Sparking Interest in Materials Science
Materials topics are great motivators in any engineering, technology or science course as students learn concepts that are reflected in their everyday lives. During camp sessions, content experts model ways teachers can implement the curriculum in their classrooms.
“The majority of teachers who teach traditional subjects - physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, and technology - fit this curriculum into those classes. One of the things that’s great about ‘materials science’ is that it combines so many different fields together in a hands-on environment that sparks a lot of interest in kids.”
- Carrie Wilson, Executive Director, ASM Materials Education Foundation
“It’s the Science of Stuff.” That’s how Carrie Wilson, Executive Director, ASM Materials Education Foundation, defines Materials Science. “It’s the chemistry of solids,” she continues. “Most chemistry classes talk about gases and liquids and do not focus on solids. But that’s what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about how metal reacts to heat and cooling. We’re talking about how polymers react to water; how they are formed.
“One of the things teachers enjoy about the content is that it deals with materials kids see around them every day,” she continues. “If a class is discussing how to make glass, they can talk about how materials scientists work to make an iPhone stronger to prevent it from shattering. The kids get very excited about it because it’s learning that makes sense.”
For many years, ASM Materials Education Foundation* has delivered rigorous summer camps for teachers throughout the country to get them interested in teaching about materials science. Lessons, which touch on topics relevant to daily life, are designed to easily and cost-effectively transfer to the classroom. Ms. Wilson explains that the week-long camps are filled with 40 hours of intensive, hands-on instruction. Teachers learn in both classroom and lab settings and within five days will conduct 60-70 different experiments. They are given a host of materials and supplies when they complete the program so they can replicate the labs back at school. The summer camp sessions are taught by Master Teachers, practicing or retired high school teachers who have been camp participants and have “shadowed” Master Teachers in the past.
Located in northeast Ohio, ASM focuses on supporting Ohio teachers with teacher camp programs held each year in Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton.
“We are doing our best to reach as many teachers as possible to give them this hands-on curriculum,” says Ms. Wilson, explaining that the camps attract teachers from the elementary grades to high school. “Our Master Teachers are so enthusiastic about what they are doing, they love sharing it with other teachers. While there may be a chemistry teacher, physics teacher, middle school physical science teacher, or elementary teacher in a group, the Master Teachers have a great understanding of the science standards and can point out where different educators can use the curriculum in their own classes. They have been adept at doing that. It’s been amazing to watch.”
The Master Teachers are incredibly passionate and enthusiastic about what they do. They are excited about teachers getting this content into the classroom.
“During the past two years, the pandemic required educators at ASM to rework the in-person curriculum, labs, and demonstrations into a virtual-friendly format. In 2021, 42 teachers throughout Ohio attended one of 16 online summer sessions. With a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, those behind the scenes were able to compile and send materials needed for the program directly to teachers’ homes. Due to the practicality of conducting some experiments at the “kitchen table,” the program was modified, yet it still packed 25 hours of instruction and demonstrations into the week-long sessions. Teachers conducted experiments, recorded observations, and reported on their findings as they have done during the in-person sessions. Master Teachers also videotaped the experiments and demonstrations, which allowed them to pause the presentations for questions or re-run sections for clarifications. These recordings were uploaded into an online learning community following camp sessions and have been available for teachers to re-watch as needed.
Half of the 42 Ohio camp participants in 2021 teach at Title 1 schools. 98-99 percent said they gained new ideas and approaches to teaching; felt better prepared to implement new labs and engage learners at all levels of understanding; and increased their technical and scientific knowledge.
Challenges aside, evaluations from Ohio teachers who attended the virtual sessions were very positive:
“I appreciated being able to do hands-on virtually. The instructors were very knowledgeable. They showed us easy, inexpensive ways to do labs with students but also showed us some of the best materials to use if we have a larger budget. t made me want to learn more and helped reignite my teaching.”
“I was really impressed with this camp, especially since it was online. I have a master’s degree in chemistry, yet I still learned new things, including how to approach this subject in a high school classroom.”
“I loved hearing first-hand the experience of using the materials in a classroom setting. Even though my students are much younger, it was refreshing to see how it can be implemented and adjusted to various groups of students.”
“I just loved this camp. It reinvigorated me to want to teach these concepts with deeper understanding and excitement. I also appreciate building a network of other teachers in my city and state.”
“The best parts of camp: hands-on approach; practical application; taught by high school teachers who are in the trenches and can relate but with experts on hand to dig deeper; offered in the summer; and the instructors! This camp is amazing because it’s allowed me to continue to build my curriculum for my students with concepts that affect their daily lives.”
Each year, ASM works to recruit teachers for the camp sessions through several means: the National Science Teachers Association, state and regional conferences, and e-mail blasts to past participants. Ms. Wilson adds that word-of-mouth “advertising” is usually the most effective. Teachers are eligible to return year after year with an understanding that there is always something new to learn.
Excellent Teaching in Practice
In addition to explaining the materials science content, the Master Teachers model inquiry-based teaching methods during camp sessions as well. “The Master Teachers are not telling the participants what they are going to look for or what is going to happen,” Ms. Wilson explains. “Instead, they ask, ‘What do you think is going to happen?’ and then let the participants conduct the experiment and work through the results. So when teachers go back to their classrooms and do these experiments with their students, they feel comfortable with the teaching methods as well.”
Beginning last fall, ASM educators expanded the use of the online learning community allowing teachers to continue to interact with each other and ASM’s Master Teachers during the school year through “Teacher Tuesdays.’ Typically, they reach 25-30 educators a week with ongoing professional development.
A grant from the Jennings Foundation has allowed ASM educators to plan six, in-person summer camp sessions in Ohio in 2022. Each will run for one week and will be held at a partner location in Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and at the ASM Materials Park in Geauga County. The sessions are free and teachers can apply at www.asmfoundation.org.
“We want teachers to get excited about materials science and sharing this content with their students because it’s fun and it’s interesting,” adds Ms. Wilson. “There are kids who feel they aren’t good at science if they If they have only been in science classes that focus on reading and memorization. We want students to view science and engineering as something they can do. These hands-on activities reach a whole different group of students.
“That’s one of the reasons our teachers love it so much. They love seeing their students’ faces when they conduct these experiments. They love seeing the enthusiasm their students have for these topics.”
*The ASM Materials Education Foundation provides for the advancement of scientific and engineering knowledge through its support of education and research.