A2 STEAM Science Class Donates Meals | A2Schools Podcast | Week of January 30, 2023

In this week's podcast, Dr. Swift and Andrew Cluley talk with A2 STEAM 7th and 8th grade science teacher Jennie Allan. Her 7th grade students recently made meals to donate to a homeless shelter in the area when they were doing a lesson on chemical reactions. Allan shares this project is an example of Project Based Learning that is a hallmark of A2 STEAM.

In AAPS good news we share that Skyline volleyball player Harper Murray was named the 2022-23 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year.

Transcript

:05

Andrew Cluley

Welcome to the A2 Schools Podcast. I'm your host, Andrew Cluley. I'm joined again, as usual, our Superintendent, Dr. Swift. Thanks for being here.

:12

Jeanice Swift

Good afternoon, Andrew.

:14

Andrew Cluley

And we also have with us from A2 STEAM. She's a seventh and eighth grade science teacher. Jennie Allan, thanks for being here with us today, Jennie.

:21

Jennie Allan

Thanks for inviting me.

:23

Andrew Cluley

Before we get started with our conversation, we do have to take note. We're all deeply saddened by the loss of Pioneer 10th grader Adrianna Davidson. Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to her family, friends and the entire Pioneer community and obviously just please everyone support one another. We know that this hard news is going to affect everyone differently. So please take some time and reach out to friends and offer some support.

:49

Jeanice Swift

Absolutely. Andrew. It's just an important day to support this student and family and our Pioneer students and staff and our entire Ann Arbor community. Thank you.

1:04

Andrew Cluley

Okay. Well, we do want to talk about some exciting things going on at A2 STEAM. There was just recently a really cool story that, you know, I think would might surprise some people about a science project that actually ended up benefiting homeless individuals in the area. And that's why we brought Jennie Allan here to talk about. Maybe you could just give a brief overview of what your students did.

1:31

Jennie Allan

Sure. Absolutely. So, my students were tasked with trying to come up with a portable frameless heater that was powered by a chemical reaction that could be used to heat up food. The challenge was to try and come up with some sort of prototype that they designed and then actually built that could be used to deliver meals. And we ended up being able to deliver those meals to a local homeless shelter and it was a fun time for everyone involved.

2:02

Andrew Cluley

Now, I think when most people are thinking of science classes, you know, they do expect I can understand the reactions and all of that. And, you know, that's always something that kids are interested in. But I don't necessarily think that in a typical science class does a, you end up with something that goes out to help the community. Can you talk about sort of why this happens at A2 STEAM?

2:23

Jennie Allan

Sure. Yeah. I mean, that's how we roll at A2 STEAM. We have a very unique philosophy in that we use project based learning to deliver our instruction. And what that means for us is that any learning that we do is done in the form of a project that students are tackling some really critical, interesting and compelling driving question that they have to answer over the course of the unit.

2:49

Jennie Allan

And when I say answer a question, I'm not talking about some yes or no question. Like their question in this case was, how can we as engineers design a portable frameless heater that can be used to heat up food? And that is the question that drives their learning. And then over the course of the unit, as they're exploring different chemical reactions and learning about endothermic and exothermic reactions, they then have to put that knowledge into use and use the engineering design process to design a prototype.

3:19

Jennie Allan

And we find that over the course of a project like that, it results in a much deeper investment on the part of the students. They really get so, so drawn in by this challenge that they have to rise up to and they really have to think deeply about the content and end up creating something that is actually going to be used in the real world. It's one of the most important elements of project based learning.

3:52

Jeanice Swift

And you know, Jennie, I I've watched you for years do this magic that you do in your classroom. And it really is about connecting learning to purpose and mission that is higher and bigger than a seventh or eighth grade classroom, more than any of our classrooms. And I see the spark that occurs in students where learning becomes a life changing experience. And I believe that we're making them not just great scientists, but they're becoming better human beings for planet Earth. And thank you for that work.

4:36

Jennie Allan

Thank you. Absolutely. I couldn't I couldn't agree more in that. I think the students need a real life challenge to engage with the material. I can certainly teach them about chemical reactions out of a textbook, but that's just not really fun for anybody. And they were so immensely proud of the work that they did on this project.

4:59

Jennie Allan

It was the first thing any of them wanted to tell their parents or their friends about, that they were working on this. Every day, they'd come into the classroom ready to go, wanting to try tweaking the reactants a little bit to get just a slightly hotter reaction or to try something different with their prototype. And, you know, I could also explain to them the engineering design process.

5:22

Jennie Allan

But instead, they lived it. They developed their prototypes. They had to test them and revise them and give each other constructive feedback on them. And so, they actually went through the entire engineering design process until they found a prototype that worked. They tested it rigorously and they delivered it, and they had just a wonderful experience.

