STEM in Practice

Over the past decade, STEM learning has risen to the forefront of education. While schools have taken many different approaches to incorporate STEM into their academic programming, the core principles of STEM learning are rooted deeply in the daily interactions and learning activities of the classroom. This course is designed to help participants explore ways that a STEM culture can be developed in their own classroom. Participants will learn the foundational principles and pedagogy of STEM education. They will explore ways that learners can engage with new concepts, work collaboratively, and develop strong problem-solving skills. Participants will reflect upon their past and current instructional practices and look for ways that they can add or adjust activities to promote a stronger STEM culture. As they move through the course, participants will create an Action Plan that they will be able to use to establish a classroom environment that is engaging, dynamic, and learner-driven.

The Engineering Design Process has been utilized by many STEM-related subjects’ educators as a means to implement STEM. as it helps students develop critical thinking skills. It is commonly utilized to create functional products but can also be used as a framework for solving problems. In this course, participants will be introduced to the design process, experience a design challenge and develop a plan for integrating the design process into the classroom.

As teachers, we identify with our particular area of expertise as the definition of what we teach in the classroom. Did you know that educators can also add STEM facilitator to their educational identity? This course introduces the concepts of STEM and how they are already at play in the best of teaching practices. Participants will learn what STEM is, why it is an important component of any good teaching practices, and how it can be integrated into a classroom. Participants will gain insight into how they are currently implementing many fundamentals of STEM learning and will be challenged to shift their perspective of their own teaching practices using a STEM lens. Participants will be asked to reflect upon their current knowledge and develop an understanding that they are already STEM educators at heart!

Having a solid foundation in STEM learning is one thing, but the application is where it can be taken to the next level. In this course, participants will review the structure of a strong STEM lesson, while noting how it parallels lesson construction across other academic areas. Participants will then be supported in leveraging how they can use what is already happening in their classrooms to construct engaging and meaningful STEM experiences.