STEM Resources that can get you Started in your Classroom

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a Fire." 

-W.B. Yeats

I love this quote. We are losing kids to boredom and lack of hope. They are disengaged and let's be honest, we now are competing with Youtube, Google, and everywhere else that you can find information and Entertainment. If you have a task at home and are not sure how to do it, what do you do? Where do you look? If you are like me, I search Youtube for a how-to video. My son, regardless of whether it is a video game or baseball, he is watching Youtube. STEM is the answer to increased student engagement. Our kids know how to find information, let's embrace the technology and use it to our advantage. STEM can be the kindling that lights the fire.

So where do I begin? That can be overwhelming. You Google STEM and in 1.17 seconds you receive 3.9 trillion links. I have included a few of my favorite resources for STEM plus some ideas that can get you started in your classroom, building, or district. It does not require thousands of dollars to get started. It starts with a mindset. 

Don't Be Afraid to Fail and Have a "Safe" Classroom

STEM is not always going to go the way you expect. Whether you are doing a design challenge or some type of open-ended question to cover some standards and you are anticipating it going one way, it may go totally South. In a lot of scenarios, these events though are your best learning experiences for us as teachers and for the students. Let's say you give them a problem and it involves some problem solving with a mathematical equation and students select the wrong operations...The most powerful thing you can do is not immediately correct them with, "No, you need to do this..." Instead, if you asked, "Tell me why you chose to solve this way...and what is your next step?" Now, I can understand their thinking. And you know what, you may not correct them. Let them continue and see where they go. In a scenario like this, you probably are going to have some type of share out. Students then can hopefully see their own mistakes. If you have established a safe environment where students can be vulnerable, you might even come back to the student or students and share their mistakes with the class in order to teach everyone. So first, create a culture that is a safe place to fail, and then don't be afraid to. When you do fail, make sure you model and set the tone for failure as part of learning. This starts with you taking chances and leaving your comfort zone. You might plan the most engaging lesson and it is an epic failure but the kids still learn. Model dealing with adversity, adapt and overcome, and move on. This is especially important with your highest students who are often not comfortable with struggling or failing. Everything has always come easy for them. They expect A's. Their parents expect A's (this is a whole other blog post and I could on and on about eliminating letter grades). We can teach perseverance. We too often worry about students struggling then they simply give up at the sign of adversity. We sweep in as teachers to help, their parents call to talk about how their kids come home worried about struggling. Learn to deal with adversity and the ability to not give up, they will thank you later. Don't be so quick to jump to the rescue. Probe and guide with questions, but make sure they figure it out. 

Open-Ended Multiple Outcomes

When you can, develop a guiding question that can have multiple outcomes based on the direction the students choose to go. Think of the following question that our 4th-grade science teacher recently posed to her students as part of the #STEMbuildsOHIO statewide design challenge.

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How can you improve your school, community, or world by reimagining an existing physical space, system, product, or service so that it is more equitable, accessible, or efficient?

Look at this question and how would you answer it. If you gave it to your class and asked them to answer, how many different solutions would you get? With a question like this, you provide voice and choice. With this question, multiple outcomes were designed. Some students to the "efficient" part of the question and decided to add solar to our building based on our monthly cost of electricity. Another group proposed biometric locks for the lockers to make it easier for students to get in and out of their lockers between classes. Another group designed an outdoor learning space and yet another redesigned our library into a maker lab because they felt it was underutilized and due to the space constraints in our building. 

I know you are thinking..."Well, what standards did you cover?" Within this authentic learning, students discovered how to determine the average, some calculated the Kwh of our building and then had to determine how many solar panels they would need to cover our energy needs. They all created proposals and presented them using power points. On top of that, many used a 3D printer and Tinkercad for the first time. It was a well-rounded experience for the kids. I can also say that every time I visited the classroom and students were working in groups, not one discipline issue or off-task student. Kids were all-in to the process. Give students a choice and get out of their way, they will amaze you. Our group that presented on converting to solar has not been connected with a business partner and going to work with an engineer to develop a proposal to follow through on their idea of reducing our energy use by going solar. So the learning will continue.

While the statewide competition is coming to an end, you should still check out the challenges and resources at OSLN.org. 

