Stomp: Student Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program

Abstract

The Student Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program (STOMP) at Tufts University brings engineering students to educational settings to support engineering education. In December 2000, Massachusetts incorporated engineering into its state science and technology frameworks. Educators are now working to integrate these new standards into their classroom teachings. Many educators are not familiar with engineering concepts so they are working hard to learn new concepts at the same time as they are implementing projects and teachings to address the frameworks in their settings. STOMP students, engineering undergraduate and graduate students, serve as a support mechanism for these educators by helping students with hands-on projects, resolving technical issues with equipment, answering engineering questions, doing research on topics, and helping to brainstorm activities. The program has been very successful in facilitating engineering education in 10 local classrooms in grades K-9. STOMP studentteacher partnerships have resulted in some fabulous new curriculum units including a 4 th grade unit entitled "Egyptians as Engineers" and a middle school unit entitled "Make your own CD-Learning Digital Logic." The STOMP program also strives to help engineering students understand the educational system and to encourage their involvement, as future members of industry, in K-12 education. This paper will detail the creation and implementation of a project of this nature as well as highlight the difficulties and successes experienced to date.

Characterizing engineering outreach educators' talk moves: An exploratory framework

“…We point toward a potential alignment between ambitious science teaching goals of supporting students to “do science” and engineering outreach goals of helping students to “do engineering” (Jiménez‐Aleixandre et al, 2000). We posit that ambitious practices may be a useful framework to guide engagement in authentic engineering activities (Bers & Portsmore, 2005; Bledsoe et al, 2004; Portsmore et al, 2003). We also note that engineering is a discipline in its own right; while engineering education shares much in common with science education (AE3 & ASEE, 2020; Cunningham & Kelly, 2017; NGSS, 2013), there are fundamental differences in disciplinary participation, namely creating design ideas and solutions versus creating explanations for natural phenomena.…”

“…Although studies suggest OEs are capable educators (e.g., Gamse et al, 2010), little is known about the in situ pedagogies and teaching moves of effective OEs (Gartland, 2021). Typically, engineering outreach programs are designed to invite and enculturate students into engineering via two functions: modeling enthusiasm for engineering study and careers and facilitating participation in engineering practices (Bers & Portsmore, 2005; Bledsoe et al, 2004; Cunningham & Lachapelle, 2016; Gartland, 2015; Higgins & Hertel, 2013; Portsmore et al, 2003). University‐led outreach is often facilitated by undergraduate or graduate engineering students who are well‐positioned to perform both these functions.…”

Characterizing Engineering Outreach Ambassadors' Teaching Moves during Engineering Design Activities (Fundamental)

“…Ambassadors made discursive bids to help students interpret their testing, think through design constraints, and give voice to what they were buildingall instructional moves that support students engaging in engineering practices in informed ways. This work suggests that ambitious teaching practices may be a useful framework for engineering outreach to support goals of guiding engagement in authentic practices of engineering [2]- [5]. Moreover, it points toward a potential alignment between ambitious science teaching goals of supporting students to "do science" with engineering outreach goals of helping students "do engineering" [21].…”

“…This study explores the nature of discursive interactions between outreach ambassadors and youth participating in an engineering outreach program and asks: What kinds of discursive teaching moves do outreach ambassadors enact when interacting with elementary student design teams? Theoretical background Typically, engineering ambassadors are placed in classrooms with the intent that they enculturate students into engineering via two functions: modeling and generating enthusiasm for engineering study and careers and guiding engagement in authentic practices of engineering [2]- [5]. In this paper, we use a lens of ambitious instruction to characterize the teaching moves of engineering ambassadors that are likely to support student engagement in engineering practices.…”

The Effects Of Stomp On Students' Understandings Of And Attitudes Toward The Engineering Design Process

“…[29] The program takes engineering students and places them in an educational outreach situation in order to act as mentors to teachers wishing to learn how to teach engineering concepts. [29] The main goals of the program, therefore, are to support K-12 educational settings in implementing engineering activities and curricula, provide engineering students with an opportunity to engage in public service through educational support, [30] and to foster technological literacy in the general public. To accomplish these goals, the program prepares these students to become "experts" within the classroom as well as how to be mentors for engineering novices like teachers.…”