Super STEM Academy is A STEM focused project-based learning environment that will emphasize Sustainable Energy and Entrepreneurship within the curriculum along with other technical areas like Cyber Security, Manufacturing and Robotics.
The core experiences of our school are:
- Hands-on Learning,
- Energy and Entrepreneurship Focus ,
- Project Based Education,
- Soft skills Development
- Individualized Learning
- Online Community
- Life Transition Training
- Real-world Mentorship
A key feature of our school design is to empower student to accomplish their goals through Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs).
Initial Outline of our unique school contains an online community support feature which combines current industry contribution with the learning experience. The online community development consist of the following phases:
Phase I: Create an online platform that will track industry eco-system knowledge contribution and in both technical and leadership areas.
Phase II: Human/task compatibility based matching and optimal grouping of classrooms, courses and other activities.
Phase III: Enable corporate/government/academics partners to contribute to incentive-funding accounts, create valued research areas and receive customized reports about the user base.
Phase IV: Scholarship rewards based on talent metrics (cover factors like accomplishments, skillsets, virtual participation/influence, physical/cognitive status and verifiable improvement path).
Phase V: Build real-world success center for talent members that include resources for life-transitions connecting students and their expertise to the workforce.
Dr Michael Matthews Comparison of Super School Project
The students of our Super School are not just going to be sitting in desks and listening to teachers but actually building products and solutions.
The school design is centered around kids learning through experiences and from the environment around them.
As the focus in grade school changes from learning-to-read to reading-to-learn, our school focuses through the high schools years and shifts the attention from learning-to-work to working-on-projects-to-learn.
Student will be taking a concept through the process of starting with an idea to a fully realized and constructed project, while incorporating core subjects like mathematics, science, history, language arts, and information systems along the way.
Example projects: full-scale sustainable energy installations, high-tech greenhouses, global community platforms.
The Environment for students at Super STEM Academy will focus on collaboration and individualized learning to keep kids engaged on all levels. Our students will also have the opportunity to not only build powerful relationships with their peers and mentors on campus but they will have access to industry and academic leaders as well as students from other parts of the world via our global community integration platform.
Here are Super STEM Academy’s 3 representative student profiles that we hope to reach
Max is a student that has a high IQ and low social skills. He has been interested in math, science and engineering since he was a small child. To keep Ethan engaged he will be provided an individualized learning plan that offers challenging content and real world experiences. He will build his social skills by interacting with peers who share similar interests on campus and on the community platform.
Jose is a student who has grown up in a working class area with parents that are very hard workers but are undereducated. As a little kid he wanted to be a NASA aerospace engineer and possibly an Astronaut. He family worries that he is setting goals that are unachievable so they encourage him to go set lower level goals. At SSA, Jose will be offered a support system made up of peers, faculty, industry and academic leaders, to help him to continue to develop his passion in STEM. His parents will also be invited and encouraged to be part of his team.
Claire is student who has a natural affinity for learning computer programs, science, and math but when she moved up to middle school her interests begin to shift in order to fit in. Claire gives into peer pressure to be more like her friends who are not as good in math and science. At SSA, Claire will have the opportunity to work with female role models through the mentoring and intern/externship opportunities to build the confidence that she wants to have in her abilities.
Our inspiration in part has come from some amazing school programs and efforts which implement progressive education. Some of these organizations can be referenced in the links below.
http://blog.stemconnector.org/todays-ceo-leader-stem-marillyn-hewson-lockheed-martin-corporation
http://rockymountainrobotics.com/
http://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/
http://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/curriculum/creativity-action-and-service/
Super STEM Academy will utilize networks and partnerships in a variety of ways throughout the process of initial school concept design all the way to the school opening with full program implementation. Internal members such as parents will be encouraged to participate as school board members, committee members, volunteers, as well as advisors on their child’s learning guidance team.
Our Primary Sponsor Logic Central Academy has strong community ties and educational institution connections. As a creator and provider of curriculum for technical leadership, cyber security, advanced manufacturing, and renewable energy we are well positioned to lead the way in K12 education as well. Logic Central’s founder has been actively involved with International Cyber Security standards development for more than a decade, and is engaged with a nationwide effort for cyber security in the local Colorado Springs area. We are gaining support in the local Colorado Springs community, which has a large technical and government contracting workforce. This community demographic makes a great test bed of hungry parents willing to support such a STEM focused high school. We are certain that Super STEM Academy will be a large success based on the engagement and support we are received so far.
We currently have a number of people who are experts in their fields that are actively engaged in helping to develop this school concept:
- Chris Gorog /Karthik Krishna – Logic Central Online & Academy
- Stacy Richards- former educator and educational software Account Manager
- Matt Jungclaus- Building Efficiency expert
- Sandi Yukman- Colorado Springs Utilities (retired)
- Milt Steiner- Rocky Mountain Robotics mentor
- Dr. Michael Matthew – Educator
- Victoria Taylor- School Administrator
Partner and Community Networking References:
http://rockymountainrobotics.com/
http://www.logiccentralonline.com/teen-self-empowerment-program/
http://gazette.com/social-media-for-introverts/article/1566511
http://www.csbj.com/2016/01/12/creating-a-strong-local-cybersecurity-ecosystem/
http://www.csbj.com/2016/01/14/governor-springs-likely-to-house-cybersecurity-intelligence-center/
http://www.csbj.com/2015/12/16/cyber-proponents-call-for-partnership-to-combat-threats/
http://www.csbj.com/2015/12/16/community-cyber-it-takes-a-city-of-champions/
http://gazette.com/national-cybersecurity-center-could-become-huge-economic-driver-for-colorado-springs/article/1567957
http://www.coffeewithchrispodcast.com/
http://www.logiccentralonline.com/blog/
Introductions to the Super STEM Academy Charter High School Concept
Our Discovery Stage engaged many students, experts and organizations