Community of Learners
The Universe Within science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) curriculum primarily serves youth living in communities with high poverty rates on the U.S.-Mexico border. These students are often labeled with “learning disabilities,” but are actually very creative. As one example, research now shows that youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) generally excel at coming up with new ideas and proposing “out of the box” solutions, but do not do well on standardized testing under pressure to come up with the “right” answer. As a result, they, and other students who learn through active modalities, are left behind in the education and career attainment gap.
Scientist George Land, inventor of a highly effective creativity test used to find the most innovative engineers and scientists for NASA, proved that almost all of us are born creative geniuses. He tested a cohort of 1600 students and found their “Genius Level” scores plummeted with age: 5 year-olds tested 98%; 10 year-olds tested 30%; 15 year-olds tested 12%. Testing over 280,000 young adults, he found “Genius Level” scores declined to 2%. Land attributed this “de-genius-ing” of students in the U.S. to over emphasis of convergent thinking to find the “correct” answer, and diminished use of imaginative thinking to generate more solutions. Creative genius takes both types of thinking.
Pervasive “teaching to the test” has taken its toll. Creative intelligence in U.S. schools has been in sharp decline since 1990.
The Universe Within is a world-building curriculum, developed by Mat Bevel Company, Patagonia Public Schools and University of Arizona School of Mathematical Sciences, that offers an innovative approach to spark the inherent creative genius of elementary students. The curriculum uses judgement-free, game-like, immersive learning techniques to expand students’ skills and successes in STEAM subjects. Lessons align with Science, Math, Engineering, Visual Arts, Theater and English Language Arts standards. Doodling, sculpture and kinetic art teach students science, engineering and math. Writing and theater provide venues for students to more confidently present their solutions, ideas and the lessons they learned to peers and the community.
The Universe Within serves a community of youth learners, with a high percentage of lower socio-economic female and minority students, ages 8–11, marginalized by the current academic system. According to the 2010 Census, 83% of Santa Cruz County residents are Hispanic, over 56% are younger than 40 years of age, and 21.9% live below the Federal poverty level as compared to the state average of 17.7%. (Based on the 2016 Census estimates, the county’s poverty percentage increased to 24.5%) In addition, language and cultural barriers have impacted many residents from completing their career training and higher educational programs. Only 6.2%, which is 19% below the state average, of our county’s 47,420 residents have earned a bachelor’s or higher degree. This makes Santa Cruz County the most Hispanic/Latinx in Arizona, its residents one of the youngest, and families most financially at risk.
In addition, students in rural Southern Arizona, near the US-Mexico, suffer from severe trauma, family circumstances connected to drugs, extreme poverty and educational attainment gaps. Most students suffer from at least 2 to 4 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) at a minimum. These traumas include physical and emotional abuse, neglect, caregiver mental illness and household violence. In Arizona, it’s estimated that 48% of all children have experienced at least one ACE.
Students at Patagonia Elementary School who took the course reported greater confidence in creative problem-solving, increased knowledge of math, science and engineering well beyond their grade, greater empathy for community-wide challenges and improved presentation skills. Patagonia Elementary School is a Title 1 public school district comprised of 82% Hispanics/minorities and 50% females in Santa Cruz County, one of Arizona’s most impoverished and highest Hispanic/Latino county.
Our goal is to reach a larger community of students, by offering two new versions of The Universe Within:
- A blended learning multimedia edition provides access to online educational materials in a traditional place-based classroom setting
- An e-learning multimedia edition provides access to online educational materials in a virtual classroom setting
We are moving towards multimedia and digital formats because the majority of students in our educational systems today are members of Gen Z—people born from roughly 1995 to 2010—who are true digital natives, those who’ve grown up from their earliest days, exposed to the internet, social networks and mobile systems. Next is Generation Alpha, the children of millennials—who are a generation in which technology is so ingrained, it’s an extension of their own identity and a way of life.
Sources:
https://share.upmc.com/2016/06/creativity-autism-adhd-link/
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/the-creative-gifts-of-adhd/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mom-am-i-disabled/201612/autism-and-creativity
http://www.creativitypost.com/education/the_2017_creativity_crisis_update_how_high_stakes_testing_has_stifled_innov