Every year for the past twenty the Saint Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team (STA EVT) has built a new vehicle from the ground up to give our students the best engineering experience a high-schooler can get. The internationally recognized program started in 1997. My fellow moderator Mark Westlake and I believe in the importance of learning from mistakes. That the most important life lessons come from experience, that science is not always easy and that the answers are not always […]
Category: Project Based Learning
A Pythagoras Investigation Using GeoGebra
GeoGebra is an awesome mathematical tool! It even allowed me to discover something new. Well, at least new to me! For an insight to my ‘new discovery’, take a peek at the dynamic image (gif) above. GeoGebra Can Open Doors To New Discoveries For the record, I am no geek. I’m a feet-on-the-ground math person, fascinated by the craft of teaching mathematics. For many years I’ve been driven by the question “How do we stop boring kids to death with […]
![A Mom, Two Kids, and a Water-Testing Kit [Review]](http://fractus-855d.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Webp.net-resizeimage-2-e1496844723626.jpg)
A Mom, Two Kids, and a Water-Testing Kit [Review]
This week, my kids and I were very excited to try out our new water-testing kit. The older two (ages seven and five) love science, AND they drink a great deal of water, so this was the perfect experiment for us to work on together. The Product Test Assured’s 4-pack Kit for Schools and Science Fairs comes with four tests, which are to be used to evaluate four different samples of water. For each sample, test strips are provided to […]
5 Tips for Student-Led GeoGebra Tasks
Most of the GeoGebra articles on the Learn Implement Share site demonstrate the power of GeoGebra for junior high school mathematics. The focus on GeoGebra for junior high mathematics is, in part, because there is a strong misconception in the math education world that GeoGebra is a tool (almost entirely) for high-level, calculus-based mathematics and high-level geometry. The GeoGebra on this blog aims to encourage those math teachers who are not utilizing GeoGebra (or similar dynamic geometry software) as a regular demonstration tool, […]
5 Reasons Teachers Should Love Podcasts—and 5 Shows to Try in The Classroom
Savvy do-it-yourselfers and self-educators know there’s an instructional YouTube video for everything. Want to learn how to make great Spanish rice? There’s a video for that. Several, actually. Speak Dutch? Sure. Replace the brake pads on a 2003 Nissan Altima? You bet. (Also for 2003 Nissan Altimas. Or 2012-2014, rear brakes only.) No matter how basic (whistle!) or obscure (design a Minecraft kitchen!), someone out there with a hankering to teach has anticipated your curiosity and painstakingly recorded a video […]
LEGO for Learning—Get Kids Excited and Ready to Learn!
Failure is just a step towards success. -Colleen Thomson, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy Robots, structures, cars and more—LEGO offers so many ways for children to build and engage in STEM-based learning. LEGO has grown from a basic toy manufacturer to an educational empire, with programs tailored to public and charter schools, after-school programs and workshops. LEGO Education‘s mission is to “create active, collaborative, lifelong learners,” and to work with teachers to “enable every student to succeed in education and be prepared […]
Flip It! The Flipped Classroom Model is for Everyone. Here’s Why.
“Will a flipped classroom work in your subject and grade level? We think the answer is yes. Here’s why.” In The Flipped Class: Is Flipping for Everyone?, hosts Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams demonstrate basic ways subject-area educators can apply the flipped classroom model to their teaching practice. Bergmann and Sams are veteran educators and pioneers of the flipped classroom. Never heard of a Flipped Classroom? The premise is quite simple: take the traditional balance of class/homework time, and […]
Examining The Effect of Sporting Event Ticket Prices on Youth Life Experiences
I have vivid memories of seeing professional sporting events as a youth. I remember hockey games at the old Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, where a mall now stands near the Washington Redskin’s Stadium. I remember baseball and football games at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, which is now gone. I can recall pro indoor soccer games at the local arena in Baltimore, including seeing a game during a snowstorm where got free tickets to another game for doing so. I […]
What Student-Driven Learning Actually Looks Like (Hint: It Looks Fun!)
Have you ever heard the quote, “When one teaches, two learn”? Tweet This supports the mindset of, “The true strength in our classroom lies in the collaboration of learners, not in the knowledge of one expert.” Tweet Gone are the days where the teacher is the only expert in the classroom. Classrooms need to be a place of a community of learners—the teacher included. The Methods of Teaching and Learning Need to Change. I become a bit giddy when […]
9 Solar System Projects for Astronomical Fun!
Shooting stars, colossal comets, and undiscovered UFOs—our universe is a mysterious place that inspires wonder in children and adults alike. Many children imagine futures as astronauts, traveling in a rocketship to explore the vast expanses of space. Whether or not this dream becomes a reality, you can bring the intangible aspects of space a little bit closer to home with the solar system projects we’ve compiled below. Is your child a budding artist or astronaut? Check out the yarn or […]
Removing the Limitations in a Digital Environment
What is the ideal blended learning environment? I have had a lot of noneducators talk to me about technology in the classroom. Most don’t have informed opinions (so I’m happy to share mine with them). Many ask me what the best device is for learning. Sadly, I’ve even had educators argue this point with me in favor of one particular device. Good teaching and sound student-directed learning is not, and should not be, device dependent. High-quality learning can happen on laptops, Chromebooks, […]
The Carrot and The Stick: Are American Schools Actually Teaching Us?
