Schmahl science workshops
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Mission Statement
Like children everywhere, the children at A Schmahl Science Workshop love science. And like children everywhere, they learn most when they are motivated, challenged and having fun. We are a partnership of students, parents, scientists, engineers and educators who have come together to help foster this interest in science. We believe children are motivated to learn when their ideas are cultivated through the fun of designing and developing experiments.
About This Cause
Our commitment shows at every stage of schooling – from the first day of preschool through high school graduation by preparing students for STEM careers. Through our programs, Schmahl Science Workshops helps PreK-12th grade students, & their teachers, in schools across Santa Clara & Alameda Counties by providing the expertise in both scientific knowledge & classroom management along with all the supplies needed for engaging & informative science investigations. While students are engaged in scientific exploration & discovery through our workshops, teachers are also gaining new insight into scientific processes, specific concepts & ways to integrate both types of learning into other subject areas as well as to re-present in future years. We have three key programs: In-School, Afterschool & Research which serve preK-12 grade students. Over 29 years, we have served over 370,000 students (unduplicated), of which 49-52% were Latino, 5% were African American, 52% were girls, & 72% lived in low income communities. SSW provides classroom science workshops to schools that wish to enhance their science program or do not have the resources to include science as a regular part of their instructional program. SSW has over 750 pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade hands-on science / engineering workshops, each directly linked with Next Generation Science Standards. Our programs inspire & empower youth to become young scientists, pursuing & developing their interest in STEM fields through hands-on experiences that become opportunities for career advancement. SSW instructors are scientists & engineers. As scientists & engineers, they model passion for science & technology to spark or fan the flames of a genuine interest in STEM fields. Students experience science as an evidence-driven human endeavor to investigate, understand & make generalizations about the natural world. Students come to appreciate science not as a noun, but as a process, a set of activities, a way of proceeding & thinking. Not all of us learned science in this way; we waited until college to become authentically engaged with doing science. And yet, SSW’s workshops demonstrate daily that science can be introduced to the youngest of students in ways that engage them in the firsthand collection & evaluation of evidence. After all, who doesn’t love a mystery? Science & engineering can be very expensive to teach. Science courses often require more money than other subjects due to their hands-on nature. The supplies used in these classes need to be replaced frequently. There are also many laboratory experiments, such as dissections or chemical reactions, in which materials can only be used once. We have streamlined the cost & efficiency of providing STEM opportunities to low-income schools. Our workshops offer a unique blend of activities & discussion to explore science more broadly as we cover the nature, process & practice of science: • The nature of science: The philosophy, sociology, & history of science. • The process of science: What scientists do in order to develop scientific knowledge. When students utilize observation, modeling or controlled testing of a hypothesis, our instructors are highlighting & naming the process so that in addition to the specific concept they are learning, they also discover how to apply scientific thinking. • The practice of science: How science & engineering concepts can be applied to the real world. For example, our students experience this as they look through microscopes at pond water or initiate erosion in trays of sand. Our workshops are designed to provide students with an opportunity to build on an interest in science & engineering knowledge & to build or enhance analytic skills that are critical to success. Students will learn the eight essential practices of science & engineering. • Asking questions (for science) & defining problems (for engineering). Through carefully crafted series of workshops our students learn how to take a good question, make it a great question, & ultimately find a researchable question. • Developing & using models • Planning & carrying out investigations • Analyzing & interpreting data • Using mathematics & computational thinking • Constructing explanations (for science) & designing solutions (for engineering) • Engaging in argument from evidence • Obtaining, evaluating, & communicating information We train young scientists to be careful & thoughtful observers. We work hard to strengthen our students’ communities, adding support, encouragement, & a new perspective on science that can propel them to explore the world around them & grow. The positive feedback we receive lets us know our mission is on track. “I just wanted you to know that both of my daughters are going to be biology majors. They were doing cell exploration under the microscope in your workshop at ages one & three. Thank you for influencing their careers!” – Lois, parent When I tell my class we are going to have "Science Lab" this week they all cheer. They love the lab work & you can hear it in their voices, questions, & comments. Lab time really levels the playing field for our ELD scientists." - Nancy Emoto, Transitional Kindergarten Teacher One of the special ingredients that makes a workshop from Schmahl Science especially impactful is the way concepts are discussed & linked across science disciplines & topics. For instance, a discussion of topics in biology such as bird nests or spider webs & their support for sustaining the species (food, shelter, offspring) includes discussion of materials strength, forces, resonance & many other concepts traditionally considered to be more aligned with physics. Exploration of leaves & photosynthesis includes a discussion of light waves, batteries & chemical reactions. The benefit of this way of looking at science is wide ranging. Students who are especially drawn to one discipline or topic will find a point of interest in a workshop that is devoted to a different discipline/topic. This “hand hold” into a less familiar latticework of information can serve as a starting point for enthusiastic exploration of new subject matter. Also of great importance, is that the juxtaposition of science topics is a terrific stimulus for creative ideas & new discoveries. Many recent innovative applications of science began at the boundaries between two science disciplines or areas of expertise. We feel that it is important to deliver workshops & guide students in their explorations in a way that consistently highlights & reinforces this interconnected way of thinking. To that end, we have created modules comprised of 4 workshops that are grouped, not only by grade level NGSS/TWIG standards, but also have a strong bond among them of interconnected concepts. We are proposing grade level curriculum starting with the most essential “4-workshop” modules & expanding from there. Schmahl Science Workshop’s Research Program has three components, each of which is designed to address the different levels & types of skills sets that need to be acquired as our students prepare to enter the world of scientific inquiry. 1. The Individual Investigations Program (II, also called Idea Incubator) cultivates an environment that nourishes ideas. The program is built on processes & guidance that encourage students to adopt an approach based on questioning & inquiry. For example, by studying the biophysics of organisms such as bats, moths, butterflies & water striders, our emerging scientists & engineers are introduced to nature’s proven solutions & will examine them by seeking to understand the catalysts & benefits associated with the evolutionary development of the solution characteristics. The II Program creates an educational bridge between nature & design so that students will learn how to use nature-inspired strategies to help solve the most urgent problems of this generation. 2. The Seminar Program (SEM) emphasizes both the nature & the process of science. These are two different aspects of science. The nature of science deals with issues in the philosophy, sociology, & history of science. It includes concerns, such as the nature or attributes of scientific knowledge itself — e.g., that scientific knowledge is durable, but is always inherently subject to change. The process of science addresses what scientists do in order to develop that knowledge. The objective of the Seminar Research Program is to provide students with practical application of science & engineering concepts to equip students with fundamental knowledge that students need to succeed. • Our Seminar Research Program is designed to provide students with an opportunity to build on an interest in research / engineering & develop skills, knowledge & analytics critical to success. Each student pursues a topic (or topics) of his / her own interest in a real lab situation, paired with a scientist / engineer mentor who has experience in the chosen research field. The seminar includes training in lab safety, literature research, lab notebook documentation, & laboratory techniques & data analysis. The objective of the Seminar Research Program is to provide students with practical application of science & engineering by learning the eight essential practices of science & engineering. • Seminar participants will also benefit from contextual & historical perspective on the development of the specific scientific concepts & the forward looking relevance to ongoing exploration & research. Our program extends well beyond that topic to address a set of capabilities & experiences that will be valuable in all manner of future endeavors & responsibilities. 3. The Individual Research Program (IR): Our individual research program is designed to provide talented middle & high school students with the mentors, laboratory space & equipment necessary to design, develop & implement advanced research projects unique to them. Students learn how to design a project budget, timeline, workflow/schedule plan, & safety plan in addition to the literature research, project design, implementation, & statistical analysis.