Makerspace

Developing a makerspace is another great tool for increasing STEM. If you don't have room, create a mobile Maker cart that will allow teachers to have a set of tools to make their classrooms more efficient when it comes to PBL or any type of design challenge. Stock it with scissors, glue guns, cardboard cutters, and some materials they can use to develop their prototypes and models. 

StartSOLE

StartSOLE or Student Organized Learning Environment is a framework for taking a lesson and being the giver of knowledge to becoming a facilitator of learning and providing an opportunity for students to explore a guided question and then present their findings to the class. This link will take you to a video that explains how to SOLE. Not only will students find their own information and answers to the guiding question, but they must then present and share their findings which all of our students need to practice. With the number of virtual meetings, it is just as important to how you present your information. If you can't present and share your information, it really does not matter what you know. Again, think of how easy it is for students to find information. StartSOLE allows you to capitalize on technology and create an engaging lesson. Rather than be Mr. Hand trying to deliver a history lesson to Spicoli (If you know, you know) and just spewing knowledge that tunes out kids, give them the tools to find the information and then present it in some format to their class. You give students a choice in how they approach and present their content. PLUS...you become the facilitator and the kids are the ones who do the work. It also allows you to create your lesson plans in about 10 minutes for the lesson. You can give groups of students all the same question/questions or spread out and have different groups responsible for different standards. At the end of the day, you have covered standards while engaging kids and allowed them an opportunity to share and present their information.

PBL Works

This is another free resource on implementing PBL. This site is loaded with resources for implementing PBL in your classroom and transforming your classroom from ordinary to extraordinary. PBL is engaging and provides opportunities for voice and choice. Removes the need for so much paper/pencil worksheet boredom and inspires students to think about authentic real-world scenarios. 

Jason Learning

Jason Learning is an online resource with high-quality STEM learning experiences for students of all ages. Founded by Dr. Ballard, who found the Titanic, it is rich in video content and scenarios that can lead to deep problem-based learning opportunities for kids. Now, this is a paid resource; however, it is continuing to grow and add resources. Currently, they are adding PreK and early childhood resources that one of our PreK teachers is piloting and providing feedback on. There is something for everyone and again, you students could lead the learning, do all the work, and you facilitate.

DailySTEM.com

Daily STEM is an amazing resource and is organized by Chris Woods. Chris is a teacher in Xichigan who has written the book, Daily STEM (A amazing resource to get started) and can provide so many ideas for what you can do to increase STEM opportunities. Chris is also a great speaker, facilitator, and trainer who can come work with your team at your building or district. Chris is an HS teacher; however, he can help anyone make STEM a part of their classroom. STEM is not a place, it is a mindset. You can reach Chris on his website. If you want his book, you can buy it on AMAZON by clicking this link and then you have a great resource. My suggestion would be to book Chris to come work with your team, then buy his book and use as a book study prior to his visit.

PBL Anywhere

Like Chris Woods, Dr. Lori Elliott is a great resource and her book, PBL Anywhere outlines the process of going from a standard to a guiding question and through the PBL process. Below you will find an infographic outlining the steps that Dr. Elliott has researched and developed for effective PBL. I highly recommend her book as well. 

STEM is a mindset, it is a process, and it can lead you to increased student engagement. It will allow you to go from the dull and boring to the engaged classroom that every student wants to be a part of. If you engage students in their learning, you will increase hope for a brighter future. While doing so, you will also see discipline reduce and your life and job become a lot easier. So get out of your comfort zone, and increase STEM opportunities for your kids.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings on STEM and student engagement. I believe this is the key to transforming our schools into the places our kids want to be. If you want to connect, contact me at principalcmill@gmail.com or by Twitter @PrincpalCMill. If you want to come to visit our school, we are always welcoming visitors and would be happy to host you and your team for a visit on how we do STEM every day. I have many more resources for increasing STEM and student engagement, so feel free to reach out. If you simply want to talk more about ideas and resources for increasing STEM, we can collaborate and can collaborate to increase STEM in your building or classroom. Together, we can light more fires.

#STEM for ALL, not just Some: How do we make this a Reality?

