Pedagogical History: Spreadsheet Lab Manual (SLM) is a federally funded professional learning community (PLC). Started as grass roots educators dedicated to propagating the benefits of spreadsheet modeling, SLM can add value to STEM education for all students. Spreadsheet modeling is programming/coding a spreadsheet to depict models of STEM phenomena aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). We provide teachers with training, instructional materials and a unified approach to math modeling to source high-value, 21st century skills, and better use data to improve STEM learning outcomes for students.
THE COVID-19 National STEM Educator CRISIS
RESPONSE PLAN:
FACT: Student Learning is the only outcome that matters.
Priorities: Unify teachers, define data fluency, propagate coding skills, learn with mathematical modeling, deliver and measure outcomes, innovate and develop new ideas, test and share.
(7/1/2019) Federal Funding Press Release: Agency website: (NSF SBIR) ALL SLM MODULES WILL BE provided COMPLETELY FREE FOR ANY/ALL PROFESSIONAL PUBLIC EDUCATORS**: (PI Michael McConnell) **SEE ABSTRACT AND OPEN RESEARCH INVITATION (below NSF Logo)
Professional Educators Spreadsheet Modeling Remote Lesson Delivery Support: Email SpreadsheetLabManual@gmail.com and share module Watch Video Demo of Pedagogy in Physics, Chemistry, Biology: Table of Contents
5 STEPS to for teachers to deliver a customized, high-value-added student learning experience:
1. View 2018 SLM Intro Video (5 minutes) on SLM Pedagogy..................................and/or (2012 SLM Pedagogy Video 12 min 33 sec)
2. View the NSF SBIR: SLM PD Training Video that provides a complete illustration of the standardized pedagogy
3. Choose an SLM Module Number from the Table of Contents to Deliver to your students (5 minutes)
4. Email the SLM module number to spreadsheetlabmanual@gmail.com
5. Copy and Paste the lesson plan and follow teacher prep guidelines to customize, and deliver the introduction.
6. Collaborate with your colleagues to plan a unified, building-wide, NGSS aligned, 3D learning experience and literacy assessment with any available screen sharing audio/webinar.
SLM Real-Time Teacher/Administrator Instructional Support: (Unite with colleagues)
Live Interactive Training:
Public Educator Real-Time Training Webinars: SLM Live for 45, every Thursday at 3:00 PM in all time zones. (Will be repeated live at 4, 5, and 6 PM Eastern Time)
Links will be posted 30 minutes before launch (this Thursday 3/19/2020: A Spreadsheet Model of a Virus Epidemic (model coded by Dr Glenn Ledder of University of Nebraska Lincoln)
After School Returns to Normal (or school year ends): Only then we will certify all Teacher PD Hours Earned, Provide a Micro-Credentials Report Endorsing Every Participating Educator's Capacity to Remotely Deliver Spreadsheet Modeling Representations and Skills
Save Time + Add Learning Value, Lessons Naturally Differentiate, Rapidly Customized, Unlimited Enrichment Possibilities, Empowering Teaches and Students with Data Fluency and Interactive, Multi-modal, Mathematical Modeling in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Math at the high school, Community College, and University Level.... Multiple, separate benefits in one experience is high-value-added instruction.
Mission: ALL Students Graduate Data Fluent. The 2020 COVID Health Crisis is now the US Public Education Crisis.
Leadership Duty: America's STEM Teachers
Mobilization Plan: Organizing for Innovation Campaign
Rapid Response: The Great American STEM Teacher Virus Pandemic Simulation and Unification Challenge
Weapons: Science and Engineering Practices: Experimenting, Modeling, UNIFIED to solve the remote learning problem by delivering high-value skills to students in STEM learning with spreadsheet modeling.
Spreadsheet Modeling Pedagogy = Essential Skills + Enhanced Content + Inclusive Learning
How?
Automaton and saving capability unleashes mathematical thinking enhancing the learning experience with the computing power of spreadsheets. This interactive math learning accelerates student Q and A turnover with an empowered representation that synthesizes mathematical concepts. This leads students to computational thinking, quantitative awareness and learning high value digital literacy and data skills. This will improve student outcomes in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Math as well as all future higher education classes and careers in which spreadsheet are used. Spreadsheets are universal because they are efficient.
Everybody needs them and they are standardized: Excel, Sheets, Apple so SLM coding is compatible with whatever your students can access.
ATTENTION STEM TEACHERS: Click to learn how to get paid hourly to train and earn PD hours by participating in NSF SBIR Phase 1 Research.
