 This past summer I shared some ideas for various STEM/STEAM projects which were inspired by a road trip from central Texas to northern Arizona. Part of that drive involved an unexpected, and totally amazing, experience - driving - for miles - through the middle of one of the largest wind farms in the world!  Today I'd like to share with you another excellent source of not only inspiration, but information, to help you design and actualize your own STEM/STEAM school. Dr. Aaron Smith is the Director of the very exciting Aviation Academy, a STEM school in Newport News, Virginia. This school represents the epitome of a 21st century school, whose designs are aligned to our 3 compasses to 21st century education which are then immersed within a 21st century learning environment - beginning with intentional design of the Physical Environment, then the Social/Emotional Environment, and finally, the Academic Environment. As you will see from this excerpt from the introduction in his book, Awakening Your STEM School, this school definitely meets the criteria for the perfect Physical Environment. They "get it" smack on! From Awakening Your STEM School, by Dr. Aaron Smith . . . SO MY CAREER has led me here. I unpack the boxes from my previous school leadership position to take over as Program Director of the Aviation Academy, a magnet program in the Newport News, Virginia Public Schools. I look out the large picture window at the tarmac of the airport. Housed in the old terminal building at this beautiful airport, the enlightened leadership of the Newport News/ Williamsburg International Airport — a perfect location to bring young people interested in aviation as a career. . . . This book is a "must have" for every educator, school board member, parent, community and business leader who wants to create a truly 21st century STEM school. From powerful inspiration and an introduction to the paradigm shift required in thinking about "what school is and should be", this book also provides the practical knowledge you will need, in a complete outline and guide to all the nuts and bolts of making your vision a reality. The school Dr. Smith describes is a prime example of the manifestation of the new education paradigm we've been hearing about from visionaries such as Sir Ken Robinson, Tony Wagner, Sugata Mitra and Prakash Nair, repeatedly calling for - not reform, but the re-imagining and re-invention, of schools. The Aviation Academy provides students with experiences that are rigorous, relevant and real world. Here you will find innovation; creativity; curiosity and imagination; critical thinking and problem solving; entrepreneurship; collaboration across networks and leading by influence; and effective oral and written communication. Here students develop 21st century skills [iii] and multiple literacies [iv] required for successful living in this new millennium. This school has escaped the obsolete "cells and bells" model, a relic of a bygone era, the factory model of 19th century education.[v] And, while it is physically located at an amazing and perfect location, this school extends beyond the walls of the terminal to the community - from local to global. Tony Wagner and Ted Dintersmith discuss [vi] the enormous need to prepare students, not only for the sake of the individual student in life, but for the sake of the economy and our nation. Aaron Smith's book, Awakening the STEM School, addresses that need head on, with powerful and poignant examples of why we must change now. This book is a clarion call to stop the damage being inflicted upon individual students, educators and parents as a result of (what I call) standardized testing mania. The messages in this book cannot help but break your heart, wake you up and then inspire you to take action - for the sake of our children and our nation. More than data, we are looking at real people, real humans, and a nation with an immediate and urgent need. As Dr. Smith so eloquently and vividly explains, we are on the verge of a "perfect storm" in education, an extremely dangerous situation. At the Aviation Academy the focus is on STEM careers via aviation; this experience certainly will prepare students for success in many ways, not only careers in aviation. And it serves as an excellent model for all communities who wish to ensure success for their children, their communities and the nation. Be sure to order this book and have some serious discussions - and then take action - as a result. Finally, Dr. Smith has organized an impressive array of additional resources on his web site, STEM School DR. [vii] Here you will find STEM web sites for teachers, information on STEM grants and a section for In the News. I hope that you, too, will find these resources valuable and that you will share them with all your connections and colleagues as well as your community! i. Smith, Aaron (2015-06-01). Awakening Your STEM School. Koehler Books. ii. Critical Attributes of 21st Century Education iii. 7 Survival Skills for the 21st Century, as outlined by Tony Wagner, Harvard University iv. Multiple Literacies for the 21st Century v. Facilities for 21st century schools. Also see my blog post, "Lose the Cells and Bells". vi. Wagner, Tony and Ted Dintersmith (2015), Most Likely to Succeed - Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era. vii. STEM School DR
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