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STEM Tuesday — Diversity in STEM– In the Classroom

By on March 8, 2022   /   Diversity in STEM, STEM Tuesday  


I read the following two books from our monthly booklist:

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgInspiring African-American Inventors: 9 Extraordinary Lives
by Jeff C.Young

This book follows the lives and achievements of nine African-American inventors. These write-ups were more in depth than those in the other collections I read. There were lots of links to resources provided in the book; however, it seemed like many of them are no longer active.

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgWhat Color Is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors
by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld,
illustrated by Ben Boos and A.G. Ford

This book is a combination of fiction and nonfiction. While it gives rather brief write-ups for the inventors mentioned, it does a nice job of addressing why diversity in STEM is important.

I also read these two books:

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgUnsung Heroes of Technology
by Todd Kortemeier

This book gives an overview of 12 scientists, mathematicians, and/or inventors whose contributions to STEM have often been overlooked. The majority of the people highlighted in this book are women and/or African-Americans.

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgStephen Hawking: Master of the Cosmos
by Robert Sneddon

This graphic novel follows the life and scientific contributions of Stephen Hawking. While still in college, Hawking was diagnosed with a disease that confined him to a wheelchair for much of his life. Hawking contributed greatly to our understanding of the universe and was able to communicate many of these ideas to average readers.

I felt a strong connection to this month’s theme. My years studying and working in engineering had me facing a lack of diversity in STEM on a very personal level. In college, I met the first woman to graduate from my alma mater. In school and while working, I was the only woman in a room full of men on many an occasion. Our family is full of neurodivergents and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Recently, I went through training to become a counselor for BSA’s Citizenship in Society merit badge.

Here are some activities to consider when tying this month’s books to the classroom.

Explore Identities

This month’s theme is “Diversity in STEM.” But what is diversity? Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines it as, “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements.” In terms of people, what are the differing elements?

Most often, diversity in STEM (or any other organization/discipline) focuses primarily on race, gender, and sometime sexuality. But there is so much more to it than that. If we start looking at what makes up a person’s identity, the possible factors seem almost limitless. (There’s an interesting, short write-up about identity in Sydney University’s 2019 Anthology here: https://www.usydanthology.com/2019/04/12/lodens-wheel-of-diversity.)

Have students define some aspects of their own identities.
(For help in defining some of these, there’s a great write-up from Appalachian State here: https://cae.appstate.edu/sites/cae.appstate.edu/files/big-8-identities.pdf)

Ability:
Race:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Religion:

If you want to include even more aspects of identity in this exercise, go ahead. When we factor in all the different things that make up who we are and compare those with others, we find out we are much more alike than we might assume upon first glance.

Once students have defined some parts of their own identities, have them find a scientist/inventor/mathematician highlighted in this month’s reading (or in one of the links below) who has an identity that matches them. Then have them read about someone who seems very different.

Have a discussion or have students write their thoughts on the following:
– How does it make them feel to learn about amazing achievements by someone who shares similar identities with them?
– Do they feel any differently about those whose identities are very different from their own?
– Why do they think it’s important to have diversity in STEM?

Explore How Progress in STEM Works

In What Color is My World?, Mr. Mital talks about scientific knowledge as being handed from person to person like a bucket brigade.

Set up your own bucket brigade. Line students up around the room. Then have them pass something from person to person – it doesn’t have to be a bucket. In fact, a book might be more appropriate, since STEM is all about passing knowledge and ideas from person to person.

Once you’ve had the students pass the scientific knowledge (book, bucket, whatever) successfully down the line, take a few people out of the line. All the other students should stay in their positions – they should not move closer together to fill the gaps.

Have them pass the scientific knowledge along the line again. What happens when it gets to the gaps in the line? Think about/discuss how this relates to diversity in STEM.

If you don’t have enough people to conduct this activity, try creating a domino train/fall (http://www.domino-play.com/TopplingBasic.htm). Remove a few dominoes from different locations to see how that changes things.

Discover More

Since a lot of the links given in the books I read didn’t work, I decided to dig up a few more. Here are some links to a variety of people who made inspiring contributions in STEM fields but are either from underrepresented communities and/or their contributions are largely unsung. You will find many of the people covered in the books among those listed on the web sites.