Phase 1 Participation Enrollment: 183 STEM Educators
Awarded Phase 1 Funding in June, 2019 by the National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (NSF SBIR) program, Spreadsheet Lab Manual LLC has built and implemented a standardized computational spreadsheet modeling pedagogy and observed student success across all levels and demographics and improve outcomes for under-served English language learners. With NSF support we have formed a new Professional Learning Community (PLC) exclusively for engaging professional educators. Proposed and designed based on a theoretical "knowledge engine" and professional learning community concept, we will use teacher incentives to recruit, train and equip members to develop content and share successes. Teachers define or vote for versions of standardized models as accepted practice of science. Schools can invest Title II funds to pay their own teachers to access to this diverse learning community, which they will improve by sharing their own unique perspectives.
Project Abstract for Congress: "Computer Science for All with Spreadsheet Modeling: Researching How Low-Cost Video Training for Teachers Leads to High Value Programming Skills for Students"
This computational modeling professional learning community is STEM teachers sharing resources that work with an empowering and widely used resource. Spreadsheet fluency is the foundation of data fluency and it will immediately enhance learning making math more meaningful and relevant to students. SLM leverages the computational power of the modern microprocessor with a standardized pedagogy across all STEM disciplines. Modeling in STEM with spreadsheets will be an essential learning fundamental so long as the spreadsheet remains a fundamental tool for managing information in society.
Low cost and high value added instruction with spreadsheets solves a future need. For anybody needing to log, use, interpret and understand data. All students, regardless of background or ability level.
How?
Automaton and saving capability unleashes mathematical thinking enhancing the learning experience with the computing power of spreadsheets. This interactive math learning accelerates student Q and A turnover with an empowered representation that synthesizes mathematical concepts. This leads students to computational thinking, quantitative awareness and learning high value digital literacy and data skills. This will improve student outcomes in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Math as well as all future higher education classes and careers in which spreadsheet are used. Spreadsheets are universal because they are efficient.
Everybody needs them and they are standardized: Excel, Sheets, Apple so SLM coding is compatible with whatever your students can access.
ATTENTION STEM TEACHERS: Click to learn how to get paid hourly to train and earn PD hours by participating in NSF SBIR Phase 1 Research.
Phase 1 Participation Enrollment: 183 STEM Educators
Awarded Phase 1 Funding in June, 2019 by the National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (NSF SBIR) program, Spreadsheet Lab Manual LLC has built and implemented a standardized computational spreadsheet modeling pedagogy and observed student success across all levels and demographics and improve outcomes for under-served English language learners. With NSF support we have formed a new Professional Learning Community (PLC) exclusively for engaging professional educators. Proposed and designed based on a theoretical "knowledge engine" and professional learning community concept, we will use teacher incentives to recruit, train and equip members to develop content and share successes. Teachers define or vote for versions of standardized models as accepted practice of science. Schools can invest Title II funds to pay their own teachers to access to this diverse learning community, which they will improve by sharing their own unique perspectives.
Project Abstract for Congress: "Computer Science for All with Spreadsheet Modeling: Researching How Low-Cost Video Training for Teachers Leads to High Value Programming Skills for Students"
This computational modeling professional learning community is STEM teachers sharing resources that work with an empowering and widely used resource. Spreadsheet fluency is the foundation of data fluency and it will immediately enhance learning making math more meaningful and relevant to students. SLM leverages the computational power of the modern microprocessor with a standardized pedagogy across all STEM disciplines. Modeling in STEM with spreadsheets will be an essential learning fundamental so long as the spreadsheet remains a fundamental tool for managing information in society.
Low cost and high value added instruction with spreadsheets solves a future need. For anybody needing to log, use, interpret and understand data. All students, regardless of background or ability level.
2 Student Engagement Tasks:
Task 1: Model Development Task 2: Experimentation, Analysis
Task 1: Model Development Task 2: Experimentation, Analysis
Multiple Points of Assessment: (1) Every student succeeds at programming the spreadsheet model using the steps that precisely guide them (starting from a blank spreadsheet or blank template file). (2) After verifying the model is programmed correctly experimentation is done by altering variables. This enables students to interact with graphs and directly observe model predictions. Interacting with the model in this way helps students learn about the mathematical nature of Science through investigation and discovery while gaining skills on spreadsheets simultaneously.
SLM lessons are truly multidisciplinary, NGSS aligned and engage students in all 8 Science and Engineering Practices despite being written years ahead their adoption.
SLM lessons are truly multidisciplinary, NGSS aligned and engage students in all 8 Science and Engineering Practices despite being written years ahead their adoption.
3 Fundamental Priorities in Pioneering SLM:
- Grow Student Data Fluency: Enhance productivity with spreadsheets (both for future applications and productivity in learning)
- Innovative Computational Models with Sound Science: Aligned to NGSS high school STEM curriculum content
- Easy to Implement: Across all disciplines, all starting skill levels for students and teachers, many ways to differentiate instruction, highly engaging and self guiding so students learn at their own pace with a minimal teacher time investment.