Doin the Dinosaur STOMP with CEEO

How can math and science possibly be exciting for 8 year-olds? The answer lies in the hands of the children – literally.

Glancing into Ms. Candace Foucher's second-grade classroom at 10:30am each Tuesday morning, one would think the students are simply playing with LEGO bricks. However, there is more depth here, as the students at Arthur D. Healey Elementary School are actually learning about pulleys and levers by creating moveable dinosaur mouths using LEGOs.

How can pulleys, levers, LEGO, and dinosaurs possibly go together? Collaboration among Amanda Stockwell and Michael Mogenson—both Tufts School of Engineering undergraduate students and fellows of the Student Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program (STOMP)—and teachers like Ms. Foucher can result in a unique lesson for students. In this case, the dinosaur-LEGO lesson (1) meets Massachusetts State Frameworks science & technology standard for second graders to understand simple machines; (2) has a theme that is consistent with the fossil unit that the students are currently learning; and (3) allows students to problem solve, work in teams, and have an overall engaging learning experience. This is just one example of many hands-on LEGO activities that Boston-area children are exposed to through the Tufts University STOMP program.

"Our experience was a '10,'" said Ms. Foucher. "My students remembered everything they were taught because the experience was so important to them; and they loved creating things together and finally making them move. They were very proud."

—Melissa Pickering is Assistant Director at Tufts University's Center for Engineering Educational Outreach (CEEO)

Learn more about STOMP  with CEEO's Melissa Pickering:

Q: What is the mission of STOMP?
A: The Student Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program (STOMP) at Tufts University's Center for Engineering Educational Outreach is dedicated to creating partnerships between engineering students and local K-12 teachers to facilitate the integration of engineering and education. The engineering students, also known as STOMP fellows, help teachers incorporate hands-on interactive activities in classrooms to teach science, math, engineering, and technology (STEM) concepts.

Q: What are the experiences of STOMP fellows?
A: Each fellow typically dedicates three to seven hours weekly visiting a classroom, collaborating with the teacher to create new lessons, developing sample projects and worksheets for the lessons, and attending weekly STOMP program meetings. Even though the STOMP fellows are paid for their time dedication, they sought out STOMP as a college job due to their desire to give to the community and further enhance their overall college experience.

Q: When did STOMP begin?
A: STOMP began at Tufts in 2001 with a grant from the LLL Foundation, and at the time had no more than five participating fellows. However, over the past seven years, STOMP has grown tenfold. In addition, other universities, such as University of Hawaii, University of Colorado-Boulder, and Princeton University have since adopted the STOMP model and paired engineering students with K-12 teachers local to the respective universities, with the assistance of STOMP operation manuals as well as small stipends, both made possible by Tufts STOMP fellows.

Q: Why has STOMP been successful?
A: The partnership between the STOMP fellow and the K-12 teacher has proven to be a win-win collaboration where the fellow provides technical engineering expertise and the teacher supplies the knowledge of effective teaching methods. With each partner bringing a different knowledge base to the table, they each leave with a piece of the other's skill set. The engineering student gains leadership and communication skills, and, in turn, the teacher gains confidence with teaching STEM concepts in the classroom. The engineering student also realizes the importance of community service, which is indicated by the fact that three Tufts STOMP fellows, most recently graduate student Kaitlyn Conroy, have received the Tufts Presidential Award for Active Citizenship and Public Service, which recognizes Tufts students for their community leadership, public service and civic engagement.

Q: What is the future of STOMP?
A: Since the initial funding, STOMP has obtained additional capital from Tufts' University College for Citizenship and Public Service (UCCPS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). However, program sustainability is a challenge. In 2004, another significant contribution was made by the LLL Foundation to support the operation of STOMP for an additional 10 years. All of these contributions have allowed the program to grow; yet it is still a challenge to find ways to support this growth. One of the first initiatives to support the program's growth was the launch of an online community www.stompnetwork.org, which directs outside community members on how to become involved in STOMP, and also provides a blog and activity database for Tufts STOMP students to share their experiences with current and future fellows. As the STOMP model is adopted at additional universities, this online community can grow and be a valuable resource for all STOMP participants. The program has quite a bit of momentum at this time, and there's no stopping the STOMPing dinosaur!