Teachers Work on New Ways to Teach Middle-School Science This Week at Michigan Tech

Middle-school science teachers from across Michigan are back in school themselves this week at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), Grand Valley State University (GVSU) and Michigan Technological University, working on a new and better way to teach middle-school science.

They are participating in the Michigan Science Teaching and Assessment Reform (Mi-STAR) program. Learning ways to connect the sciences to each other and to real-world problems, biology, chemistry, physics and earth sciences teachers are working together to create a new kind of science curriculum, one that crosses the traditional boundaries between science subjects and engineering and focuses on solving real-world science problems such as ensuring access to clean water and sustainable sources of energy.

Mi-STAR is funded by a $5 million, three-year grant from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation in Midland, Mich. The program is developing a model for reforming middle-school STEM education, including a new curriculum, updated teacher education and teacher professional development.

Four Universities are partners in the Mi-STAR project: GVSU, SVSU, Western Michigan University and Michigan Tech. Three other universities are providing faculty: Michigan State, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan, and at least seven public school districts are now involved, with more expected to join as the project ramps up.

Mi-STAR focuses on integrating the sciences and engineering to focus on using science and engineering to address real-world problems and investigate topics that students are important to students’ lives.

“Mi-STAR is truly a groundbreaking project,” says Jacqueline Huntoon, who is leading the program. “It is the first time that educational leaders from K-12, universities, professional associations and industry have come together to create a research-based, regionally focused, integrated middle-school science curriculum.”

Huntoon, who is dean of the Graduate School at Michigan Tech, went on to say, “Ultimately, the goal of Mi-STAR is to engage middle school students in science in meaningful and relevant ways that show them how science truly impacts every aspect of day-to-day life and can be used to address society’s challenges.”