Ep 84 | Want to Impress a Middle Schooler?

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Well, one thing I've heard quite a few times from students is, well, I don't like science, but I like it here.

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 0:07

So I think they're just in their mind, science is something you're forced to sit in a classroom and read about. And here they say, oh, this stuff is real. This stuff actually goes on. And they do get more motivated. I said, you know, I understand that, but we do have to do the brook learning too. So they get a little bit more motivated to actually go back to the classroom and do what they need to do to get that knowledge base. And some of them have said, Oh, I think I want a career doing this.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

Welcome to the Voices United in Education podcast. Each week we showcase the teachers, administrators, and community members who go the extra mile to contribute to the success of every student in Escambia County. You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support every student's success. Talk to any parent of a middle schooler, and you'll hear about the struggle of early adolescents, them becoming their own person, their friend choices, their need for deodorant. But don't forget their academic motivation. How do you keep your kid engaged? My next guest is the teacher on special assignment at Flight Adventure Deck, a unique program where middle school students learn STEM concepts firsthand in a very unique atmosphere. Today she's going to share how the program works, what makes it work, and how it's leaving a lasting impression on students. Passionate educator, Tae Thai graduate, giving STEM wings, Michelle Givens. Thanks for being here. Thank you very much. It's a huge honor to be here. Well, I'm excited to talk about this program because I mean, I don't know about you, but I hear about these programs and I just I live vicariously through the students that get to hear them. So let's start there. Tell me about the unique classroom that these kids get to be in when they take this course.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Well, I always say, and I tell the students this, that I feel I'm the luckiest teacher in the world because my classroom is a huge museum. And I can take students to see light artifacts and science exhibits and everything. So my classroom is not just limited to one tiny room. And if you think about it, my classroom is the world.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

It really is. And the world has come to you under the big roof of the NAS Aviation Museum. Right. And it couldn't be more perfect to help kids learn STEM concepts. Right. And this does end up being a literal trip for kids because they're traveling from their typical school to this location, but it's different than a field trip.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

It is a field trip in the sense that they do leave school, but it's not where the students simply get on a bus and they go and look at things and say, oh, big pretty airplanes, and then they get back and go. But it is a structured program. It's a partnership between the schools and the museum. Myself, I'm like the liaison between the two. There are structured activities. There are worksheets to fill out. There's pre-lessons. There's lessons there. They're all standard space. They're matching what is taught in the classroom. And they cut go back and they discuss what they've learned. So it is a full immersive experience. It's not what we usually think of as a field trip where they just get in a in a bus and go find things.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

So it's not just purely for fun or entertainment, although it is Although it is fun and it is entertaining. But it instead it kind of uh ignites their learning motivation to want to know, well, why does this work? In fact, I think when we were talking off mic, you gave me an example of something a student said. Correct me if I'm wrong, I might be getting my wires crossed, but the student looked at the airplane and was like, well, how does it stay in the air?

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Right. A student was coming out, it was a sixth grade student, and she was looking at it and she says, How does the plane not fall apart when it's flying through the air? Which is such an excellent question. And just so much of the root of the knowledge that we're trying to convey and the fact that she was asking that question, even unprompted, because I've seen them look around and just ask all kinds of things, and it gets that curiosity going.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

So, how do you, as the teacher, how do you leverage that curiosity in an organized way to create these like measurable academic outcomes? Because you said it's not field trip. There's like standards that you have to hit in order for it to be the program that it is. How as a teacher do you, you know, take the wondering mind of a middle schooler and make it something that they learn and remember? Right.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Well, the the program itself, it's structured in such a way that there's two teachers that come up, and then there's myself as a teacher on special assignment, and Marcia Schiller, who is my Santa Rosa counterpart. We divide the st students into four groups. They rotate through activities. Either Ms. Schiller or myself will take one group, we do hands-on STEM-based experiments according to their grade level. They are filling in worksheets during that time. Now that gives them the structure and they say, okay, we have to do this. But at the same time, it's open enough that they can explore, they can put hands on, they can ask questions. And then we they're two of the teachers are taking them on the floor. They're doing a tour of the museum. Each grade level has a different part. They talk about not just the planes and how they work, they're doing science and math activities all over the place. And they're also learning the historical aspect of it, like the the, you know, how does it fit in? You know, how has things how have things changed over time? What circumstances have led to these? Because in my mind, you really can't separate knowledge into different categories. There's history in science, there's math in reading, there's reading and everything. So it all fits together, in my opinion. And then they have, which is always the most fun part of the thing everyone looks forward to. During one of the rotations, we go into a simulator room, they climb into a realistic cockpit, and they get to fly in a simulator and they get to fly the F-35. Of course. Oh, which is absolutely just the the thing they look forward to the most. I said, is a true realistic cockpit. And each student, while they're flying, they have a volunteer Navy ensign who is a flight student themselves, who serves as their flight instructor, and they walk them through it all. And that is usually the part that students just come out just fascinated by. And nine times out of 10, they don't even realize how much they learned. Like they've learned about breaking the sound barrier and, you know, how the the different parts of the airplane, how it keeps it in the air, how the engines work. And they're learning all that while they're flying a plane. And I just watch them and their eyes are so wide and they're just wow. And they think it's just the coolest thing ever.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

That's so amazing. I love that you talk about how what we consider departments of education, math, science, history, that they don't live in a container. Right. That I'm and that is like truly spoken as someone who values social studies, social science, which is with your background. So I was um laughing and smiling to myself as you were saying that, because that full world view is some a view that is really helpful for outside of the box educational opportunities like this.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

And you know, once they get to middle school, that is when we do start to compartmentalize what we teach them. It's like, okay, now we're learning history, now we're learning science. And to me, it it just all fits together. And I know we have to do that for purposes of organization, but you know, it all fits together.

