Gorzycki Middle School in the Spotlight

Here’s what Gorzycki Middle School in Austin ISD is doing this year after a team of teachers participated in the NAPE STEM Equity Micromessaging Academy.

“Our goal at Gorzycki Middle School for the 2015-16 school year has been, to teach students to have a growth mindset through creating STEM products in order to improve their self-efficacy. We have a two prong approach: one is educating teachers about micromessaging and the other is through leading STEM activities in the 6th grade classrooms. Teachers have had professional development in August and October over growth mindset and Social learning Theories. And from those professional developments, seven teachers formed a new committee to learn more about micromessaging and are now meeting every six weeks after school. We are on our way to achieving our goal by having two teachers, who  went through the Micomessaging Academy in 2014-15 go into 6th grade classrooms for 45 minutes each week and lead a STEM activity with an emphasis on sending micromessages.  Lessons are being created with the collaboration of the Computer Technology department/Micromessaging Academy Teachers/Fine Arts Department. Students have already created paper bridges and are currently building boats out of straws, cellophane wrap and duck tape, and in January,  6th grade students are scheduled to participate in an Hour of Code. In order to measure the data for our goal, students took a self efficacy survey before they participated in the 1st STEM activity and will take the same survey after they have completed the second activity before winter break in December and again after completing the fourth STEM activity in May.”

Trisha Quintanilla
Tier II Math Intervention
Gorzycki Middle School