Thank you for visiting #ksedchat. We welcome all educators to our chat that runs Mondays at 8 p.m. Central. Though many of our educators have their homes in Kansas, all teachers are welcome to pop in and join in on the learning.
Hi! I am Andrea, the moderator for tonight’s #ksedchat! I work with KS & MO districts as they implement #STEMedcuation through @PLTWOrg. T is my fave - Technology is the backbone of #STEM!
Matt Arnold - PLTW Director of Curriculum Development - Fishers, Indiana - Just here to learn from amazing educators tonight. STEM... favorite letter?... all of them! (but I have a special place in my heart for tech 😉) #STEMed#ksedchat
Kimberly Jones (Glenn). Director of School Engagement. @PLTWorg. Fav letter of STEM?? All the implied ones because they don't exist on their own! :) #ksedchat
Tracey from Olathe. I teach K-5 at a Therapeutic Learning Program. That’s a tough one...probably E because I like to see what they come up with through the process. #ksedchat
A1: #STEM is a culture, a mindset, a way of thinking that transcends all disciplines. It's more than any one letter or an acronym. It's a thought process that can be applied in various subjects. #ksedchat#STEMed
#ksedchat hello!! Lisa, tech integrationist for Prairie Hills district in Northeast KS. Favorite STEM letter: S (Even though my day to day work is in Tech, I spent most of my classroom years teaching science!)
A2: For student to thrive in our evolving world they need to be able to problem solve independently and with a team. They need good communication and teamwork skills. Allowing them to fail without giving up, but looking at how to solve the problem too. #ksedchat
A2: Communication of ideas - hands down - and how to use new tools to communicate their designs, ideas, code, etc. Without clear communication, it's very difficult to work in teams, collaborate, and share information. #ksedchat#STEMed
A2) The four Cs: creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication. If STEM came about because it’s four content areas were woefully unrepresented in modern education, the the 5th C is content, and STEM becomes the 5th C. #ksedchat
#ksedchat A2: most important skills: flexibility, perseverance, interpersonal relatability, comfort with adjusting to new tech and resources, ability to break problems into solvable steps...sorry, couldn’t pick just one! ;)
A2) The four Cs: creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication. If STEM came about because it’s four content areas were woefully unrepresented in modern education, the the 5th C is content, and STEM becomes the 5th C. #ksedchat
#ksedchat A2: most important skills: flexibility, perseverance, interpersonal relatability, comfort with adjusting to new tech and resources, ability to break problems into solvable steps...sorry, couldn’t pick just one! ;)
A3: One that I see at every school I visit is public speaking, both to large groups and 1:1. Ss can clearly explain their ideas and processes. #STEM#ksedchat
Q3) We are seeing students build so many skills with high-quality STEM like @PLTWorg , but the ones that stand out the most are effective communication, teamwork, and creativity #ksedchat
A3) It’s my hope that as an educator I teach my kids they have a voice worth hearing, and to help them develop the tools that make their voices heard (cogently, and with intention). In today’s world, STEM is a necessary vehicle to that end. #ksedchat
A3: skills I see students gain from STEM activities: greater joy in learning, increased curiosity, improved confidence in trying new ideas of their own! Some of the things I miss about being in a classroom daily! #ksedchat
A3: Ooo... I can't wait to hear what current teachers have seen. When I taught a STEM class, I loved seeing the moment my students successfully debugged a program or fixed a flaw in their design... watching them develop a passion for solving life's puzzles. 💡 #ksedchat#STEMed
Just wanted to send out a retweet that I had sent out earlier this week To me, this is a great way of showing how the Arts are interconnected to all academic areas, especially in regards to creativity and collaboration. #ksedchat
https://t.co/8ojVSn38kv
Just imagine if everyone on your team were able to collaborate by sharing their unique talents & work in unison to impressive results.