SPEAKER_00 7:59

But when you combine the application of those subjects in an experiential way, then it glues it to the the kids' young mind and they know that math doesn't live in a classroom.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Right.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

Math is in this F-35 airplane. Yes. And that's pretty exciting.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

It's what the engineers use to design this because there was a problem. And as, you know, history goes off and wars come and go, there's this need for new technology, and it all fits together.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

That's amazing. I yeah. Com knowledge in the world is not compartmentalized. That's amazing. It's uh one thing to read about the program, and it's very different to see it as you see it in the eyes of the little minds that you said in their eyes light up. What impression have you seen on the kids? Any specific examples of students that you feel like the program has been particularly impactful for?

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Well, one thing I've heard quite a few times from students is, well, I don't like science, but I like it here.

SPEAKER_00 8:59

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

So I think they're just in their mind, science is something you're forced to sit in a classroom and read about. And here they say, oh, this stuff is real. This stuff actually goes on. And they do get more motivated. I said, you know, I understand that, but we do have to do the book learning too. So they get a little bit more motivated to actually go back to the classroom and do what they need to do to get that knowledge base. And some of them have said, Oh, I I think I want a career doing this. So we talk about what they need to do. So it does get that motivation. Because as we know, when they're in elementary school, they're so curious and they're like little sponges and they absorb everything and they ask a million questions. And then when they hit middle school, a lot of that tends to fade away. Because I think they start as like, okay, now learning is drudgery. I don't like doing it. And I think they it's like, oh, this is real, this is w what we can actually do. So that is why it's so important for these students to have an actual experience where you can go, you can look, you can touch, you can feel, you can see. Just it becomes a part of you in a way that just hearing about something or reading about something never will.

SPEAKER_00 10:09

And they have a story to tell. Right. They can go and tell the story of when they went to the aviation museum and they got to be in the flight simulator. Right. And they spoke with other professionals in that field. And and then, you know, it brings it to life. How old are the kids? What grades are we talking about?

SPEAKER_01 10:31

We have separate programs for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. So it is the middle school years. It is aligned with the standards for that. And if a student comes out all three years, they will not be doing the same field trip. So it is aligned with the standards of that particular grade. So they could come in seventh grade and see different things and learn different things than they did in sixth grade. So we have students who come all three years and it's a different field trip every time. So it is that middle, those middle grades that we're really trying to get. In fact, we want them to get this strong knowledge base and this curiosity and this motivation so they can take that into high school. So we really want to get them here so we can start steering them in that direction.

SPEAKER_00 11:16

I love that. And is it the the the flight? I just lost the word. Flight Adventure Deck. Right. Is the flight adventure deck experience one day?

SPEAKER_01 11:27

Uh yes. It is a one-day field trip. The actual time at the museum is typically around four hours. Of course, there's the transition time in and out. So it's it's generally one day.

SPEAKER_00 11:38

And is this something every school in Escambia County is doing or just specific schools?

SPEAKER_01 11:44

It's well, it's it's basically at the choice of the teacher and the schools. Each April we have an opening and teachers can sign up for a day. So we always encourage them in the month leading up, you know, look at your schedule, see what's going on, because we really want to get them out. So uh all teachers on that date have an equal opportunity to sign up for dates. So it's the ones that sign up, the ones that bring their students out. So it's it's really at the choice of the school and the teachers.

SPEAKER_00 12:13

And that would be, I mean, such a benefit for the teachers, right? Because you've got a a four-hour window where you're not having to carry the burden of curriculum. Right. And you've got students who are performing in a higher level because of the experience. I mean, that's like a win-win.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

Yeah. And it's it's very cost effective. It does not cost the students anything. Everything is already there. Now it's currently a partnership between Escambia County, Santa Rosa County. So we do have to split the time with Santa Rosa County and the museum. So it's a three-way partnership. Everything is already there, everything's already in place. So really the teachers just have to organize things and bring them up there. Uh, we provide full support. We we train the teachers in what it is they need to do. We provide them activities before and after. So everything's really set. So we really just have to get on the bus and come and then and then learn.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

So all the school has to provide is, well, the students, obviously. Yeah but the transportation. Transportation.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