This article was written in relation to What Color is My World?: https://invention.si.edu/lost-histories-african-american-inventors

Native American Scientists and Engineers: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/native-american-scientists-engineers

12 Disabled Scientists Who Made the World a Better Place: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/87068/12-disabled-scientists-who-made-world-better-place

Hispanic Scientists and Engineers: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/hispanic-scientists-engineers

Inspiring Scientists and Engineers to Know – Asian American Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/aanhip-scientists

6 Important LGBTQ Scientists Who Left a Mark on STEM Fields: https://www.osc.org/important-lgbtq-scientists-who-left-a-mark-on-stem-fields

LGBTQ+ scientists in history: https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/people/061821/lgbtq-scientists-through-history

Unsung innovators of color: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/these-unsung-american-inventors-changed-the-world/ss-AAMy3V3

10 Black Inventors Who Changed the World: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/86923/11-african-american-inventors-who-changed-world

NASA’s Innovators and Unsung Heroes: https://www.nasa.gov/50th/50th_magazine/unsungHeroes.html

Author Janet Slingerland Janet Slingerland has written more than 20 books for children. To find out more about Janet and her books, check out her website – – or visit her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

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Need a plan for your MG? Ready Chapter 1 kicks off March with the Plot Clock

By on March 7, 2022   /   Articles  

By Faran Fagen

If you read my last post, you learned about Ready Chapter 1, a year-long, interconnected workshop series that meets you where you are at as you write your middle grade novel.

In March’s class, agent and author Joyce Sweeney, along with moderator Fred Koehler, discussed Character Development with an emphasis on the Plot Clock. The Plot Clock is a great tool for planning out any piece of fiction—including middle grade books—and is also a powerful way of determining what is missing is a story once you’ve completed your first draft. Just by looking for each component of the Plot Clock you can easily see where a hole is in your plot, where you’ve spent too much time or not enough, and how to add more dramatic tension to your writing.

The Plot Clock is often used by writers to develop the plot of the stories, to see where a story might need more oomph, and to find places to add suspense.

One of the main questions Sweeney addressed in the Ready Chapter 1 March session was, how does the main character (MC) change from the beginning of the story to the end? The plot centers around the main character’s arc.

What does the Main Character (MC) need to change? Are they too shy? Too aggressive? What are they fighting against? How do they resist change? How do they overcome the obstacles you, the author, place in their path and how does it shape them?

One thing Sweeney said was that story telling is a part of human nature and we all have an internal plot clock. Sometimes we read a story, hear a story told, watch a movie or television show and it just doesn’t feel right, but we can’t say why. Our internal plot clocks tell us that something is amiss. We don’t want our readers to get this “amiss” feeling. This is where the plot clock comes in handy.

The Plot Clock is a circle divided into four equal quadrants making up four acts. Some acts might be longer than others, but the clock works best when the book balances all fourth quadrants in length and substance.

The picture below shows a plot clock with the four acts. Sweeney actually wrote and published a short book in 2019 called Plotting your novel with the Plot Clock that goes into much more detail. This book helped me immensely with my MG The Save, which is being shopped around by my agent.

ACT 1

Ordinary World—The story begins in what is normal for the main character. Are they a star athlete in a troubled family with a sick parent? A young girl in Kansas who yet to realize “there’s no place like home”. You can’t care about what will happen later in a story or see the ramifications of it, if you don’t know what the status quo is for the main character.

Inciting Incident—Somewhere in ACT 1 (or even multiple times in ACT 1), something happens that shakes up the norm. The apple-cart of the plot is turned over or, at least, upset in some way. The Inciting Incident gives a clue to the reader what the Special World the character is entering will be like (even though the character may or may not realize it himself/herself).

Binding Point—The Binding point is where the character does something that causes him to be bound to the Special World. He has bitten the forbidden fruit, climbed onto the pirate ship, followed the rabbit into the woods, shook hands with the devil. And that turns what was the normal, ordinary world on its ear.

ACT 2

Special World—After the Binding Point, the MC enters into a Special World. That doesn’t mean he/she is transported to the past in a Delorean, but now the character is dealing with the problem of the story. The Special World could be a psychological state, a problem, a challenge, a recognition, an experience, and it could even be a magical place. “It is the place where the character goes to do all the work of the story.”

Tests and Challenges Failed—During this act the character tries to deal with his/her problem and fails—over and over and over. Usually the situation is growing worse and worse and worse.

Low Point—Often in ACT 2 the situation gets worse and worse and worse ending with the Low Point. The Low Point is usually the worst thing the MC is dreading comes to pass. And then leads to the Change in the MC.

Change—The main character comes to realization that he/she needs to change and gets a clue that the old strategies he/she was using aren’t working. The main character makes a Change and moves out of “all is lost” and into ACT 3.

ACT 3

Tests and Challenges Passed—ACT 3 mirrors ACT 2. However, the main character begins to figure out what will work and may even get cocky with success. But as the main character is getting stronger, the antagonist is getting stronger, too.

Turning Point—The Turning Point comes at the end of ACT 3. It’s something unexpected that shocks the reader (“Luke, I am your father”) and makes the character move towards the climax.

ACT 4

The time period between the Turning Point and the Climax of the story is the darkest of all for the main character. This time leads to the Climax.

Climax—This is the battle to end all battles and answers the dramatic question of the story. The Climax may also resolve other sub-plots. The Climax may take as much or as little of ACT 4 as needed.