@FerdinandSurita
Great direction with this comment. I also think when kids have real problems to solve to make another’s life better in some way, STEM can teach compassion! #ksedchat
I've noticed a significant shift in students wanting to solve real world problems that can assist or help someone in some way - or to make their world a better place. #ksedchat
A4) Such a great question!! Two ideas come to mind -- giving kids real problems to solve that push them beyond coursework and getting other teachers involved with interdisciplinary projects #ksedchat
Q4 definitely brings this to light for me! How can we build off the problem solving and creativity learned through #STEM and transcend into the arts? #ksedchat
A4: celebrate successes in STEM activities and make a point to connect to other areas. Spotlight special accomplishments by students that might not have successes at other times! #ksedchat
A4: Moving from classwork to real work, students want to solve real world problems & they can! Let them look for a problem in the community & apply what they have learned to work on solutions. #ksedchat
A4: We do a lot of PBL and incorporate community service projects. Last week students created a donut shop and the money they made went to a homeless shelter. #ksedchat
Nathan here, checking in late, was spending quality time with family. Finishing up my student teaching this week, at Colvin Elementary in Wichita Ks. M; currently my favorite letter, as you can always find math in our world. #KSedchat
A4. All workforces need #STEM-literate workers! Designers of All Types (Theatre Production, Product Manufacturing, Buildings, etc), Artists of All Kinds, Political Paths, Sales, Community Outreach, etc. etc. etc.... #KSedchat
A4) We need to stop treating content areas as discrete- they necessarily overlap. If we address topics from an abstract/broad perspective, and allow the skills to arise naturally as we tackle the questions we ask, the work is done for us by honoring its very nature. #ksedchat
A4: #STEM skills lend themselves to answering the question "When am I ever going to use this?" Ss can apply content knowledge that is many times taught in isolation. #ksedchat
A4: I think when possible we do need direct instruction to help students make connections. Common vocabulary, graphics and acronyms across content can help. Teachers of all subjects can teach design process and how it relates #ksedchat
A4) I think students who have chances to collaborate on diverse teams now, will be able to be creatively solve problems in the future; and employ grit in the process. #ksedchat#STEMeducation
A5: Always ask yourself, can a student lead this instead of me? Contact community partners? Teach a workshop, Invite visitors? Ss can do all that & more instead of you. #KSedChat
Yes! Providing students with real world atmospheres now will benefit them in the future and will benefit industry by preparing a diverse workforce! #ksedchat
A5) These skills are corollary to open-ended tasks, but as I’ve learned the hard way- one can assume no skills are a given. We must teach students what these skills mean and look like. We must praise them when see see them arise, and guide them away from closed habits. #ksedchat
A5: soft skill development during STEM needs to include specific instruction AND feedback to students on how their soft skills are developing. Not just a grade or assessment on knowledge learned or project completed. #ksedchat
A5) These skills are corollary to open-ended tasks, but as I’ve learned the hard way- one can assume no skills are a given. We must teach students what these skills mean and look like. We must praise them when we see them arise, and guide them away from closed habits. #ksedchat
A5) So many possible answers but the one that pops up is setting kids up for success with their presentations and not letting the sharing of their work be an afterthought....this gives students even more pride in their work and engaged students can do anything #ksedchat
A5) These skills are corollary to open-ended tasks, but as I’ve learned the hard way- one can assume no skills are a given. We must teach students what these skills mean and look like. We must praise them when we see them arise, and guide them away from closed habits. #ksedchat
Q4) Creativity can exist in all academic areas that we teach. I am always amazed when my Ss begin to learn to improvise on their instruments. At first Ss are intimidated by the experience and then are overjoyed. Discovery is awesome! #ksedchat
Q4 definitely brings this to light for me! How can we build off the problem solving and creativity learned through #STEM and transcend into the arts? #ksedchat
A5: Allow students to work together, communicate and share ideas, discuss what was challenging with each other, listen to each other...share ideas when they are finished. #ksedchat
A5) Provide a variety of opportunities for public demonstration of skills, abilities and their solutions like @PLTW Senior Showcase & @FIRSTweets competitions with judging #ksedchat
A5. Good STEM program & it's educational leaders constantly build "#SoftSkills" or as I prefer "#EMPLOYABILITYskills" with their Ss. Collaboration activities across the classroom, school, city, country need to take place, competitions, comm outreach, Student Orgs...#KSedchat
Agreed! I also like the idea of allowing students the time to showcase their learning as they go as opposed to always at the end of the project. #ksedchat
We ALL have!! And it can be hard for some teachers to give criticism on such personal things because teachers tend to be so compasssionate! We have to believe that gently given feedback is what’s best for them in the long run! #ksedchat
A6) ‘21st Centurt Skills’ is often used, but that seems silly since it’s not like they weren’t used/meaningful in the 20th century. Just sayin’. #ksedchat
A6. EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS! Because "Soft Skills" can imply that they are easy to achieve, when in fact they can be rather hard to learn - and they will definitely help you find EMPLOYMENT! :) #KSedchat
Tomorrow 1:00 EST | Join this virtual field trip and visit Maya ruins in Mexico and Guatemala. You’ll learn about the Ancient Maya while exploring Maya city ruins. Strap on your hiking boots and let’s travel back in time. #2ndchat#globaled#cblchat#oklaed#ksedchat
A7: Invite your colleagues into your classroom! Reach across the hall and co-plan a project! It's hard to resist the student engagement #STEM provides when you experience it. #KSEdchat
We need to bring together educators from all areas - move classrooms around! Why do we have science at one end of the building and art/music at the other? #ksedchat
A7) Do schools need to change their whole structure to embrace STEM skills/Employability skills? This has been on my mind a lot lately, actually. Sometimes I wonder if we’re trying to fit square pegs into a round hole. Maybe we need to make a new, square hole? #ksedchat
