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Based on the 2014 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report, only 43% of students tested demonstrated proficiency or above regarding Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL). This data indicates a significant need to increase the STEM literacy in our country’s schools. The availability of STEM-based exploratory courses that promote STEM literacy is a strength for our school. Students at New Ellenton Middle School have an opportunity to enroll in a variety of STEM related exploratories designed to foster STEM literacy and prepare students for the next level of STEM learning regarding post-secondary and workforce readiness. These offerings include our Career and Technology Education (CTE) STEM, Girls in Engineering, Geo-Literacy, Future City, and Introduction to Coding. Each of the STEM based exploratories at New Ellenton Middle STEAM School cultivates STEM literacy with a focus on Technology and Engineering Literacy as defined by NAEP; “the capacity to use, understand, and evaluate technology as well as to understand technological principles and strategies needed to develop solutions and achieve goals.” The CTE STEM Exploratory class engages students in problem-based learning and career exploration.

Students participate in multiple career-centered units designed to introduce students to courses offered at the Aiken County Career and Technology Center, expose students to STEM professions, and expand students’ critical and creative thinking skills. Units of instruction include, but are not limited to, engineering construction, media design, emergency management, robotics, and criminal investigation. The curriculum is developed by the Aiken County Career and Development and used throughout our school district in multiple middle schools. The Girls in Engineering, a class that targets New Ellenton Middle STEAM School’s female population, requires students to work collaboratively to conduct research, design, and construct devices to solve real-world problems. Students enrolled in this course experience a variety of female quest speakers representing STEM related professions. Members of cooperative groups are frequently reassigned to assist students in further developing their ability to collaborate with peers who possess a range of personalities and perspectives. Rubrics for each project establish targeted expectations, while also allowing students to take ownership in the learning process. Students must identify the criteria and constraints for each assignment and are responsible for monitoring the progress of task completion through learning checkpoints. Our Geo-literacy course concentrates student learning on the interdependent relationship between humans and Earth’s environmental systems. Instruction in this course involves students exploring the positive and negative implications of drones, hurricane proof structures, and identifying how Geographic Information Systems are used to reveal patterns and relationships. The software application Maya, also known as Alice in Adventures, is used by 6th grade students in our Introduction to Coding course. Students enrolled in this class apply math and science concepts to develop and animate 3-D models and simulations. Instruction in all of these exploratory courses emphasizes how Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics work as an interrelated body rather than independent entities.

In addition to the exploratory courses, school-wide efforts are made to reinforce STEM literacy in all students. At the beginning of the school year, students participate in a STEAM Boot Camp to help shift their thinking and promote expectations. The two-week boot camp covers several topics: What is STEAM?; Characteristics of a STEAM Student; The Engineering Design Process; Left Brain vs. Right Brain Thinking; and a problem-based activity (Puff Mobiles).

In 2014, the faculty worked collectively to identify the key characteristics of a New Ellenton Middle School STEAM student: I Think, I Question, I Research, I Design, I Create, I Persevere, I Collaborate, I Discover, I Reflect, I Redesign, I Apply, and I Communicate. It is expected that both students and faculty embody these characteristics and employ them within and outside of the classroom.

The teacher created New Ellenton Middle School Engineering Design Model is central to all aspects of the educational environment, as students become problem solvers in individual classes and school-wide STEAM projects. Individual core content classes also foster STEM Literacy through daily instructional strategies. Students in science and mathematics employ science, engineering, and mathematical practices, as defined through South Carolina state academic standards, to apply conceptual understanding to authentic learning experiences. Student-generated questions are encouraged in all classes and serve as a driving force for self-directed learning environments. Students are required to apply critical and creative thinking skills as both a process for developing understanding and as a means of demonstrating understanding, by students routinely participate in collaborative learning groups.