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STEM skills are in greater demand now more than ever, but some marginalized student groups need expanded access to STEM pathways.

During the edLeader Panel “Boost STEM Anywhere with UDL + Drones: CAST Take Flight,” Dr. Amanda Bastoni, Senior Director of Workforce and Higher Education Implementation at CAST, spoke with Chris Hesselbein, Director of Northwest STEM Hub, Laurie Prewandowski, Digital Learning Specialist at Kearsarge Regional School District (NH), Dr. Jessica Hall, Senior Research Scientist at CAST, and Adrienne White, Director of Marketing at Robolink, about how the Take Flight program uses drones and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to help all students grow and thrive in STEM.

What is Take Flight?

Take Flight is a free drone program funded by the National Science Foundation that provides curricula, professional development, and other resources centered around using drones in classrooms to help develop students’ STEM skills and interests. It was co-designed with teachers, uses UDL to reach students not often represented in STEM (such as female students and rural students), and is designed so that teachers can modify the content to meet the unique needs of different educational settings.

It teaches students collaboration and STEM skills that they need in the workplace, while also providing the professional development that teachers need to feel comfortable teaching STEM and drone skills via hands-on learning. Additionally, Take Flight demonstrates to students how the content is applicable to their lives (for example, by using videos of women in STEM fields using drones in the workforce).

Take Flight has had a positive impact, especially among rural students, of whom over a thousand have participated in the program so far. Students who participate in the program have reported an increased interest in drones and STEM, higher confidence in their ability to pursue STEM careers, and an increase in drone-related skills, such as coding. The UDL embedded in the program gave teachers the skills and confidence they needed to provide students with hands-on experiences that increased engagement with the material, while also giving teachers a way to comfortably discuss STEM career gaps with students.

Designed with Teachers, for Teachers

Take Flight was co-designed with teachers over several years, with teachers testing it in the field and providing feedback every step of the way. There were more than 25 co-design sessions with teachers to develop the curricula, over a hundred teachers partook in professional learning sessions, and there were 19 one-on-one teacher interviews. The program includes embedded professional development, such as built-in career videos, guidance from other educators, videos for coding, flying, and lesson development, and teacher-designed lessons.

It was created specifically with teachers who have no technological experience in mind and uses scaffolding to help those teachers learn alongside students, starting with smaller, affordable devices and steadily building up to drones. Teachers can determine what parts will and won’t work in their classrooms and adjust accordingly. Take Flight gives teachers the hands-on time they need to understand the material and to feel comfortable working with the students on it. It’s designed so that they can learn as they work, helping them feel confident in becoming better STEM educators.

Take Flight works with organizations such as STEM Hubs to bring STEM to schools, especially those with limited resources. They offer hands-on teacher days and provide kits to organizations to use for program implementation. While the biggest barriers to Take Flight have been teacher confidence and equipment access, professional development and other resources, such as Perkins funds, are helping combat that in those areas. The program also brings in partners such as community colleges and industry sponsors, forming ongoing relationships that help students grow interests in drones and STEM.

By giving students and teachers hands-on learning opportunities, Take Flight makes STEM more accessible for everyone, regardless of where they live, their socioeconomic status, or any other factor. With a quality STEM curriculum, students can confidently walk towards a brighter future with all the skills they need to succeed.

Learn more about this edWeb broadcast, Boost STEM Anywhere with UDL + Drones: CAST Take Flight, sponsored by Robolink, creators of CoDrone EDU.

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STEM Learning is a free professional learning community that provides educators a collaborative forum to increase student engagement, creativity, and skills with science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the arts.

Robolink makes career-launching educational drones and learning experiences for grades 5 and up. CoDrone EDU, the drone of choice for classrooms and the Aerial Drone Competition, allows students to program with Blockly and Python to build CS, STEM, and future-ready skills from their first flight.

Article by Jon Scanlon, based on this edLeader Panel