Getting Started

10 Easy Steps for Starting a STEM Club

1. Assess your resources

• Although this website gives many different lessons using a range of resources, it is important for you and any other advisors to understand what resources your school has available. As I have created this collection of activities, I have been blessed to work in a newly opened and well stocked MakerSpace. We not only have supplies at our disposal and access to additional items, but we also have a carefully selected collection of technology including 40 laptops, iPads with green screen equipment, Dash and Dot Robots, Lego Robot Kits, and Ozobots. If your school does not have these resources DO NOT be discouraged. Sit with your team and think about all the ways you could make this happen. To be honest this might be one of the ways that you can teach the kids the Design Thinking Process and let them problem solve for you! One thing you will see as you look at the resources on this site, is that we often did not use all of these amazing resources for the main purpose of the lesson, but instead used them to enhance or supplement the activity.

2. Make a Plan

• After you have assessed your resources, sit down with with your team and make a plan. Answering the following questions will help you be prepared when you approach your administrators for approval.

I. When, where and how often will we meet?

As a group my team decided to meet once weekly on Monday mornings. We decided on an hour from 7:45 - 8:45am. We had our reasons for Monday mornings, but you need to decide what works for your team. I would recommend an hour time slot if possible, which allows for about 45 minutes of programming.

II. How many students will we allow in the club and how will we select participants?

Having a reasonable amount of students in the club is important. We settled on around 10-12 but this will all depend on your space and the resources available to you. I would recommend having at least 8 students for grouping purposes. We had students fill out an application and have it signed by their parent, classroom teacher, and 2 specialists. Although we knew all of our applicants we thought this was an important process for them to go through.

III. What programming is most important to our school?

One thing to look at is what part of STEM do you most want to focus on. We made a choice to focus on the technology, engineering, and math portions of STEM, because our school already had a well established Science Club. We decided that if we wanted to focus on any Science activities, we would collaborate with our Science Club. Additionally, we knew that there would be a need to have some students trained on the new technology being used in our school to act as ambassadors for our MakerSpace. This also shifted our focus a bit more towards technology. If you don't have any preexisting clubs at your school, or reasons to focus on one area or another then go ahead and skip this step.

3. Get Administrative Approval

• This seems like an obvious step, but we almost forgot about it! Thankfully we have an amazing Principal who is all about learner agency and student autonomy, but nevertheless this is an important step to take. Making sure that you have your planning done ahead of time may make this an easier job!

4. Get Kids Excited

• We were lucky that we had a niche to fill at our school, which was left by our robotic club. Kids who loved that kind of stuff and were sad that it wasn't available to them this year, really got on board with our club. If you don't have that kind of interest or your school is oversaturated with options, consider holding an information session or a hands on activity session where kids can get into some of the exciting things you will be doing.

5. Create and Distribute the Application

• I have linked a copy of our application below. Feel free to use or edit as you need. Please just make a copy in google if you choose to! We gave the students a limited amount of time to complete this (around 4 days) and we found that it helped make it clear about who was really interested in our club.

6. Collect Materials and Contact Any Special Guests

• As you get to know your participants it will become easy for you to know what things get them motivated. However, take my advice and get the first few weeks planned and ready to go. Also, if you plan to bring in any guest speakers or activities that rely on an outside organization, get these scheduled way in advance. With school schedules, weather days, and holidays, it is important to make sure that you have everyone you need lined up.

7. Make Decisions About Participants

• Once you collect back your applications you should sit down with your team and look them over and choose your participants. Look for students who can think out of the box or really tried to "sell" themselves on their application.

8. Have your First Meeting

• Don't plan anything huge for your first meeting. Spend the time getting to know your students and their interests. We did an icebreaker and then talked about how we were here to have fun and solve problems. One of our last activities on the first day was for students to brainstorm problems they saw in their school or home community. Make sure to do this as it will be VERY important when you get to Design Thinking!

9. Evaluate, Revisit, and Keep Going

• As with anything in teaching you will keep going back to the drawing board to make this the best possible experience for your students. The activities on this site are tried and true, but that does not mean you need to stick to them. Do what works for your group. If you have a really great activity that you do not see here please feel free to share it with me on Twitter @missmpeterson so that we can try it out and add it to the site. If you love one of our activities SHARE THAT TOO!

10. Have Fun

• My favorite thing about this process has been the fun I am having with my colleagues and especially my students. They never cease to amaze me! Just when I think we have reached as far as we can with a concept or an activity, one or more of them come up with something truly INCREDIBLE! Having these experiences are a great reminder each Monday morning of why I LOVE what I do! Remember, the activities and lessons you find on this site are meant to help you launch this new endeavor. Don't forget to take some time to just let your students explore. Take out all of the resources you have available and let them play and learn. Not meeting needs to be formal and structured!

Sources

Robinson, Linda, et al. “STEM Club Application.” Oct. 2017.