#ALedchat is a weekly chat on Twitter about education topics. It is held each Monday from 9-10pmCST. While the discussion on #ALedchat continues on Twitter well beyond our weekly one-hour chat session, this platform affords us the opportunity to extend, expand and share the conversation with an even greater audience. Educators from across the state of Alabama, and the world, can come here to find encouragement, support, resources, professional growth opportunities and advice, while providing the same to their colleagues.
Greetings! I am excited to serve as the STEAM Instructional Coach for Haleyville City Schools. As a strong advocate for STEAM education, I look forward to reading your comments as we jointly collaborate the topic of "STEAM Powered Learning" in today's classroom. #ALedchat
Christy Bice, Principal at Haleyville Elementary and a co-moderator for #ALedchat. Tonight, I will pass the mic to Mrs. Candy Garner, our guest moderator, as she leads in a discussion on STEAM. #ALedchat
A1: STEAM provides opportunities for all students to divide into real life learning opportunities through collaboration, problem solving, cross curricular study, and more. #steam#engaged#aledchat
A1: We should incorporate STEAM instruction in the classroom because it encourages students to think and problem solve. This prepares them for the future and careers that require this kind of problem solving. We will no longer see one problem and one answer in careers. #aledchat
It has been stated that a quality "STEAM" program should involve an integrated curriculum, inquiry based learning, and real-world connection opportunities for all students. How can you provide a balance of these in your learning environment? #ALedchat
A1) not sure that “why” is the right question, more so what I’ve seen over last couple of years in education on both sides of the coin is “how” #ALedchat
I may be mistaken, but I believe I was in an edchat once where they described STEAM/STEM not just as these 5 disciplines, but also a mindset? Any thoughts on that? #aledchat
It has been stated that a quality "STEAM" program should involve an integrated curriculum, inquiry based learning, and real-world connection opportunities for all students. How can you provide a balance of these in your learning environment? #ALedchat
It has been stated that a quality "STEAM" program should involve an integrated curriculum, inquiry based learning, and real-world connection opportunities for all students. How can you provide a balance of these in your learning environment? #ALedchat
A1: STEAM opens so many new doors for both students and teachers. The way they teach/learn, the opportunities they have... just an entirely new world of learning... where anything is possible and nothing is too outside the box! #ALedchat
A2 #ALedchat I think project based learning is one way to make this work in a classroom. One of my favorite PBL units was on the chemistry of art and students applied their chemistry knowledge by creating a piece of art.
It has been stated that a quality "STEAM" program should involve an integrated curriculum, inquiry based learning, and real-world connection opportunities for all students. How can you provide a balance of these in your learning environment? #ALedchat
A2: The how of STEAM is a shift in mindset from specific content instruction to cross-curricular exploration, collaboration and problem-solving. It takes buy-in and investment from all sides. #planforit#seetheexcitement#aledchat
It has been stated that a quality "STEAM" program should involve an integrated curriculum, inquiry based learning, and real-world connection opportunities for all students. How can you provide a balance of these in your learning environment? #ALedchat
A2: I think it is about working together as a team of educators for a common goal. Finding student passions and allowing them to problem solve across the curriculum. #aledchat
A3: I don't think so. We must allow teachers to have autonomy. This is when they can truly let their creativity flow. Then, students can become passionate as well. #aledchat
A3: The EDP process is absolutely a model to follow, however STEAM is not cookie cutter, it's a process and not all processes of learning does not look the same. #ALedchat
A3: I believe there are some components of STEAM that would appear in all schools, but I also believe that all schools/students have different needs. I don’t think it should be cookie cutter. That’s the beauty-build a program that works for your school and students! #aledchat
A2: Biggest help for me was when I quit being discouraged by lack of arts in other classes and just embraced and fostered the natural use STEM in my world. Science in our special fx, engineering and math in our designs and construction, tech in our tech. #aledchat#STEAMeveryday
It has been stated that a quality "STEAM" program should involve an integrated curriculum, inquiry based learning, and real-world connection opportunities for all students. How can you provide a balance of these in your learning environment? #ALedchat
Well for me. I'm a math guy, so any opportunity to include those concepts (and reading) to enhance the application and learning experience, I went for it. #aledchat
A4: There is...@AdvancEDorg has a STEAM/STEM component. Some districts are working to become certified thought this initiative. #ALedchat I believe Winfield City has completed this.