5:41

Jennie Allan

You know, one of the hallmarks of effective project based learning is that authenticity. We need to be dealing with some sort of real world problem and delivering some sort of real world solution. And there needs to be some sort of public product. And this project was able to get them involved in every aspect of that. And they all felt really proud of their work.

6:05

Jeanice Swift

You know, you think about learning for the purpose of giving it back on a test. And then I think across the spectrum of learning for the purpose of having fun, you know, which is great too. But then way over here where you're working at A2 STEAM and this kind of project, it's learning for the purpose of changing the world for good. So, I love it. It keeps them up at night, gets them going in the morning, and that's the way it should be.

6:33

Jennie Allan

Thank you. It is. Yeah. I also noticed just in my years of doing PBL because, I mean, my God, I think my eighth year at STEAM now. The students who get most invested in these projects are typically sometimes I wouldn't say typically, but sometimes the kids that are the hardest to get invested in learning, the hardest to engage.

6:54

Jennie Allan

Sometimes, you know, I truly think that PBL activates some different part of the brain and I've yet to find a student who does not respond well to it. And sometimes those kids that need a little bit of a push when it comes to engagement really respond well to it.

7:11

Andrew Cluley

I think you mentioned that one of the students actually got to go with you when you were delivering the meals. He did. What was his reaction? And then I'm guessing, you know, what was the reaction of the other students once they heard about what he saw?

7:25

Jennie Allan

So, they were all insanely jealous that he got to go and deliver the meals. You know, I wish more students had been able to go, but it was right after school. It was a hard time for parents to drive over to Ypsi and deliver the meals. But the student who came had a wonderful job explaining the project and had a wonderful like really enjoyed the whole process of explaining the project.

7:45

Jennie Allan

And when we first rolled up to the homeless shelter, you know, there were a few of the clients for the shelter that we were chatting with, and my student Christian, was explaining how these prototypes worked and how all you have to do is add water. And it would start boiling and it would get up to 120 degrees Celsius.

8:06

Jennie Allan

And the guys at the shelter were like, No, no way. We know you're pranking us. And we're like, No, really, we promise this will work. And they're like, We need to see this. And they went and got water on the spot. We had a cup that went with the prototype that had a fill line, so they knew exactly how much to put in and they put it in and, and we said, alright, you need to shake it.

8:23

Jennie Allan

And he was like, Oh, you're definitely pranking me. And we're like, No, you need to shake it. And he shook it for about 20 or 30 seconds. And then it started boiling and on the spot like, like we told him it would. And you can see that my student Christian just was so thoroughly enjoying the whole experience of being able to deliver these meals. It was just it was just a really fun time. I wish more students had been able to go, but they loved seeing our photos afterwards.

8:48

Andrew Cluley

Maybe. Maybe for a future class, we can get some more students able to go.

8:53

Jennie Allan

Absolutely. I would I would love that. I think in hindsight, if I had been able to deliver the meals, you know, later in the evening, I think that would have made sense. This was my first time doing this project. And one of the things that we do at STEAM is we're continuously reflecting on our PBL practice and what can we do differently next time. And that's one aspect that I would definitely change for next time, because so many of the students wanted to be there to help deliver the meals. So yeah, next time, next round.

9:20

Jeanice Swift

So, is there a next chapter for wider production of this?

9:25

Jennie Allan

Definitely could be. Yeah, it's actually a really easy chemical reaction that uses easy to find ingredients from a hardware store. So yeah, we definitely could do it on a larger level and I can't wait to do this project again next year. One of the things I asked the students is how can we improve upon this project for next year's class?

9:43

Jennie Allan

And they gave me some really great feedback. But now, now we you know, we are sadly moving on to the next unit, but they like that one just as much. It's on Magnetic Fields and they get to make Magnetic Carnival games that are rigged for the younger kids at STEAM. And it's also a favorite unit. So, I love that they can't wait to make rigged carnival games for the younger kids.

10:04

Jennie Allan

And when we did this last year, the little kids found out halfway through the carnival that the games were rigged and did not care and just wanted to keep playing and love it.

10:13

Jeanice Swift

That's wonderful. That's the point. Was fun for the kids.

10:17

Jennie Allan

Exactly. It's learning through fun. It's learning through projects. It's absolutely, I think, the best way to engage with the content.

10:24

Jeanice Swift

Absolutely.

10:25

Andrew Cluley

So just in general, I know that not only are you teaching in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, but you're also another proud alumni of the Ann arbor Public Schools. And let's talk a little bit about what made you decide to come back to apes.

10:39

Jennie Allan

Yeah, so I went to Huron class of ‘94. I was a River Rat and I absolutely love Ann Arbor. I just really can't imagine living anywhere else. It's a it's a wonderful community. My husband's from the west side of the state, but he came to Ann Arbor for school and never left. And now we're raising our children here.

