Boosting Engagement and Learning: The Magic of Stem Choice Boards
Are you looking for innovative ways to boost engagement and promote active learning in your STEM classroom? Look further than STEM choice boards to encourage autonomy, spark curiosity, and motivate learning!
5 Tips for a Fantastic First Day of STEM Class
It’s that time… Summer is ending, and our brains are switching back to school mode. You may be wondering “What should I do on the first day of STEM?” Don’t worry, I’ve got your back. Here are five things to do on your first day of school (and beyond) that will help you get started […]
Creating Effective STEM Lesson Plans: Tips and Tricks
STEM education at its core is about applying science, technology, engineering and math skills and knowledge to solve problems. Therefore, the focus of STEM lesson plans should be on developing students’ problem-solving abilities. Therefore, STEM lesson plans usually consist of longer term projects where students are doing the majority of the work and teachers are […]
How to start a STEM program: 5 tips for your first weeks of school
The first few days of a new semester are always exciting, but they are also so important for creating the classroom culture and routines that will guide the rest of the school year. While some classroom procedures and routines can be used in any classroom, there are specific considerations for a STEM classroom. Whether you […]
Teaching Programming to Middle Schoolers
Coding is a very important skill for today’s students. Currently, computer science job openings outpace the number of qualified applicants, and as we move into the future, more and more industries will require employees to have some basic computer programming skills… But how exactly do you go about teaching programming to middle schoolers? It seems […]
Understanding Fear of Failure in STEM Education
Fear of failure and not having the “right” answer is one of the most common challenges STEM students face. This anxiety is especially prevalent when your class gives them their first real STEM experience. While most traditional courses condition students to expect clear “right” answers – where consistent effort typically leads to good grades – […]
How to use STEM movies in your classroom
Let’s face it – everyone loves a great movie day! But we’ve all been there: without proper planning, students can disengage and treat it like free time. Then, you’re stuck managing behavior instead of making the most of your instructional time. Don’t worry! You can transform STEM movies into powerful learning experiences by following these […]
The Essential STEM Supplies List
After 15 years in STEM education, I’ve discovered something surprising: some of the most valuable STEM supplies aren’t actually “STEM supplies” at all! These are the everyday items that have become absolute game-changers in my classroom. I’ve compiled this STEM supplies list to help make your teaching life easier. Want to skip straight to the […]
Using Middle School Science Rubrics for STEM
Ever wonder what true success in STEM actually looks like? This question haunted me when I made the leap from teaching middle school science to STEM education. While science rubrics for middle school were familiar territory, STEM assessment was a whole new challenge. Here’s the thing: At its core, STEM education is about transforming students […]