the beginning.
Empowering Students and Teachers
Kandice, the middle school science department chair who’s been teaching science at MRA for eight years, saw that Expeditions made personalized learning possible for students without adding to teachers’ workloads.
“In a traditional classroom,” she says, “everyone is forced to follow along at the same pace. If one student is grasping the material while another is struggling, either a student has to wait while I explain concepts to another student, or people get left behind.”
Expeditions’ student-led approach keeps interest high for everyone. In charge of their own learning, kids are able to absorb and recall more information from lessons. The students who are confident they understand are free to continue exploring, while those who need more help can ask without worrying about holding others back.
“It makes it easier to identify who needs things explained in a new way. I can facilitate better because I have more time to go in depth with the students who require it.”
This is convenient for some, and for others, it’s life changing: After doing Electric Tech, one of 41 real-world Expeditions, a student of Kandice’s, who notoriously struggled with science, went home considering a career as an electrician.
“His mom reached out to me because she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This kid, who had never really taken to science before, was telling his mom how much fun he had wiring circuits and felt excited that he was able to do it successfully.”
These transformative moments put students on pathways that shape their whole futures, and they’re moments that happen every day.
Building STEM Skills with Real-World Stakes
Expeditions never keeps students wondering when they’re going to use what they learn in class. Both directly and indirectly, career concepts and employability skills are a core part of each lesson.
“I see my kids really exploring the connection between STEM and careers in their logbooks,” Kandice says. “And while that reflection piece does a good job of tying class back to the real world, it’s the collaboration aspect of Expeditions that’s especially valuable.”
Middle school is a vital period of growth for students, and navigating the social landscape is essential to that. In Kandice’s class, kids are collaborating with a variety of people and friends. This means students are challenged to become peer leaders.
“A lot of the time, one student picks up material faster than their partner. But they’re both responsible for completing the hands-on component together.”
These students, who are motivated by success and don’t enjoy making mistakes, take extra time to talk through execution of ideas with their groupmate. It’s one thing to comprehend subject matter oneself, but being able to identify how someone else processes information, then using that knowledge to effectively explain theory, design, and build shows the character of a true leader.
On top of practicing being part of a team, Kandice’s students are exercising responsible decision making and critical thinking. In the Building Bridges activity, for example, precision is the difference between a bridge that connects or collapses. And with a limited amount of resources, students need to get out of their comfort zones – where they have an infinite number of attempts to problem-solve – and think carefully about measuring, cutting, and placing balsa wood to sustain static and dynamic forces. These considerations reflect those of real-world civil engineers – considerations that, in the process of working around, develop useful soft skills needed for success in any job.
Fueling a Culture of Curiosity
What happens in each Expeditions lesson doesn’t stay in the lesson space. Beyond long-term knowledge acquisition, the solution has inspired changes to students’ interests and even the school’s course offerings.
“The kids thrive when they can be hands-on. Once they’re able to do STEM themselves, they don’t want to go back to traditional learning. Because of that, I’ve started incorporating hands-on components to other lessons too.”
Kids see Expeditions not as work, but as an opportunity to experiment and show what they’re capable of. It’s rewarding for students to see themselves solving complex engineering challenges with other STEM principles and creativity. So much so, that they’re electing to take more science courses on top of their required courses. No longer is one biology or chemistry class sufficient to satisfy their passion for STEM – they want to explore environmental sciences, microbiology, and genetics as well.
In fact, after educators saw the increase in test scores and excitement towards science in the middle school, they added a new development to the high school curriculum.
“It was 100% inspired by Expeditions,” Kandice says. “They developed a bio-med program over at the high school that reflects the hands-on, real-world application of STEM we have in our classroom. It looks like a real operating room, and the kids are learning the role of medical professionals by stepping in their shoes with a mock patient.”
What started as success in one classroom has inspired innovations in many more.
Learning That Leaves a Lasting Mark
Now, Expeditions has shown the possibilities in STEM and set the precedent for what learning should be. When kids can engage in a hands-on way – learning engineering through disassembly, or science through patterns in the way things behave– they understand concepts more deeply, and invest themselves further. And when this experience is what students expect their lessons to be, they can’t wait for more.