STEM in Action: Sharing Your Work

Why We Share

At the end of your STEM Implementation Project, you'll share what you did, how it went, and what you learned. This is a powerful opportunity to spotlight your instructional leadership and inspire other educators.

You will select:

A presentation theme that reflects your work
A presentation format: Poster or Speed Sharing
A proposal outlining what you plan to present
Create and deliver your final presentation at NSTA Conference

This page will guide you through each decision and help you prepare for a successful presentation.

Choose your Presentation Theme

As you prepare to share your STEM Implementation Project at the conference, you'll select a presentation theme that will be the lens through which you tell your story. This doesn't mean that you must exclude other important elements of your project, but rather that you'll center your presentation around the area that best represent your goals, experiences, and the evidence you've collected.

You theme options are:

Career Connections and STEM Implementation
Local Adaptation and STEM Relevance
Meaningful Instructional Moves
Evidence of Student Learning

🔔As part of this process, you will also identify a problem of practice that directly connects to your selected theme. This problem will serve as the foundation of your story and it will guide the strategy you highlight, the evidence you include, and the insights you share with others.

Use the guiding questions in your STEM Implementation Workbook to explore how these themes show up in your planning. Then, use the reflection questions below to help determine which lens will give the most powerful view of your journey.

Presentation Themes

🎯Career Connection and STEM Implementation

Focus: Emphasize how your students made meaningful connections between their classroom learning and real-world careers.

Consider:

What STEM tools, processes, or roles are you intentionally highlighting in your lesson?
In your presentation, you could showcase how students connected the lesson to future pathways, engaged in authentic tasks related to careers, or reimagined themselves in a STEM career.
What evidence, such as student reflections, product designs, or classroom dialogue, would be best to illustrate this connection?

🎯Local Adaptation and STEM Relevance

Focus: Highlight how you adapted your lesson to better reflect your students' community, environment, or lived experiences.

Consider:

What local priorities, interests, or needs are influencing your lesson adaptation?
In your presentation, you could talk about how those local connections affected student engagement, curiosity, or understanding.
What artifacts, student responses, or adaptations will help tell the story of relevance?

🎯Meaningful Instructional Moves

Focus: Showcase a teaching strategy or decision you made to strengthen student learning and engagement in the STEM content.

Consider:

What moves or shift in your instructional approach are you experimenting with?
In your presentation, you could highlight how your instructional decision changed student participation, deepened discourse, or supported equity.
What teacher moves, scaffolds, or feedback loops could you document and reflect on?

🎯Evidence of Student Learning

Focus: center your presentations around the student thinking, actions, or artifacts that provide insight into their learning process and growth.

Consider:

What student behaviors, products, or conversations will you be looking for during implementation?
In your presentation, you could analyze student work, feature quotes or discussion samples, or reflect how learning unfolded over time.
What types of evidence will best tell the story of student impact?

Choose your Presentation Format

At the NSTA Conference, you will present your STEM Implementation Project during a dedicated educator led session. This is your opportunity to share how you implemented a high-quality STEM lesson, what instructional shifts you made, what your students experienced, and what you learned along the way. There are two different presentation formats you can choose from:

Poster Session: You will present individually using a visual display and engage attendees in one-on-one conversations.
Speed Sharing Session: You will present as part of a small group. each group will take turns sharing their project to an audience during a 60 minute session.

You should select the format that best suits your goals, content, and comfort level. Regardless of format, all presenters will submit a brief proposal that outlines their project, aligns it with the conference goals of authentic STEM learning and sensemaking, and identifies their selected theme and presentation format. The deadline for the proposals is Jul 15, 2025

✅Required Presentation Components (All Formats)

No matter which format you select, your presentation should include the following components aligned to your selected theme:

The problem of practice you addressed
The strategy or adaptation you used
Key moments of student engagement and sensemaking
Specific evidence of student impact (e.g., work samples, quotes, and/or observations)
Your personal reflection and insight, including what worked and what you'd recommend to others.

These elements ensure your session contributes meaningfully to the broader goals of the NSTA conference and helps others learn from your experience.

Presentation Formats

🖼️Poster Sessions

What it is: You will create a poster that visually tells the story of your implementation experience. You'll be assigned a time to stand by your poster and speak informally with conference attendees. This is an individual presentation format.

Best for you if:

You want to showcase visuals, student work, or data
You prefer a flexible, conversational setup
You want to make personal connections through discussion

💻Speed Sharing Session

What it is: You will be with a small group (2-3 presenters) featured during a 60 minute session. Each group will present one at a time, with about 15-20 minutes per group, followed by optional Q&A. You may present alone or with a partner.

Best for you if:

You enjoy presenting live to an audience
You're excited about sharing your story in a timed, structured way
You want to collaborate with others in a group session format

Prepare and Submit Your Conference Proposal

Your presentation, whether a poster or part of a speed sharing session, must align with the goals of the NSTA Conference. This includes a focus on authentic STEM learning, three-dimensional sensemaking, equity, and classroom application. To help you prepare, you'll review the criteria and expectations first, draft your ideas in a cohort forum for feedback. and then submit your final proposal.

Step 1: Explore the Expectations and Criteria

Before drafting your proposal, review the following key resources. These will help ensure your ideas align with the NSTA conference vision:

Your proposal must include:

Selected theme and presentation format
Clear alignment with conference goals
A presentation title
A 300 character session description
A main takeaway

Step 2: Draft Your Proposal in the Forum (Opens July 1)

On July 1, you'll receive access to the forum post prompt. You'll share a draft of your presentation proposal to gather feedback before the final submission. This is a required step for all fellows. Your forum post must include:

Your forum post must include:

Your selecte presentation theme and format
Your working title
Your session description (max 300 characters)
Your main takeaway
If participating in speed sharing, include the name(s) of your co-presenter(s)

☑️Only one group member needs to submit the forum post for a joint presentation. Just be sure to list all participating names.

🔔The forum post and instructions will be available July 1. Due date will be listed in the forum instruction

Step 3: Submit Your Final Proposal (Due July 15)

After feedback, you'll revise and submit your final proposal through the official NSTA form. This step confirms your participation and session details.

Submit your proposal here (link coming soon)

🗓️Final submission deadline: July 15, 2025

Submit Your Draft Review

Before finalizing your conference materials, you are required to submit a draft of your:

Conference Poster or
Speed Share Presentation Slides and talking point or script

to your cohort lead for review and feedback.

Your draft must include:

Clearly align to your selected theme
Include a well-defined problem of practice
Demonstrate how your strategy addresses the problem
Show evidence of student learning, engagement, or sensemaking
Be organized and suitable for a public audience

Drafts are due by: October 1, 2025 More guidance on how to submit proposals to come.

✔️You will receive feedback and must incorporate any revisions prior to presentation

Draft Preparation Checklist

Before submitting your draft, make sure it includes all of the following, aligned to your selected theme:

Component:

☑️A clearly stated problem of practice that aligns to your selected theme.

☑️A description of the strategy or instructional move you used to address that problem.

☑️Relevant student evidence.

☑️A reflection or insight that connects to your them and highlights what you learned.

☑️Advice or recommendations for other educators

☑️Clear integration of STEM disciplines

☑️Clear career connection (required if theme is Career Connection)

☑️Evidence of sensemaking and student engagement.

☑️A link or reference to the lesson or assessment used

☑️Professional tone, visual, and layout for public audience

You can also use the official STEM in Action Feedback Checklist to guide your design and self-review before submitting.

STEM in Action Feedback Checklist

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