Denouement—This is where the story resolves and is often the ah-h-h-h-h moment of a story. In the original Star Wars, it’s where Princess Leia puts the medals on Luke and Han. In Return of the Jedi, the party with the Ewoks. You get it.

The Plot Clock is a lot (hence the need for an entire book on it) but’s super helpful. You should give it a shot and plot your book with it.

Ready Chapter 1 has more plotting action next month. The April 1 class features “High Impact Plotting” with award-winning author Janice Hardy. Visit www.readychapter1.com. Happy plotting!

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Spring Training 2022!

By on March 4, 2022   /   Articles, For Teachers, For Writers  

“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”  – Malcolm Gladwell, OUTLIERS.

Creating something from nothing is 100% magic. One simply has to employ the fruits of the innate gift handed down from the creativity gods. Simply grab a pen and paper, find an inspirational environment, hit the creativity switch, and wait for the muse to arrive. Simple.

WRONG!

Creative work is a doing thing. It’s work. Sometimes hard, hard, hard work but most of the time it’s rewarding work. We are wired to create. The reality, however, is it’s not magic. It’s work. Three steps that are often listed as the way to becoming a better creative are study, practice, and feedback.

Wait! 

Did someone say, “Practice?”

The memory of NBA superstar Allen Iverson’s 2002 press conference popped into my head when I thought of the word “practice”. AI’s rant on practice is a favorite and often repeated saying at the Hays House. 

And since creative work is a doing thing, transformation only comes from doing the thing. Whether you’re seven working on your first creation or seventy and writing a family history, doing the work to do better work is important. Sorry AI, but practice is at the core of elevating the skills.

Despite what AI might have thought back in the day, practice matters.

It’s early March 2022. Spring training time for us writers and creators (and hopefully, soon for the Major League Baseball players and coaches.) Time to take a critical look at how we treat our craft and produce our creative work. Time to evaluate how we practice and then tweak or adjust the routine as needed to take our work to another level.

It’s time to analyze how to improve and get better. Creative work is a constant move forward. Here are a few tips for better practice that I’m going to incorporate into my 2022.

Practice with a Purpose

There’s so much awesome in this video excerpt from sketchnote expert Eva Lotta Lamm’s Pragmatic Sketching Masterclass. 

Video Link: Eva Lotta Lamm: How to Practice Effectively 

The value of a regular and deliberate practice is transformative. Keep in mind the performance and enter into the practice with expectations. 

Focus on:

  • The doing.
  • What’s going on.
  • Notice what’s happening instead of judging what’s happening.

Practice widely

I’m a former strength and conditioning coach. I’m also a fan of a power training guru named Marty Gallagher. I first became aware of Mr. Gallagher after reading his essay with its nod to The Band, Fitness From the Big Pink. What I’ve liked about his training philosophy is it’s a simple, multi-faceted approach to physical and mental transformation. 

According to Coach Gallagher, “Your fitness efforts fail because you are one dimensional in a four-dimensional universe.”

This is also true for creative efforts. One-dimensional creative practice often results in the creator hitting a rut and losing enthusiasm. Trying a variety of activities can unlock creative growth and transformation in the desired skill or in a completely different direction. Try something new when you feel your practice hitting a rut. Transform.

Creative practice is eerily similar to physical training. A multi-faceted, well-balanced approach to any form of training is a great plan of attack for improving skills. Marty Gallagher’s balanced approach for transformational training includes progressive resistance training, cardiovascular training, nutrition, and brain-train. Creative training might include drawing, poetry, meditation, music, or free-writing. The sky’s the limit here. 

Try new things. Perform them badly. Fail. Practice. Try again. Transform.

As Marty Gallagher said, “With practice, tangible gains generate enthusiasm and enthusiasm causes the trainee to redouble their effort.”

Blank Page

People often freak out about the blank page. It is intimidating. This intimidation ingrained in us since most of us were kids stems from the idea of the blank page will be eventually graded AND should strive for perfection. We should be thinking instead of a blank page as an invitation to make something instead of an assignment.

Practice is an invitation to transform the empty space in front of us with the contents of our creative brain. Instead of a place to make mistakes, we should treat the blank space as a place to make things happen. 

No right. No wrong. Just a formerly blank page that is now alive with ideas.

Just Do It!

The most important thing about practicing and training your creative self is that you do it. That’s the process. One word, one mark, or one idea at a time moving forward towards transformation.

As a sign from the creative universe that this was the right topic for my post, this was in the weekly newsletter for an online drawing class I’m taking. 

“You will find that, without exception, practice will reward you, so be brave, be committed, keep putting your pencil to paper and you will be pleasantly surprised.”  – Drawing Nature, Science and Culture: Natural History Illustration 101 weekly course newsletter (3/2/2022).

Happy Spring Training!

Be brave. Be committed. Keep putting your pencil to paper.

Do the work. Enjoy the ride.

You will be pleasantly surprised.

 

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