FYI: ALSDE & AdvancED partnering to host "Dreaming Big: Enhancing STEM Throughout Alabama" on October 2. Exciting opportunity for educators to network & learn more about STEM Education! (Early bird registration through September 18, 2018). https://t.co/6ShO1ENRCv
We hosted a STEAM camp this summer! Our students didn’t want the week to end. The engagement and true excitement for learning left all of our teachers wanting to know more and do more! #awesome#steam#aledchat
Q3: Absolutely not. Just like no classroom looks the same. What I do may or may not work in the foreign language classes beside me, but they are incorporating other fields in ways that work for them. #aledchat
Nothing about anything should look the same at every school. Schools are different. Kids are different. Teachers are different. Communities are different. Education isn't one-size-fits-all. #aledchat
A5 #ALedchat There are many reasons but one important to me is to get students used to working with others in a team setting that they might not work with on their own.
A5: Collaborative activities allow students to hear and think about a variety of perspectives and ideas. It helps us realize there is more than one right way to solve a problem. #aledchat
A5: Collaboration allows for students to communicate thoughts/learning, adjust their thinking based on hearing other options, and strive to meet group and individual goals. #aledchat
So students are thinking about their own thinking as well as the thinking of others. That is how we truly learn, when we make meaning and collaboratively solve problems. Best ideas come from collaborative thinking! #ALEdChat
A6: Yes, we learn from our mistakes. Learning isn't comfortable. We must push ourselves to learn from our failures and adjust our mistakes and persevere until we get it right. #aledchat
If we're doing our jobs as far as putting our kids in meaningful, rigorous, authentic situations where they can find and solve problems (like how real life works), there are plenty of opportunities for failure and learning. #aledchat
Q6: Absolutely! Failure is in the future for every single one of us. We are preparing our students for their future right? We all need to know how to handle it and push forward to reach our goals. #aledchat
A5: #life—The skills 100% apply to what they encounter in the halls, at home, college, careers, relationships. Hard to justify many other skills like that. Every day, the rest of their lives they need to know how to collaborate well. #aledchat
Q6: Absolutely! Failure is in the future for every single one of us. We are preparing our students for their future right? We all need to know how to handle it and push forward to reach our goals. #aledchat
A6 Of course they do. We/I would not be where I am had a not made mistakes along the way, and still do. We should expect no less from them. AND... They should know it’s perfectly ok to@learn from failure. #failup#ALedchat
A6: Agree we need to teach them how to deal with it. Disagree we need to intentionally make opportunities for it—pretty sure life has that covered for us. #aledchat
Should a "STEAM" program involve community outreach within the school community, and if so, how does a classroom teacher or school admin team go about building that school/community partnership or relationship? #ALedchat
Should a "STEAM" program involve community outreach within the school community, and if so, how does a classroom teacher or school admin team go about building that school/community partnership or relationship? #ALedchat
A6: Agree we need to teach them how to deal with it. Disagree we need to intentionally make opportunities for it—pretty sure life has that covered for us. #aledchat
A7: Community partners are beneficial from additional resources and funding to on the job experience to developing programs to meet industry demands in the community! #aledchat
Should a "STEAM" program involve community outreach within the school community, and if so, how does a classroom teacher or school admin team go about building that school/community partnership or relationship? #ALedchat
A7: I think, ideally, the community should be involved. We potentially all have community members involved in STEAM careers. We can begin with asking them to be involved. #aledchat
Should a "STEAM" program involve community outreach within the school community, and if so, how does a classroom teacher or school admin team go about building that school/community partnership or relationship? #ALedchat
We have established LAUNCH and Twelve for Life for our students to go to school and explore a career in the community while in HS. Also we have the Academy of Fine Arts as well as a recording studio wher Professional come to our students. #ALEdChat
Should a "STEAM" program involve community outreach within the school community, and if so, how does a classroom teacher or school admin team go about building that school/community partnership or relationship? #ALedchat
This is where I have to give my disclosure as this might come off like a shameless plug but @BrightBytes we have a module called Learning Outcomes that uses data, analytics, and leading research to help measure outcomes and impact, just saying 😉 #ALEdChat
A7 @Cbice_1 that’s the purpose of STEAM; To help prepare students for careers and expose them future opportunities. It’s hard to do that without letting them see how their future fits into their community. If you can see it, you can be it! #ALedchat
A7: Community partners are beneficial from additional resources and funding to on the job experience to developing programs to meet industry demands in the community! #aledchat
When STEAM is done right, quality goes up. Test scores and all that, yeah, but also just the quality of the graduates and how ready they are for life. #aledchat
A8: I would like to see more formal evaluation/data (I can’t believe I just asked for more data 🤦🏻♀️) from former students. What worked? What else could we have done? What wasted your time? #aledchat
A8: I would like to see more formal evaluation/data (I can’t believe I just asked for more data 🤦🏻♀️) from former students. What worked? What else could we have done? What wasted your time? #aledchat
A5: Our goal is to prepare Ss for the “real world”. Most of what happens a in the world is a result of teamwork and collaboration. We need to foster collaboration in Ss early so that they are prepared for the future. #aledchat