As I finish my 3rd year as a principal in SE Ohio, it continues to be more and more of a concern about the lack of equity for students across this region. A simple look at the map below shows a void of STEM opportunities for kids in SE Ohio. Our region might mirror your region if you are in a rural area. For decades, rural SE Appalachian schools have received little more than lip service about the need for equity. Due to the geographical setting, the exposure to learning opportunities simply is not there. This has to change. While I am fortunate to have my son attend our district which is a STEM-designated district, how do we increase opportunities for all students in our region? How do you increase opportunities for students in your region? We all have similar challenges in rural America. How do we create access and opportunity for all students regardless of their zip code? 

There are so many excuses/barriers for "why" we can't do things:

Location and distance:

My district for example is 289 square miles, yet does not have a single traffic light (Although my tech coordinator has pointed out we now have one in our cafeteria which is a talk light). We have around 1000 kids in grades K-12. You look around the region the majority of our districts are less than 1000 students in grades K-12. I know in some regions of the United States, districts are even smaller in terms of students. We have a career center that focuses on many STEM careers, but students are reluctant to attend due to the distance they have to travel. For our students, they may ride a bus for an hour to get to our district and then ride another bus to the career center. This is a recurring theme across much of rural Ohio and rural America. 

Size and Limited Staffing:

Another barrier for STEM is that with the small number of students, you have limited staff. For a high school or middle school like ours where we have approximately 70-80 students at a grade level, that makes it challenging to add additional courses when the cost of a staff member puts a strain on your budget. It makes it a hard sell to offer a program or career pathway when you have to hire an additional staff member and they serve a small number of students interested in that pathway.

Lack of Qualified Teachers

All rural schools face the challenge of recruitment. Oftentimes, trying to fill those already difficult positions such as a course like robotics, IT, etc... becomes a challenge to find someone willing to relocate to take a position or commute closer to an hour. 

Need to Focus on Core Subjects

We have to prepare our students by ensuring they are able to master the basic core subject areas. We don't have time to focus on STEM. Many districts are simply chasing scores on a report card. I have mentioned this before, a colleague moved to a new position in a different district and he said it best, "We (their old district) were perceived as great because of our report card; however, our kids were being trained to be good test-takers." This is an easy trap to fall into. I get it. Test scores are what is reported to the public.

I could go on and on about all the reasons that you can't increase STEM whether that is in your district or your region. It is much easier to sit down and make a list of reasons why you can't do something. It is much harder to be creative and come up with ways around these roadblocks which is exactly what they are. They are nothing more than roadblocks and or excuses. We have to stop making excuses and do the real work of creating opportunities for kids. So how do we do that? We start by getting out of our own little world, our own little box, and we think of education like never before.

Collaboration

School districts are sacred and I get it. Growing up, I had cross-county rivals. The idea of consolidation leads to mobs of upset people attending board meetings so that is probably never going to happen and really should not happen. Tradition is tradition and our small schools are the hubs of the community; however, WHAT IF...

What if we were able to sit down at the table from districts across our regions and talk through the programming we need to offer for our kids. If we were able to sit down as a group and discuss shared staffing or even sharing students. Maybe district Y or high school Y is going to offer a program in advanced manufacturing, yet only has 15 kids that want to take it. Why can't district A send 15 kids to that school? In return, District A will offer a medical pathway and serve students from district Y. Rather than again making a list of red tape items that make this impossible, we make it happen. Students who go to district Y from district A still graduate from their hometown school and attend their school for everything else, there is simply a shuttle bus that runs back and forth. This process is repeated across the region. If District Z is too far for a student from District A, why can't we do remote learning except for a couple of face-to-face days a week if it is critical for them to be on the other campus for a lab or hands-on experience? OR what if courses were blocked and we scheduled students like a college schedule where I may only have to be on a different campus 2 times a week.

I know this is not a new idea; however, it is time for the adults in all of these districts to figure it out and make it work in order to give our kids the same opportunities as a larger comprehensive HS could offer. It is the only way we can match the opportunities and put our kids in rural communities on a level playing field.

The biggest issue always becomes with staffing, who is going to pay for it, and how do we grade? How do we give credit for a class taught at another high school or middle school? You know what though, all of these issues are adult issues that we create with statements like, "we can't do that" or "we have never done that and it will not work". We need to stop creating roadblocks and rebuild what school looks like.

So if I attend district Y and I take 3 courses or a program at District Z, I still attend my home school and I graduate and get my grades from my home district. If we can have kids move into our district and we accept grades, why can't we simply accept credit like a student who transfers? We can make this happen if we just get out of our own way and collaborate. We could probably take some of our high school students and give them a day or two to plan and they would have a working solution. We just need to throw away the box and do what is necessary for our kids.

