STEM Journals

One of the ways we keep the STEM heart beating at Stripling is through the use of our STEM Journals. As Jessica Fries-Gaither states in her book, “Notable Notebooks”, “[A notebook} is a place to think and dream, to write down thoughts and questions about all that you have seen”. For us, it is all of these things and more because we also use them as a way to record our learning as we solve our problems, including the math we use to help us. A scientist's journal can give insights for years to come, and our students are definitely making strides to learn more and add it to their journals throughout the year. For the 2024-25 School year, this was new to us, but how we have grown. We keep up with our Design Thinking steps as well as our understanding of our learning. Whether we are using Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning, or designing our prototype, our journals keep our paths straight and focused on our missions: to make the world a better place.

Design Thinking

This model is used to help students solve the problems we face in a manner that makes it meaningful and gives students a tool to keep them organized. When we first began using Design Thinking, we used the Gwinnett County Public Schools’ design.

However, after careful collaboration and planning, the Norcross Cluster schools created an improved Design Thinking for our cluster that will be used across all the schools. It is our goal to implement this model next year.

Define the Problem: As we begin each unit, students ask questions to help understand the problem better. Why is this a problem? What data can we find about the problem? Scientists and engineers rely on research to help them develop solutions that are likely to work as designed or intended, and our students are amazing scientists. They also apply empathy in the design process to ensure they are creating a solution that is safe and usable by the individuals that need it.

Empathize: In design thinking, empathy is important because it allows designers to develop a deep understanding of the problems that the people they are designing for might face. In order to design a solution, we need to have a deep understanding of not only the problem, but also the people, their environment, and their role within that environment. By having students connect with a problem impacting our community, students can make changes to help their family, friends, and neighbors.

Prototype:; During the prototype phase, wel build real, tactile representations for an idea. The goal of this phase is to understand what components of the ideas work, and which do not. We sketch these ideas in our journals and then build them with materials, some of which are reused trash.

Test and Reflect: Scientists and engineers use data that they record/observe from tests to determine if their solution works because they rarely solve problems the first time they try. They typically go through a redesign process that involves thinking about their observations and data to improve their idea. Our students understand that “failing forward” is imperative to creating a successful solution and we don’t give up until we find it!

Ideate: During the ideation phase, it is important for the students to think about all of the possible solutions to solve a real-world problem. When ideating, we use these rules so everyone has a voice and understanding as we work together: