The 2022-2023 school year is underway and the hallways and classrooms are alive with chatter and inquisitive minds! Once again I look forward to traveling the nation and world and providing quality, engaging, meaningful, and sustainable science and STEM professional staff development to educators and administrators. Training sessions are available for one-day to multiple-day institutes. Sessions are available onsite as well as virtual. With each training session scheduled a free 1/2 hour ZOOM follow-up session is available for attendees. Sessions are: Available year-round and on weekends throughout the nation and world. All sessions are custom-designed to fit the specific needs/goals of your district/school. Are aligned to national and regional science standards. Incorporate 21st-century skills. Are highly engaging, hands-on-minds-on, and inquiry-based. Empower the participant through engaging investigations and thought-provoking discourse. Use simple, readily available, and inexpensive materials. Incorporate a wide array of affordable technological tools aside from computer-based technology. Incorporate journaling. Provide opportunities for participants to design and create models to bring back to the classroom. Provide opportunities for participants to process what they have experienced as a learner, and how they will take what they have experienced back into their classrooms. A positive learning community is developed by providing opportunities for discourse and sharing among participants and Dr. Diana. For a downloadable PDF brochure with details of the science and STEM professional staff development, I provide please click here. I look forward to the opportunity to share my passion and knowledge of science and STEM with your staff. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or to book sessions by completing the Contact Form found on the Contact Page. The following video gives a bird’s eye view of what your district, school, or organization can expect from the science and STEM professional development training Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski provides.
Tag: stemeducation
Tinkering As A Pedagogy For STEM Learning
Many of us have fond memories of tinkering in our garage, or around the home when we were young, taking apart toys and gadgets, and trying to put them back together again. The term tinkering relates to taking apart and rebuilding, repairing, or improving something. A tinkerer is someone who experiments with materials and ideas to fully understand how they work. As tinkerers spend hours taking apart gadgets and trying to figure out how things work they are incorporating critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Often the hours spent tinkering and iterating result in the innovation of a new gadget or finding a solution to a problem. Tinkering makes an important contribution to STEM education, it embeds engineering and learning habits of mind, as well as 21st-century skills. In the past, tinkering was considered an important skill, in this post, we will take a look to see how tinkering is an ideal pedagogy for STEM teaching and learning. Using a tinkering approach to teaching and learning STEM allows the flexibility of a learner to explore on their own and pursue their own interests or work collaboratively in small groups as they tinker. Tinkering learning experiences are inquiry-based. Tinkering introduces students to STEM content through real-world experiences and challenges. Tinkering provides opportunities for students to develop and strengthen 21st-century skills (creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration). Tinkering provides opportunities for students to experience the engineering design process. Tinkering as a pedagogy provides opportunities for students to develop engineering habits of mind (improving, systems thinking, adapting, problem-finding, creative problem solving, and visualizing). Tinkering provides opportunities for students to develop learning habits of mind (curiosity, open-mindedness, resilience, resourcefulness, collaboration, reflection, and ethical consideration). Tinkering provides opportunities for students to innovate. Tinkering introduces students to the entrepreneurial mindset. Tinkering learning experiences introduce students to STEM careers. Tinkering can be used to develop more engaging, inclusive and equitable STEM learning experiences especially for students facing educational, social, cultural or economic disadvantages. What’s great about incorporating tinkering to teach STEM practices and content is that it’s affordable, and possibly zero cost if you are using recyclable materials, upcycling, or getting donations of broken or obsolete household gadgets or toys. So what does a tinkering learning experience look like? Tinkering can be undertaken by an individual learner or working in small groups. Students can be given access to a wide array of loose materials to tinker with such as building materials, wire, craft sticks, blocks, straws, recyclable materials, scrap wood, tape, batteries, LED bulbs, nuts, and bolts, etc. Students should be free to explore the materials, tinker, experiment, and create as they choose. Students will be encouraged to ask questions and seek answers as they tinker. Teachers can also give students engineering design challenges to undertake such as design and build simple automata (moving contraptions) with the tinkering materials, build structures, and new gadgets, etc. One of my favorite ways to incorporate tinkering to teach STEM practices and content is by having students analyze and deconstruct broken or obsolete household gadgets and toys. Students are asked to analyze the gadget to include the materials the gadget is made up of, how do they think it works, what might be broken, what components do they think they will find inside after taking it apart, etc. Students will be introduced to mechanical, electrical, and materials science engineering, entrepreneurship skills in this process. Students can be asked to sort, organize, label all the gadget components, and draw schematics. Components can be secured using tape or other material to a piece of poster board or cardboard. Another extension to analyzing and deconstructing gadgets is to ask students to try and fix the broken gadgets or create new gadgets or art from the components. If you want to start off slowly with incorporating tinkering set aside a tinkering table in your classroom where students have the opportunity to deconstruct a gadget after completing assignments, etc. There is also an abundance of K-12 STEM books with tinkering and engineering themes that can be incorporated within tinkering areas and learning experiences. Some of my favorite tinkering and engineering-themed books include Rosie Revere the Engineer, Ada Twist Scientist, Made by Maxine, Galimato, The Most Magnificient Thing, […]
