Leslie Armstrong

Wipro Urban STEM

March 7, 2015

Moving Ahead with Smart

Goals

Introduction
Prior to the Wipro experience, the only goal that I truly had was to survive all the
teacher cuts that were based on evolving criteria. Even though I infused a few
contemporary techniques to keep the children learning and administration content,
my goals as an educator were entirely based on the edicts of the institution.
Standardized, measurable outcomes of students metered my development as an

Leslie Armstrong

Wipro Urban STEM

March 7, 2015

educator. Even though I have found opportunities to effectuate small changes, I

must thoughtfully consider the constraints and evaluative measures I and my
colleagues must endure. Preferably, I would like to use the term; my teachers
because I have come to understand that my agenda as a STEM coach and as
member of the Urban STEM must be crafted around their needs as well as my own.
If the outcomes of our work show continued results; whether covertly or overtly; the
risks and challenges I face are worth the effort. I liken this experience to a poem by
Langston Hughes.

Leslie Armstrong

Wipro Urban STEM

March 7, 2015

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

When company comes.

They send me to eat in the

kitchen

Nobodyll dare

When company comes,

But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
Ill be at the table

Say to me,
Eat in the kitchen,
Then.
Besides,
Theyll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed
I, too, am America.

Short Term Goals

As I endeavor to compose and create S.M.A.R.T, I am compelled to balance the
scales of instrumental and missional thinking. The definition of a S.M.A.R.T goal
immediately captivated my attention because of the focused criteria bound within
each letter and reinforces a practice that I have embraced in my work with students
and teachers.
Goal 1: Create a STEM literacy series that focuses on the STEM habits of mind. The
first grade band that will receive this training will be PreK-2. The process will be
initiated as a professional development opportunity, but will develop into a unit plan
that will include a compilation of collaborative lessons. The lessons will be shared
among our small cohort, but individual teachers will train other grade bands and
provide professional development for community and parent groups. By the winter

Leslie Armstrong

Wipro Urban STEM

March 7, 2015

of 2015, these STEM habit lessons will be compiled into an online curriculum book
that will be published on my personal website.
Rationale Goal 1: The first goal involves empowering teaching to work
collaboratively to enhance their current literacy curriculum; with self created
unscripted lessons. Teachers must strive to think of teaching and educating
students in an organic manner. Goal 1 also sets up a framework for integrated
collaboration among grade bands to produce an integrated body of lesson that align
to the STEM focus area. Most importantly all teachers will serve as facilitators of
their own teaching, learning and have the charge of empowering parents.

Goal 2: Identify a online or digital collaborative platform that will transcend beyond
emails, but also interface with Chicago Public Schools technical constraints.
Rationale for Goal 2: It is important that I and my colleagues begin to collaborate
across the digital divide to preserve the personal and professional components of
their lives. Living in the 21st century compels us to broaden our perspectives
beyond the classroom; because the global community abounds with information
that can enhance our teaching pedagogy.
Goal 3: Develop partnerships with organizations that relate to STEM or STEM related
careers.
Rationale for Goal 3: Urban students are subjected to a montage of inequities that
hinder their ability to succeed and compete with their peers that do not have to
contend with socioeconomic issues. Establishing partnerships provide alternative
avenues to career fields that they have not been introduced to and motivates them
by having individuals that show true understanding and concern for their future.
There are various benefits to establishing partnerships; extra economic resources,
increases student retention, decreases truancy and minimize their level of
disenfranchisement with the world outside of their neighborhoods.
Goal 4: Develop technology plans that are grade band specific to increase
technology efficacy
Rationale for Goal 4: Developing a technology plan as a collaborative team would
bring uniformity and organization to the realistic implementation of technology
STEMS. Individuals within the grade band will have the opportunity to review,
practice and critique the efficacy of each form of technology. Their input will
enhance my coaching practices because their response will help customize tech
plans and implementation strategies that will meet the needs of individual teachers
within each grade band as well.
Goal 5: Continued development of Student Stem Response Teams

Leslie Armstrong

Wipro Urban STEM

March 7, 2015

Rationale for Goal 5: Students need to increasingly become active participants in

their learning process. Students that are provided the opportunity to extend their
technology, collaborative and communication skills become operators of knowledge
that will translate to their peers. This translation of knowledge is delivered more
effectively because they can relate to their peers in a meaningful and safe manner.
There is also a marked reduction in the rate of student absences and unwanted
behaviors that lead to disciplinary actions. Additionally diverse learners can achieve
a level of equity and acceptance among their peers, because of the hands on
approach embedded within the STEM framework. This population of students can
actively participate, because the standard tools of learning are removed.
Long Term Goals
Goal 1: Compose a study that compares the level of academic performance on
standardized test to student immersion in a STEM based curriculum
Rationale for Goal 1: Having the experience of serving as a STEM coach and
teaching instrumentally for the purposes of getting students to meet or exceed the
state and national standards based text; I have not seen a correlation. It is my
conjecture that teaching pedagogy and curriculum systems must evolve to prepare
students for STEM or STEM related careers. Instrumental teaching is beneficial in
regards to setting up baseline instruction, but missional teaching goes beyond the
baseline. Most standardized tests are based on the premise of deriving baseline
data and require teachers to tool teach; to improve those test scores. This leaves
students at first base. STEM , missional teaching practices will prepare students
more effectively for the 21st century and propel them to . Baseline instruction is
not enough.
Goal 2: Compose a study that correlates the loss of teacher talent to tooled
teaching and classroom management.
Rationale for Goal 2: I am approaching my twentieth year as an educator of urban
students. I have experienced the personal numbing of pedagogy and talents due to
forced tooled teaching and failed classroom management strategies. I was
applauded for maintaining order and instrumental teaching that straightforwardly
achieved the goal of acceptable performance of my students on standardized tests.
Students academic needs and behavior issues have evolved and the salve has
always been a prepackaged, disconnected, one size fit all classroom management
system. The combination of instrumental teaching and uniform classroom
management systems has left veteran and novice teachers ineffective. The end
results are teacher burn out and job loss. The first lines of teachers that face this
phenomenon are often the supplementary teachers that are able to immerse their
talent into their pedagogy and teaching, but struggle with classroom management.
The exposition of this conundrum must be uncovered in order to continue to retain
veteran teachers and resupply school systems with novice teachers as well.

Leslie Armstrong

Wipro Urban STEM

March 7, 2015

Goal 3: Obtain a masters degree in STEM education

Rationale for Goal 3: Personal stagnation has placed me in a precarious situation. I
have ample teaching experience, but I do not have the credentials for
advancement. The Urban STEM Experience has unearthed personal and
professional talents that have been dormant. Expressing these changes with
coaching students and teachers has motivated me to progress and evolve.
Furthering my education will quantify this evolution and enable me to be an agent
of change within and beyond the walls of the school house.

Conclusion
These short and long term goals will extend beyond their expiration date because
they represent opportunities for continued development and retooling. These goals
can be classified as missional thinking because they encompass an expansive set of
practices and ideas, but most importantly these goals are focused on building a
collaborative community of students, parents and teachers and improving teaching
and learning pedagogy for all. I would like to close with a modified version of
Langston Hughess poem to summarize my continued journey as an urban educator.

I too am an African American

I am learning to be free

I am the urban teacher

Urban STEM has helped me to

learn

They sent me to the back of the

classroom

To seek more

To do their tooled teaching

And now I grow stronger

When company came

When company comes

I performed

Nobody will dare tell me to be the

same

I learned nothing
Was the opposite of strong

I am proud of my change
I am an African American Urban
STEM

Today I laugh