When I was seven-years-old we moved from the United States to Switzerland because of my father’s job. I was born in Brazil, but having left it just two years old, I didn’t really know anything other than the U.S. I didn’t even realize I was Italian, not American. From the moment we stepped off that massive airliner in the dark on that freezing winter’s morning, I thought I had arrived in a fairytale. The mountains and the lake snugly nestled […]
9 Rokenbok Toys for Super STEM Recreation
Rokenbok construction toy systems are an ideal way to introduce your child to STEM concepts and learning. Science, technology, engineering and math skills promoted by STEM toys are not only useful in school, they are important skills for understanding how the world around us works. Building Rokenbok cities and then interacting with them with remote control vehicles, conveyor belts, and other machinery is a fun and exciting way for kids to explore scientific concepts from simple engineering up to complex […]
Why High School Should Be More Like Preschool: The Power of Creative Teaching Methods
Pre-K and Kindergarten are lively years in the classroom. Not only are students full of energy, curiosity, and wonder at every discovery, but the teaching itself is infused with interactive opportunities. Painting, drawing, song and dance, and colorful, engaging experiments are all typical and encouraged methods at these grade levels. While students are learning traditional methods of output gauges, such as reading and writing, their success is measured through more creative methods. Experiential and kinesthetic learning among these young students […]
Project-Based Learning: The 8 Elements of a Magnificent Maker Project
In the best-selling STEM Education guide, Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, authors Sylvia Libow Martinez and Gary S. Stager explore many important concepts that contribute to a nurturing environment for making in the classroom. An essential element to succeeding with ‘making’ is the ability to seamlessly pair art and science through innovative project-based learning. So what is involved in creating the perfect project to encourage making, creativity and learning? Here are the eight elements Sylvia and Gary feel are most import to achieving success in project-based learning. 1. […]
De-Grading Education: Replacing Grades with Mastery-Based Learning
Author and educational strategist Elizabeth Wissner-Gross has something to say. Something that could ruffle your feathers. Something that could shake your very classroom foundations… She believes it’s time to end grading. In the below TEDx talk, Elizabeth discusses her experience with ‘grading on the curve’ and how she believes not only does this go against everything a teacher should be working towards, it is also the underlying reason why America’s education system is failing. De-Grading Education | Elizabeth Wissner-Gross | TEDxBeaconStreetWatch this video […]
Empower Students to Explore Their Passions with Genius Hour
It’s not easy to find time to diverge from core curriculum and give students the opportunity to pursue their interests and passions. For cutting edge educators Emily Schmidt and Martha Smith at Coltrane Webb STEM Elementary School this is no excuse; “It’s not about having time. It’s about making time.“. In an effort to empower their learners the school has introduced their own Genius Hour initiative and in the below slides Emily and Martha share their experience, tips and ideas. Genius Hour is […]
Google Trends: A Captivating Way to Explore Data with your Students
Overview Did you know that Google receives and processes over 4 million search queries per minute? That is a giant shed load of queries! It is also a giant shed load of data that Google collects and makes openly available to us with Google Trends. An impressively simple gateway to exploring data with your students, Google Trends is an amazing resource that really does not get the attention it deserves. A fascinating research tool, a mind-boggling data source and a bottomless pit of possibilities, Google Trends is well worth investigating. Name: Google Trends Pricing: Free Compatibility: Browser […]
6 Tips for Quality Student Blogging
“Gary, so much of what students blog about is crap and not worth reading. It seems like the emphasis is on creating content, but not quality content.” my coworker Tara commented last week. Her point is so important, and one that educators are struggling with around the world. As schools are moving towards student blogging platforms such as kidblogs, edublogs and WordPress, the question is: “How do we use blogs to compliment classroom activities and serve as a portfolio of […]
5 Ways for Students to Visualize Data and Create Infographics
Overview According to Glassdoor.com the ninth best job in 2015 is going to be that of the Data Scientist. This is a job that pays very well, is in high demand, has excellent career opportunities and… it hardly even existed just a few years ago. As we continue to collect more and more data about every possible facet of life on this planet (and beyond), the ability to decipher and understand the vast amounts of information is becoming more and more essential. So how do […]