Blocked.. Clogged and somewhat congested

This week seems to be moving quickly without my full participation. It seems that since our week off for the convention I have been moving in one speed ... slow and somewhat stumped.  The work just keeps on coming; marking period ends, grades need to be entered, DC trip needs to be chaperoned, and next thing you know it is FCCLA Fall Leadership Conference and Competition.  So in the middle of coming back from DC completely congested and feeling very much sub-par I need to motivate 30 some students to complete a variety of competition projects. Banners, Lamps, Child Care Projects, Cupcakes and Display units and dresses are all needed to be completed and perfected.

 It is exciting to see the enthusiasm these students have, and they don't seem too concerned that they will need to be at school by 6 AM on a Monday Morning.  When I get frustrated I remind myself that this is why we do the job.  Watching them work as teams to create within the guidelines given shows how they understand the concept of engineering.  Tonight they gave me the list of resources needed to make the cupcake display - PVC pipe, Electric Drill, Duct Tape, L-brackets, foam board - They have the idea and the plan; hopefully it will work when it comes together!  I have a huge smile on my face because I see the connection directly to my STEAM initiative within a FCS curriculum.

As for my project; I wish I was moving as quickly.  The four hours of writing Chapter four seemed to go smoothly.  I still get all confused with the APA guidelines and I am grateful for Amy's gentle nudging on the comments. I certainly hope I finally get it under control by the time the paper is completed.  It really does not surprise me that I have difficulty with the guidelines - I never was one to follow the rules!
I am trying to wrap my head around the Methods and Procedure Plan (chapter 3).  As I outline it I am concerned it is too large to be completed in a 45 day cycle.  I need to focus on the use of technology and am going to be working hard to create methods of flipped learning experiences that will enable students to be hands-on in a project based environment.  Hopefully my ideas can transfer onto paper.  This may become the one time I need an extension.

STEAM Cleaning

STE(A)M Cleaning

This week was spent with quite a few hours at the laptop.
I needed to clean up my files so that I can be sure to submit things in a proper manner.

• Research articles to review - sorted in a folder.
• Submitted assignments - sorted in a folder.
• Bookmarks - created!

Now that the files are organized I feel that I can proceed ... obviously with caution, as I don't want to get scalded!

My research this week focused on each of the disciplines that are represented by the acronym STE(A)M education.  This consisted of approximately 6 hours of searching.  Depending upon the association publication - there are a variety of methods which STE(A)M education can be implemented.  Science and Math seem to be the driving force; as those elements become the language of implementation into the fields of Technology and Engineering.  Arts become important as the Visual Literacy of the product becomes the driving force to the acceptance.

Much of the research is focused on teacher attitude and instructional strategies.  I have yet to find collaborating evidence that "learning" has improved from student results.

I had the opportunity to Skype with my international learning partner from Down Under . Jay Deagan, a doctoral candidate in Home Economics education.  She helped me identify some resources that could be helpful in my research, and spent quite a bit of time just brainstorming ways to get Home Ec (Australia) and FCS (US) into the view of the mainstream public.  Her suggestion:  Publish, Publish, Publish.
              * Thanks Amy for pushing me to find the global connections as year or so ago!

I did come across the National Academies Press which has quite a few resources that can guide me on the way to the integration of STE(A)M disciplines into FCS.  It was interesting that when I went to search on Friday evening that the site was not active due to the Gov't shut-down - just wondering... are there little people doing the search?  Seems to be up and running this morning.  

My Needs Assessments have been completed, and now I am compiling the results. From my observational checklist I found the AHA moment of the week.

As a student was deciding what to make in the way of a sewn toy - I had shown a video of lots of different completed projects, as well as some sewn items currently on sale through Etsy.  He saw a plate of stuffed fruit models - he decided that he would make a watermelon slice.  He had no pattern so he created one - using his observational

 skills, he determined the basic shape (half circle) with a oval base.  He realized by figuring the circumference of the circle he could determine the length of the oval that would become the rind of the watermelon.  Currently a work in progress - but I was thrilled that he realized a reason to use those geometric equations he had to learn in math.

The Goal!

I continue my review of my chosen research article.  After reading it through about 6 times, I am beginning to get the feel of the research and its usefulness for my paper and project.  There is certainly quite a bit of reading to do - I really do need to find a way to stream line it as I believe I may be running out of that precious resource of time!