Design and Pitch Challenges in STEM: Merging Entrepreneurship and Mathematics Learning

为了在不断变化和越来越以技术为中心的职业环境中竞争，学生需要对科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）有深刻的，概念性的和应用性的理解。然而，许多学生，尤其是来自代表性不足人群的学生，认为STEM与他们的兴趣和职业抱负脱节。需要新的课程方法，特别是在数学方面，以提高学生对STEM的职业兴趣和参与度，同时也支持学习丰富和有针对性的STEM内容。在这个项目中，研究人员将开发和研究九个设计挑战，这些挑战是在高中数学的新课程框架内构建的，即STEM中的设计和音高挑战。设计和沥青挑战框架利用创业沥青比赛，以支持丰富的数学学习。学生合作1）建立，测试和完善原型STEM产品; 2）设计商业计划，以证明产品的可行性;和3）推销他们的产品的法官小组。为了支持实施，研究人员还将建立和调查一个教师在线专业学习网络。该项目将探讨创业精神是否以及如何通过其灵活和以兴趣为中心的职业应用方法，成为支持有针对性的数学内容学习和在数学课堂上建立职业联系的有效手段。该项目还将研究如何通过在线专业学习网络为教师提供最好的持续支持，同时他们实施设计和音高挑战。研究团队将在第一年使用迭代过程创建九个以数学为重点的设计挑战，并与大约50-100名当地学生一起试点挑战。在第二年和第三年，该团队将通过非营利性JASON Learning的合作伙伴更广泛地测试挑战，实施顶点活动，其中八个不同学区的约2，400名学生和30名教师将参加全校范围的球场比赛。一旦完成，这些材料将通过JASON网络广泛分发，并在网上免费提供。在这两个阶段的研究中，研究团队将收集和分析定性和定量数据，以了解学生和教师在挑战和在线专业学习网络方面的经验。该项目旨在通过开放式的创业设计挑战，推出高中数学教学和学习的新方法，让学生探索数学的实用性，同时培养学生对STEM的职业兴趣和参与。该项目由学生和教师创新技术体验（ITEST）计划资助，该计划支持建立对实践，计划元素，背景和过程的理解的项目，有助于增加学生对科学，技术，工程，信息和通信技术（ICT）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

To compete in a continually changing and increasingly technology-focused career landscape, students will need a deep, conceptual, and applied understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Yet, many students, especially students from underrepresented populations, perceive STEM to be disconnected from their interests and career aspirations. New curricular approaches are needed, especially in mathematics, that increase students’ career interest and engagement in STEM, while also supporting the learning of rich and targeted STEM content. In this project, researchers will develop and investigate nine design challenges built within a novel curricular framework for high school mathematics, the Design and Pitch Challenges in STEM. The Design and Pitch Challenges framework leverages entrepreneurial pitch competitions to support rich mathematics learning. Students work collaboratively to 1) build, test, and refine prototype STEM products; 2) design business plans to demonstrate product viability; and 3) pitch their products to a panel of judges. To support implementation, researchers will also build and investigate an online professional learning network for teachers. This project will explore whether and how entrepreneurship, through its flexible and interest-focused approach to career applications, can be an effective means for supporting the learning of targeted mathematics content and building career connections in the mathematics classroom. The project will also investigate how to best provide ongoing support to teachers through an online professional learning network while they implement the Design and Pitch Challenges. The research team will create nine math-focused design challenges, using an iterative process in the first year, piloting the challenges with about 50-100 local students. In years two and three, the team will test the challenges more broadly through partners at the non-profit JASON Learning, implementing capstone events in which approximately 2,400 students and 30 teachers in eight diverse school districts will engage in school-wide pitch competitions. Once completed, the materials will be widely distributed through the JASON network and freely available online. Across these two phases of the study, the research team will collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data to understand students' and teachers' experiences with the challenges and online professional learning network. This project aims to launch a new approach to the teaching and learning of high school mathematics through open-ended, entrepreneurial design challenges that allow students to explore the utility of mathematics while fostering students' career interest and engagement in STEM. This project is funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.