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Standard 8: Students engage in self-directed STEM learning guided by educators who are effective facilitators of learning.
Standard 8: Students engage in self-directed STEM learning guided by educators who are effective facilitators of learning.
Our ultimate objective for students to drive their learning during their STEAM experiences. In pursuit of this goal, our teachers work hard to plan scaffolding for their students. They also work hard to develop lessons that allow voice and choice for the students. Our units of study are guided by a driving question that sets the stage for our students to choose the path they would like to travel to completion. As they examine the open-ended question, they choose from previously taught tools and multiple resources in order to complete their task. Our educators facilitate learning by guiding students with carefully crafted questions. Sometimes it can be difficult to refrain from rescuing students as they work through problems, but our educators know that productive struggle is important for students as they become self-directed learners. Our teacher leaders, partners, and administration frequently conduct walkthroughs and evaluate activities using the ELEOT tool. Using the ELEOT tool, they look for a variety of actions taking place in the classroom by the students. One such action is that of the teacher facilitating the self-directed learning of the students.
Students in third and fourth grade worked in collaborative groups to create exercise videos for the entire school. First, they considered age-appropriate exercise warm-ups by grade level. Next, they created a plan of action by dividing up the grades among groups. Then, they researched exercise warm-up moves. Last, they created exercise videos for each grade by recording themselves using their Chromebooks and embedding the videos into Google Slides. Students shared their Google Slides presentations with the PE teacher and she used these videos in her classes as a warm-up before getting her classes started each day.
Another example includes, the Imagination Arcade which was one of our CES STEAM Clubs. Students in grades 2nd, 3rd, and 4th used the engineering design process to create arcade-type games in the STEAM Lab. All students were invited to the Imagination Arcade to play the games. Students used 21st century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity when creating the arcade games. They also used a lot of measurement and problem-solving skills to make sure the games worked correctly.
Childersburg Elementary School provides equitable opportunities for students to engage in high-quality STEAM learning by having a room dedicated to student engagement in STEAM called Makerspace Lab and STEAM Lab. Teachers take their students to the labs at least twice a month to engage in STEAM activities and challenges. The STEAM Lab houses all our robotics and coding resources while the Makerspace Lab houses all of our crafting materials and recycled materials as well as all types of blocks. Students have a learning environment that promotes out-of-the-box thinking, creativity, innovation, and using the engineering design process.
At the beginning of the year, students at CES get to choose the top three clubs they would like to join. Students complete a Google Form where they pick their first, second, and third choice. Their choices are highly considered when being placed in their club. Through choice, we can help students self-differentiate their learning so work is more appropriately challenging. We can also combat student apathy, helping students connect with their strengths and interests, giving them more autonomy, power, and control over their work, which boosts their intrinsic motivation.
Even our youngest Pre-K students practice their engineering skills while participating in STEAM activities facilitated by the Pre-K teacher. Students are encouraged to explore materials to solve various problems given by the teacher. For example during a self-initiated STEAM activity, Pre-K students used blocks to create a rocket ship to transport animals to the moon.
Kindergarten students read the book Three Billy Goats Gruff. They discussed ways that they could help the billy goats rebuild their bridge that was destroyed by a tornado. They reviewed the engineering design process and used all five components. First, they asked, "How could they help the billy goats get across the river to the other side?" Then, they imagined what their bridge could look like. Next, they shared outwardly what they saw in their imaginations. Then, they drew out a plan of what their bridge might look like. In the Makerspace Lab, they worked in collaborative groups to create their own bridge for the billy goats by using popsicle sticks and clothespins. They tested the quality of the bridge to see if it was sturdy enough to hold all three goats. Some bridges fell and required students to redesign and retest the bridge.
Strengths
Our school frequently conducts walkthroughs from various education professionals to offer feedback for us. We have put a great deal of time and effort into creating opportunities for voice and choice in our learning experiences.
Sustainability
We have offered more voice and choice to our students and continue to look for ways to implement more choice throughout lessons and STEAM activities. Our walkthroughs will continue to provide valuable feedback in order to provide our students with improved opportunities to be involved in self-directed learning.
Opportunities for Improvement
After examining data, we feel as though we could take steps to further improve our scaffolding and the gradual release of the responsibility of the learning in future learning experiences.
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