Um and I've you know, since we're they're bringing two teachers, there had to be somebody left behind at the school. They are really participating in and I've looked around, I've even asked my director if they know if there's any other similar program anywhere. And to our knowledge, there's really not, I mean, there's educational programs at a lot of museums, but they cost. In fact, I looked a nearby one, is $18 per student to bring them in. And that's just in ticket, probably plus transportation and all of that. This is already set up and good and ready to go. The parents don't have to worry about costs because I know a field trip, you think, okay, what's that going to cost me? Doesn't cost them anything. And it really is in place and it is a truly unique myself as a teacher on spectrum. I'm a teacher in Escambia County, just like any other teacher is. Miss Schiller, my counterpart, she is a teacher in Santa Rosa County. So we are experienced classroom teachers. So, you know, we know how to teach and lead students, and we are working with them. So that aspect of it, as far as we know, really does not exist anywhere else.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

So you've got this interesting blend of the traditional, which is you're a traditional classroom teacher, but you're in a non-traditional setting, teaching experientially. Right. Earlier you mentioned math and science exercises. Can you give any examples of one of those that maybe parents would understand? Okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

Let me give an example. On the sixth grade, we talk about the atmosphere, and we're doing an activity, and a lot of times we sneak that math in with the students not really realizing it, because we're talking about the atmosphere, the composition of the atmosphere, how the pressure affects our bodies, what is the different percentages? And, you know, we said, okay, there's this percent nitrogen, this percent oxygen. And then I pull out a big bucket full of 1,000 ping pong balls. Okay, if this is so many percent nitrogen, how many nitrogens are in here?

SPEAKER_00 15:07

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 15:08

So they have this like, oh, sneaky. And it's like, oh, okay. So it's there, we work it in. Now, what they're doing ultimately is they're determining which gases, if you filled that gas in a balloon, which gases would float and which ones wouldn't, and why we specifically choose helium as opposed to one of the others. And there's just all this information is just coming. There's the his story, you know, the you know, that story of the Hindenburg, and why why did it explode? All that's being, you know, and they're measuring if I had a a box of just that gas, how much would that box weigh? Well, how big's the box? Is is a hundred cubic feet. What does that mean? So I hold up a box, a plastic box that is one cubic foot. Okay, so a hundred of those, how big is that? So we get on the floor and there's like, okay, five feet from this wall, four feet from this wall, five feet tall. Oh, that's our box. Volume is something that they have a hard time with because they don't really understand what it means. I mean, length time, width timed height, they they memorize that formula, but what does it mean? Oh, we're talking about a box.

SPEAKER_00 16:11

And what does it look like? Actually, what does it look like? That's like another level of you know, being able to regurgitate the right answer is one thing. You get the pat on the back, but when you transition into real life, you need to know what it actually means, what it looks like.

SPEAKER_01 16:21

If I I usually I try to find a student, I said, who is exactly five feet tall? And I stand them there. Okay, this is this is the box. So they get that visual that they probably never will from just and all that's being snuck in while they're learning about something else. Because math truly is everywhere.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

It is. As much as someone who uh is not math inclined would hate to admit that, it is everywhere. And what a fun way that you're able to bring it to the kids. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

And it's something I wish I'd have had because I really did not discover math and my knowledge of math and my love of math until much later because I was one of those students. Oh, math is just not for me. It's too hard. I can't do it. So I wish I would have had this experience. I would have probably gone into it a lot better. And they said, Oh, I just learned some math. What did I just do there?

SPEAKER_00 17:08

So you feel like you're giving them a big boost in their confidence as well. So they feel m extra motivated to learn because they're not preemptively disqualifying themselves from the subject matter.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

We've worked on our lessons for a number of years. Our she is current, she was previously Santa Rosa's teacher on special assignment, Diana Hage, and she's now our director. And she originally wrote most of this, and we've changed it over the years, but we have struck a balance between things that all students can do and yet challenging and learning high-level material. So we have really worked on getting that balance, but it is designed for all students. They say, oh, well, we just we just want the advan. No, it's it's for all students. And all students can learn that they can they can they can do this material. It's it's it's something that we can all absorb and it's something we can all learn.

SPEAKER_00 18:00

What do you think about the way that this program is delivering information and knowledge that makes it accessible to all students?

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Well, we've really worked on getting the material just right. So it does strike that balance. It's high-level and yet accessible. And we've already worked on that. Um all students are welcome to come out. We work in groups, we work together as teams, we help students realize it's like, okay, I do have the potential to do this.

SPEAKER_00 18:28

If parents wanted to advocate to have their kids school enroll in a flight adventure deck, is there a way that they can do that? Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Probably the best thing to do is communicate with your child, both math and science teachers, and with the administration. Now, every school does things a little bit different as to who is who has the choice and how they pick dates and who is going. And if you speak to them this year, of course, it will be relevant to your child going next year. So, but I would definitely advocate because the more you ask, the more you might get some. And I think the the administrators have a lot to do with it also. So they can encourage and they can facilitate the the students coming. And they often often are the ones who decide which teachers are going.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

Interesting. Well, we'll put the link to the Flight Adventure deck in the episode description so that parents can easily get more information and hopefully get it in more schools because this sounds like an awesome program. Yes. Thanks for sharing this today. This was Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share. Voices United in Education is a production of Escambia County Public Schools.