Transitioning From In-Person to Virtual STEM Training
It has been a major transition for educators globally to transition from in-person to online instruction due to COVID-19 Pandemic. Since transitioning from in-person to virtual STEM professional staff development I have strived to provide engaging virtual professional science and STEM staff development for my clients. There are several key factors I have incorporated to provide quality and engaging virtual professional staff development training. The following is a list of tips that I believe will help teachers and education consultants deliver quality and engaging virtual presentations. Get yourself tooled up to provide professional presentations which will include purchasing quality audio, video, lighting equipment, and research green screen options. If you choose to not use a green screen your background should not be distracting. I signed up for a professional ZOOM account, allowing me to have up to 100 participants per session, and no time limits on sessions. Generally, I set-up my training sessions as a ZOOM meeting versus a webinar. This allows participants to share their audio and video, and be more actively engaged in the training session. I’m able to do this effectively because I normally have group sizes under 50. If the group size is expected to be over 50, or it is a keynote, etc. I choose the webinar format. Secondly, I provide the client with a list of hands-on materials that all the participants will need to have during the virtual training session. These materials are generally readily available to all the participants, as well as their students within their homes and/or classrooms. I have a narrow six-foot lab-type table set-up in front of me where I place all the hands-on materials I will use during the virtual session. Thirdly, I use the chat feature extensively throughout the entire training session. Lastly, I introduce participants to a variety of meaningful technology that will help to make their virtual lessons be more engaging, meaningful, and impactful such as Jamboard, CANVA, etc. I’m hoping that these basic tips will help educators as we continue to modify our methods of instructional delivery for remote and hybrid learning. For more information about the science and STEM professional staff development, I offer onsite and virtually worldwide check out my current offerings on this site. All trainings are custom-designed to suit the specific needs of the client.
Introducing Screen-Free Coding to Young Children Teacher Training
I’ve developed a new STEM-based teacher training workshop for the 2020-2021 school year entitled “Screen-Free Coding for Young Children.” During this training, participants will be introduced to the importance of incorporating coding in early childhood. Participants will be introduced to a wide array of affordable screen-free coding gadgets and toys as well as floor games to use when introducing young children to the foundational principles of coding. Some of the gadgets include Botley the Coding Robot, Code-N-Go Mouse, Fisher-Price Code-A-Pillar, Bee-Bot, Ozobot, Coding Critters, The Learning Journey Coding Ladybug, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to use all the coding gadgets as they undertake coding and engineering challenges throughout the training. The one to two-day training has been designed for early childhood through grade 2. Coding is a basic literacy in the digital age, and it’s important for children to understand and be able to work with and understand the technology around them. Having children learn coding at a young age prepares them for the future. Coding helps children develop and strengthen all the 21st-century skills critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration. The majority of the research has shown that young children should have minimal screen time prior to upper elementary years thus introducing young children to the foundational principles of coding using screen-free devices, games, and other manipulatives are effective teaching and learning strategies. Check out the following video of children and teachers I have worked with using a few screen-free coding gadgets. For more information about the STEM trainings I conduct or to schedule a training please complete the Contact Form found on the Contact Page.
STEM Education in Vietnam
In March I had the privilege of returning to Vietnam to continue providing on-going science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professional staff development to teachers and administrators of STEAMe Garten and Apax Leaders. Early childhood teachers of STEAMe Garten in Hanoi and Apax Leaders from both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were introduced to STEM practices and content during five-day STEM teacher training institutes. Participants were introduced to the foundational principles of STEM education, best practices in STEM education, and STEM content. Participants took an active role in the training by working in small groups to conduct a wide-array of STEM-based investigations. Participants were introduced to inquiry-based teaching practices, incorporating journaling in the classroom, using STEM-based children’s literature within STEM lessons, and the engineering design process. A great deal of time was spent on providing opportunities for the participants to see what a quality STEM lesson entails, how it should be delivered, and creating a classroom learning environment that provides opportunities for students to develop and strengthen their 21st-century skills. STEAMe Garten, Vietnam is one of the first private educational corporations to incorporate STEM within early childhood and kindergarten classrooms. Additionally, Apax Vietnam is now offering ESL after school programs that teach English through STEM-based learning experiences. During the two-five day STEM, teacher training institutes participants were actively engaged in conducting “real-world” STEM-based lessons that could readily be incorporated within their early childhood through kindergarten classrooms, and ESL lessons. From designing and building marble roller coasters, to reverse engineering and coding teachers were immersed in exploring the power and beauty that STEM education has in transforming education. The following photos are a sampling of the two five-day institutes that took place in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for STEAMe Garten and Apax Leaders.
