WIPRO Urban STEM Leslie M.

Armstrong
Focus Group -Dream It

A Time of Change ?

WIPRO Urban STEM Leslie M. Armstrong

Focus Group -Dream It
Prologue
Inflated from the Wipro experience of the summer of 2014, I had
much ambition to cause 21st century change at Laura S. Ward STEM
Elementary School. I premiered my new technology skills to the
masses, thought Giff creation would dazzle them and immersed
them in yet another round of cattle style professional development.
The reaction that I received from this initial contact ranged from
soft acceptance to muddled outrage. What a great way to start the
year?
The mashed up mixed reviews that I received weighed heavily on
my confidence to implement the WIPRO effect. From this initial
engagement, with my colleagues, I learned. As the children have
coined it; I had been treated and schooled. Now back in my
virtual desk, I had to make changes. My initial plan was to fall back
and resume the mostly mediocre, machine driven plan of action that
I had been following for the past 19 years, but WIPRO wouldnt
allow that. Since I had the new requirement of teaching a supposed
one hour STEM science, math class to all of the seventh and eighth
grade students, I decided to unleash the WIPRO beast on them.
Shockingly, the active, excitable response that I received from the
children had a profound and tempered effect on their teachers.
Laura S. Ward STEM has been invaded future STEM techno
monsters.

WIPRO Urban STEM Leslie M. Armstrong

Focus Group -Dream It

WIPRO Tech for Laura S. Ward Students

A diversion from the initial Dream It 1.0 and 2.0 ; where the
main focus was to increase teacher byin to STEM was a necessary
task. The new focus would be increasing student byin to STEM. A
presumed result of this shift would be that teachers would begin to
assimilate themselves into the STEM fold as their students began to
show progress.
In my reflection paper, I mentioned a subgoal of using STEM to
increase student participation and reduce student delinquent
behavior. The following list reflects the ongoing goals that I am
striving to implement to support this work with students:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Utilize technology to express individual and collaborative creativity

Work effectively and efficiently in a collaborative setting
Increase and maintain attendance rate
Utilize technology as a collaborative platform of communication
Persevere to complete all tasks and projects

The following chart is a snapshot of required projects that directly

correlate to these goals:
Objective
Powtoons
autobiogra
phy video

Collaboration

Students X
will
create 2
minute
autobiogr
aphical
movie

Creativity

Communicate

WIPRO Urban STEM Leslie M. Armstrong

Focus Group -Dream It
Wonder
Stupeflix
video

Students
will work
collabora
tively to
compose
a2
minute
video
about a
scientific
wonder

Kizoa
Fire Safety/
Rules to
Live By
Video

Students
will work
collabora
tively to
compose
a 3-4
minute
fire
safety
video

Students
must create
individual
websites
using
WIX.com.
The
website
must
include
completed
project
artifacts

Students X
will work
in
collabora
tive pairs
and
individual
ly to
create
compone
nts of
their
websites

WIPRO Urban STEM Leslie M. Armstrong

Focus Group -Dream It
Any work that involves students must begin with that dreaded
A word; assessment. I decided not to have students bubble in yet
another set of answers to questions that they may not read. For the
student technology survey, I created five basic questions that could
be based on their first technology project. The first project involved
creating a autobiography using an interactive powerpoint medium;
Powtoons. The following is a list of criteria that students were to
follow.
1.
2.
3.
4.

The video must contain downloaded and site prescribed images.

The video must contain a music track
The video must not exceed 2 minutes
Include :
Introduction

Meaning of Your
First Name

One specified
hobby

One personal goal

One hope that you

Closing Credits
have for yourself or
for others

Embedded within this criteria are observable measures to assess

student technologic preparedness. As students began to working
on this project, I covertly gathered data based on the number of
times students needed assistance with particular components. This
data also served as a basis for mini-lessons; that I would implement
to improve their skill set with creating digital media. I also used
this data to identify students that would serve as techo leaders;
whose role would be to assist their classmates with components of
their projects. The following is the initial data that I collected at the
beginning of the first quarter.

Formative Student Technologic Preparedness Survey

9/8/2014 to 9/12/14

WIPRO Urban STEM Leslie M. Armstrong

Focus Group -Dream It
Access
Email

Upload &
Apply
Images

Grade 8

58 %

40 %

Grade 7

44%

30%

Grade 6

40%

15%

Upload &
Apply
Music

Save and
send
links
online

I can edit
video
content
to fit time
criteria

5%

25%

43%

<2%

15%

55%

<2%

<2%

65 %

Boosting Teacher Engagement

Initially I selected a group of teachers from the primary,
intermediate and upper grade bands. Working with six individuals
from the various grade bands proved to be an unproductive
venture. Varied preparational periods, area assessment mandates,
grade band objectives and individual teacher technological abilities
were obstacles that I could not address in a meaningful manner.
Determined to repurpose the WIPRO Dream It 1.0 and 2.0 I looked
for windows of opportunities with the upper grade teachers in
grades 7 and 8. The windows started to open as students began to
respectfully demand time to complete their projects outside of their
STEM class sessions. The students became instructors and work
collaboratively with their teachers. The second opportunity was a
response to a sudden drop in student attendance during mid
September and early October. At a grade level meeting, we began
to brainstorm ways to entice students to attend school. The results
of that meeting was a creation of projects that centered around
hands on activities with technological components. The following
chart lists the initial projects that would formed into a unit.