Business and Parent Advisory

Not just small rural districts, but all districts need to leverage their communities in the educational process beyond requesting new dollars when it comes around to levy campaign season. Go to your local businesses and find out what they need in future employees. What can we offer as a district to prepare our students to walk out of high school with the necessary skills to help our local businesses? Again pull in all of your local districts and work together. At Noble Local, we have an award-winning business advisory council that has driven many of the changes to our district and our approach to what we offer to students. When it comes to adding programs, you have to make sure you add the right programs. Second, by creating strong partnerships between your local businesses and your families, you are able to explain your "why". When you begin asking business partners how you can help them rather than simply asking them to write a check for this program or that, you develop collaborative relationships that support one another. From a parent perspective, the parent advisory allows for input from families. My current parent advisory team consists of business owners, engineers, social workers, medical personnel, and other fields. So not only do they provide a parent perspective, but their backgrounds are diverse. When we meet, I can share current challenges and seek input; however, I also share our "why". At the most recent meeting, I started with a video about SMART manufacturing and how programs such as coding and robotics are critical to the careers of tomorrow. So while I am gaining input on issues, I also create a "tribe" that gets an in-depth look at our "why" who can then hopefully explain it at the ball fields or in the bleachers if they are asked about a program. When your community understands the why and that school has to look different than when they were in school, your message ripples through the community. Support for new programs grows because your why becomes their why: preparing their kids for their future regardless of what that might be.

Empowering Your Team

When I look at our current middle school course offerings, I would say it rivals some small high schools by the number of opportunities that our students have to explore various career pathways. It all started though by going to our team and asking them to think of a course that they would like to share with our students. What is a passion they have that we could build a course around? From there, we developed multiple electives for our students that range from advanced PE, Green Jobs, Creative Arts courses, Intro to Outdoors, Food and Nutrition and many more. Teachers have a voice in the creation of courses and they are able to share their passion with students. It has been very well received by everyone. The other option to look at is how you look at your current staff and utilize them to increase course offerings. One of the most unique staffing adjustments we have made is how we utilize our school nurse. Our school nurse was approached and asked to teach some courses that are part of our medical pathway and lead to an STNA certification. Her transcripts were reviewed by our local partner university and they approved her to teach the necessary courses. This has been a win-win for everyone. We increase opportunities for our kids while we also support our local partners and that is not to even mention that our kids now have increased courses they can take for college credit with little to no expense to the students. Then add in our business partners and our students in the medical pathway can be employed by one of our local hospitals and work on their nursing license that will be paid for by the hospital. Now, not only are we creating employable students, we are opening up a career for them where they can better themselves and do so with little to no cost to them.

STEM for All

The bottom line is STEM has to be more than a fancy elective. It has to be a cultural shift in our schools in order to prepare our current students for their futures...and we can't wait. We can not have a 5-year plan to have STEM courses in year 4. What do we do for our current high school students when the data suggests that 90% of future jobs are STEM-related? What do we tell our current high school students...do we tell them we are sorry? We have to remove the barriers. We have to rethink education in general and in most cases that means a complete overhaul of what we consider "traditional" schools. If we looked at scheduling like a college, we could have 2-3 days of core content and 2-3 days of career pathway work. Our middle schools become career exploration centers where students get a taste of each pathway available. Think if I am a small rural school and offer 5 career pathways...now think if I partner with a neighbor school and they offer 5 different pathways. Now our kids have more options based on their interests. Our schools move to a block schedule and students are transported for their career pathway/STEM courses 2-3 days a week. Maybe it is 2 days of core academics, 2 days of career-based education, and 1 day of off-site externship or a day that is a WIN (what I need) day. We just have to rethink what "school" looks like and our purpose. If we do that, these changes become easy.

We can do this, we just have to collaborate, work with our partners, and not be afraid to disrupt the status quo while maintaining our small schools found around the United States. We can have the best of both worlds and our kids deserve it.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. STEM and career-based education are my passion. If you would like to discuss further, maybe bounce ideas off of each other, you can reach out to me on twitter @PrincipalCMill or by email at principalcmill@gmail.com.

STEM Designated Schools in Ohio