Turkish Teachers Introduced to Best Practices in STEM Education
I had the pleasure of traveling to Turkey in January 2019 as the STEM Expert for an American Embassy Grant Program to provide a five-day Train the Trainer STEM Education Institute to middle school teachers. ORAV the hiring agency obtained a grant from an American Embassy Grants Program to provide a two + year project to provide sustainable STEM education to teachers and students throughout Turkey. The project was kicked off in January of 2019 when I provided an intensive five-day STEM Institute for 40 + lead trainers and administrators. During the five-day Train, the Trainer STEM Institute participants were introduced to best practices in STEM education which included inquiry-based teaching practices, developing and delivering investigative-based STEM lessons and learning experiences, 21st-century learning skills, engineering design process, journaling and connecting STEM across the disciplines. These lead trainers will provide STEM training and mentor over 250 teachers throughout Turkey over a five-month period. The 250 teachers trained will incorporate STEM learning experiences within their classrooms reaching thousands of students. I am truly grateful to have been selected to provide the foundational STEM training to the leader trainers of this project. These educators and administrators are extremely dedicated and motivated and have embraced the foundational principles of best practices in STEM education. I look forward to seeing the long-term benefits of this project on both the teachers and children of Turkey. The following video provides a sampling of the STEM learning experiences and discussions that took place during the five-day Train the Trainer STEM Institute in 2019.
STEM Teacher Training Course in Vietnam
In early Fall I was contacted by eGroup Education Corporation Joint Stock Company located in Hanoi, Vietnam to conduct an intensive introductory STEM teacher training course for STEAMe Garten and Apax English Teachers. STEAMe GARTEN is part of Egroup Education Group which is one of the first preschools to introduce STEM education methods to preschool programs in Vietnam. For five days 40 STEAMe GARTEN and 10 Apax English Teachers were immersed in delving deep into what a quality STEM education program looks like, observing best practices in STEM teaching practices such as inquiry, student-driven classroom, and designing STEM-based lessons and experiences that engage and empower each individual student. The five day STEM teacher training course started off with introducing the participants to inquiry-based teaching practices, 21st-century learning skills, engineering design process, reflective journaling, and incorporating children’s literature. The first STEM-based investigation I introduced the teachers to was exploring matter of all kinds, in the engineering world, this is called materials science. So much of STEM learning is based on conducting engineering challenges whether it’s building a prototype of a bridge, house, or roller coaster ramp. It’s imperative that teachers give students the opportunity to explore the materials they are expected to use or have the option of using, as well as introducing students to the newest materials that have been developed. During the STEM-based matter lessons teachers compared and contrasted physical characteristics of a wide array of common household materials such as cardboard, cement bricks, wood, Styrofoam and more, as well as unique materials such as super-absorbing polymers, polymers, and Oobleck. After participants became acquainted with the characteristics of building materials and unique types of matter we progressed on to study patterns and shapes and why patterns and shapes are so important to all the STEM disciplines. Participants compared structural integrity of triangles vs. squares, they created 3-dimensional structures with toothpicks and garbanzo beans and then dipped them into a soap solution to observe faces, vertices and edges and more. We also made connections to geometry and architecture. Participants were given the challenge of designing and creating a dimensional structure of their choice within a limited time frame. They were only allowed to use cardboard, tape, string, and decorative materials. These type of engineering challenges provide plenty of opportunities to strengthen and develop 21st-century learning skills (creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration). It was amazing to see all the different type of structures that were created. A gallery walk was undertaken to observe all the structures, and each group was also asked to provide an oral presentation of their building experience and structure. We then moved onto exploring mechanical, electrical and systems engineering via analyzing and taking apart broken household gadgets and toys. This is perhaps one of the most authentic STEM learning experiences a student of any age can undertake to truly understand what engineering is all about. Participants were separated into small working groups where they spent several hours analyzing, deconstructing and organizing internal and external components that made up their gadget. At the completion of the deconstructing engineering challenge a gallery walk was had, and each group gave a presentation to the class about their experience deconstructing the gadget. The teachers shared that from having had this experience they would no longer throw away “outdated or broken appliances or toys” but instead bring them to their classrooms for the students to deconstruct. Depending on the grade level of the students, this engineering experience can be taken to the next level by having students try and fix the gadget, reconstruct the gadget, create a new gadget from the components, or create art from the components. The last of the engineering challenges the teachers undertook was to design and create a marble roller coaster which had to have a minimum of one turn and one loop, using limited supplies which included paper tubes, insulation tubes, cardboard, straws, blocks, tape, string, and decorative materials. Teachers were given a limited amount of time to undertake the challenge. At the completion of the building, a gallery walk of the roller coasters was undertaken where group members demonstrated how their roller coaster worked and discussed the entire learning experience with their peers. As always designing and […]
The State of STEM Report, May 2018
For the latest findings on STEM education and workforce in the United States check out The State of STEM Report: A Comprehensive View of the STEM Ecosystem, with Recommendations for Where Collaborations Should Focus Future Investments at STEM Connector.