With the school year now well underway, we’re starting to hear some incredible stories from engineers and teachers who have been bringing the STEM curriculum to life for their students!
Everything from building water filters….to implementing a robotics program at a low-income school…..to drawing space orbits….and even earthquake simulations!
There’s still lots of time left in to create unforgettable engineering experiences.
Here are the top 5 tips for creating unforgettable engineering experiences in the classroom (from EIR Bev Takaoka)…
- Focus in learning to TRY new things (and how to try again when things don’t go right).
- Encourage students to listen to each other – don’t skip team building!
- Make it matter – Connect the learning to something real that students can relate to.
- Never underestimate your students!
From Bev – “Each year in the EIR program became a package that focused on the growth and development of the class as a whole, and projects were chosen based on current events and issues that the class faced, and their particular strengths and interests. No two classes were the same. No two years were the same. I learned to take my cues from the students and my teaching partner. The teacher, in turn, incorporated our sessions into her lesson planning, and used our learnings and methods between EIR sessions. The students learned to trust us as partners in their learning, and embraced the engineering problem solving methods to become more confident, independent learners.
You can read more about Bev’s experience, including specific tips she used in the classroom by visiting the EIR Library of Lesson.