Objectives

Creativi Communica
ty
tion

Collabor
ation

Tech.
Requireme
nt

WIPRO Urban STEM Leslie M. Armstrong

Focus Group -Dream It
Culinary
STEMS

Students will
use ratios
and
proportions
to create
salads and
salad
dressings for
20
individuals.
Students
must create
salads with
25% of the
ingredients
from the
schools
learning
garden.

Students
must
document
the
planning
and
execution
process
using
Microsoft
PowerPoint
.

Musical
STEMS

Students will
create a 1
minute
seamless
musical
production
using a
digital music
cube

Students
must
create a
short
report
about the
genre of
music that
they
created
and send
their
reports via
email to
their
teacher.
Students
will use
IPADS to
video their
production
s and
Dropbox to

WIPRO Urban STEM Leslie M. Armstrong

Focus Group -Dream It
archive
their work
Acting
-Improv
STEMS

Students will
work in
collaborative
groups to
create
dialogue,
dance and or
song to
random
scenarios

Students
will to use
IPADS to
video their
production
s for
critique
and
enhancing
their
production
s

Engineerin
g STEMS

Students will
design
various
aparati for
the new and
improved
Egg Drop
competition

Students
will utilize
Edmodo to
complete
their
reflection
questions
and create
sketches of
their
aparati
using
pencil
madness.c
om

Before I continue with the remaining portions of this short

report, please examine the collaborative unit that was created by
me and the 8th grade team.
https://docs.google.com/a/cps.edu/presentation/d/1pb2OfsG10icAjnU
6Am_mWBRZNDQHMEfGF10vxIGJ2L4/edit#slide=id.p

Positive Push To Proceed

WIPRO Urban STEM Leslie M. Armstrong

Focus Group -Dream It
Teachers time is a restricted area. Knowing that time is
precious and the union is the guardian, I needed to find away to
steal essences of time from our teachers at Laura S. Ward. For the
7th & 8th grade teachers, this positive push was uncomplicated
because I teach STEM technology and science classes to their
students. The process was further optimized by offering teachers
additional training and collaborative teaching sessions that would
flow seamlessly from the morning STEM tech classes.
As I began to support the 4th-6th grade teachers, a minor
adjustment had to be initiated. The first step was to find points of
entry into their classrooms for unannounced, positive observations.
After analyzing the lunch and recess scheduled, entry points were
easily found. I begin observations 15 minutes before lunch or
recess period or directly after students complete those periods. As
I observe, I begin to list suggestions that may either STEM up their
lessons or introduce a sketch of a collaborative lesson based on the
brief observation. To show that I am persistent and committed to
supporting my collaborative partners, I follow up with a
collaborative session whose duration does not exceed ten minutes.
The final session will either reflect a fish bowl session. During
these sessions, the teacher and students receive STEM tech training
tandemly or a the session may reflect a collaborative teaching
session. The following link reflects this format that I will be
implementing during the third phase of the Dreamit phase.
http://www.powtoon.com/show/bSk7zYHkKEm/focus-group-nextstep/#/

Student STEM Support Squad

This idea was developed to further involve students in the STEM
process. Initially I selected students that based on the following ;
those serving an in school suspension or those individuals that were
unable to participate in the educational process throughout the day.
Most of the students had been trained through the course content
that they received during our STEM classes. These students are
utilized during fish bowl or collaborative sessions to work with
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WIPRO Urban STEM Leslie M. Armstrong

Focus Group -Dream It
their peers to enhance their technology skills or assist with the
engineering cycle. The initial group began with six students, but
demand has increased the number to thirteen individuals. Moving
forward with this component, I have decided to codify this program.
Beginning the week of December 8, 2014, we will have a formal
meeting to establish goals and guidelines. The results of this work
has shown a decrease in behaviors that disrupt the educational
process and given these students purpose and ownership of their
learning. Ladarius, a member of my diverse learner division stated
I can do it once you teach me and I can teach my friends what I
know ; I am not a problem child when I am doing STEM The
following is

Improve to improve Instruction

Given the realities of the student population that we seek to
educate, a common thread is the desire for students to express
themselves. Their actions are often contrary to our instructional
plan, but we are required to produce productive students. Given
the additional charge of preparing students for the 21st century
whose current reality is a day of struggle leaves educators often
perplexed. During the summer WIPRO session, we experienced
improvisation training from the Second City Theatre . I was able to
use this training to gain entry into the struggle against misconduct.
There was always the initial resistance to something new, but
students are beginning to view the experience portal to positive
behavior. The teachers that I have trained are beginning to use this
to improve their teaching pedagogy. The following link contains
lessons plans, data and comments about this experience.
https://docs.google.com/a/cps.edu/presentation/d/1RZ2O610WI2sMc
zb7aoBQydxxqaK2o80hlwyQC4zIABY/edit#slide=id.g5489d246f_35
Conclusion
When the school bell rang, I did not expect that STEM would be a
portal that would lead to change. Another round of traditional
professional development was my demise, but I have learned to

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WIPRO Urban STEM Leslie M. Armstrong

Focus Group -Dream It
address the needs of teachers in a more meaningful and organic
manner. Without the students, I would have been ineffective.
One classroom, One Teacher at a time

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