10:58

Jennie Allan

And when I first heard about STEAM, my husband, who's an engineer, engineer and a science teacher, we looked at each other and said, Our kids are going to STEAM. And I was working for another district that made the move to STEAM. Like many of the people who came to STEAM, a lot of us came from other districts and were drawn there by the unique opportunities there.

11:19

Jennie Allan

And I really can't imagine teaching anywhere else. And I love being a part of the community. I live around the corner from STEAM. It's a six-minute walk to my school and my kids go there and it's just a wonderful, wonderful situation. So yeah, I was delighted to grow up here and I'm delighted to stay here and I'm pretty sure I'll be in Ann Arbor for the rest of my life.

11:40

Jeanice Swift

Jennie you know that's wonderful. That's just such a rewarding story. And it seems like just yesterday, 2015, I can't believe it's almost a decade and really a transformation of that school campus. It is true. The kind of learning PBL that you've described and we use a lot of acronyms. So project based learning, I should say, but that idea of really bringing children from the earliest of ages all the way through their eighth grade year and in that becomes a way of learning, a way of being.

12:20

Jeanice Swift

It really shapes who they are. I have to share with you when I see STEAM students out at any of the high schools, I can kind of pick them out.

12:31

Jennie Allan

Yes.

12:32

Jeanice Swift

Because they do approach their learning in a very different way.

12:35

Jennie Allan

That it actually doesn't surprise me at all. One of the things we've noticed over the years is we can, there was a bit of a shift. We could tell when we were starting to have students who had been at STEAM for multiple years and now the children I teach, seventh and eighth graders have been it's a lot of them have been at STEAM since kindergarten.

12:54

Jennie Allan

My daughter did young five. She'll be at STEAM for ten years by the time she graduates. But in any case, we noticed it because now when we start a project, the students know exactly what to do. They understand that we start with an entry event. We have a driving question. We're going to approach the content through this process of project based learning, and they know exactly what to do.

13:14

Jennie Allan

And, you know, we always have kids transferring to STEAM just because of our reputation. We'll have kids who come in whenever moved to the neighborhood. But we're also starting to see that that institutional memory from the students who have been there since a very young age in that PBL is now just how they're how they're used to learning. And they really have embraced the process.

13:38

Jeanice Swift

It's wonderful.

13:41

Andrew Cluley

I think that's about as good of a note to end this story on as we can have. But I will go to the good news segment on the A2 Schools Podcast and we're going to actually do kind of a repeat except for it's an improvement. So back in the fall, we mentioned how Skyline volleyball player Harper Murray was named the state volleyball player of the year.

14:06

Andrew Cluley

Well, guess what? We're back to talk about her because Gatorade went out and also named her the state volleyball player of the year, which is another great accolade. But not only that, but they named her the 2023 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year. So, I just want to say congratulations to Harper Murray. What a recognition and an honor.

14:27

Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift

You know, with Harper, it's like one of those late night made for TV infomercials. It's we want to say, But wait, Harper, there's more. And then again, there's more. And I'm just so ecstatic and proud of Harper. I need to get over to give her a high five.

14:46

Andrew Cluley

Well, Dr. Swift, you may have to wait to graduation ceremony or whenever she next comes back into town, because she already did the early graduation and is enrolled already at the University of Nebraska, where she will continue both her education and her excellence on the volleyball court.

15:03

Jeanice Swift

You know, yet another thing that Harper has done to exceed and meet that high bar. So, congratulations.

15:13

Andrew Cluley

Well, thank you very much, Jennie Allen, for joining us today to talk about A2 STEAM and your wonderful project with your seventh graders making a difference in the community and also learning a little bit more about science at the same time.

15:26

Jennie Allan

Thanks for having me.

15:28

Andrew Cluley

And Dr. Swift, Thank you very much again for being with us here on the A2 Schools Podcast.

15:33

Jeanice Swift

Wonderful. Andrew. It's always my favorite to have fabulous teachers and we have many of them across the district. We know. But Jennie, just great to see you and thank you for the work that you're doing at A2 STEAM and leading the way on project based learning with seventh and eighth grade scientists.

15:50

Jennie Allan

Thank you. It's always a joy.

15:53

Andrew Cluley

And thank you for listening to the A2 Schools Podcast. As always, if you have any questions about the Ann Arbor Public Schools, the first place to go to look for answers is our Web site at a2schools.org. If you have a topic or some suggestion about something that we should talk about on a future A2 Schools Podcast, don't hesitate to send me an email at communications@a2schools.org. And once again, thank you very much for listening to this week's edition of the A2 Schools podcast.