Join teachers and educationalists for #ukedchat each Thursday between 8-9 pm GMT for Edu chat. Education news, resources, and @UKEdSch website with @UKEdMag
It’s 8pm on a Thursday evening - you know what that means….? Yes, time for #UKEdChat again - This week focusing on #STEM in the classroom. Eight questions coming up over the next hour. Get involved :-)
#UKEdChat - Q1.
How important are STEM activities within your setting, and how do you incorporate them into regular teaching and learning?
(Please remember to include A1 & #UKEdChat in your response)
#UKEdChat - Question 1 again
How important are #STEM activities within your setting, and how do you incorporate them into regular teaching and learning?
(Please remember to include A1 & #UKEdChat in your response)
It’s 8pm on a Thursday evening - you know what that means….? Yes, time for #UKEdChat again - This week focusing on #STEM in the classroom. Eight questions coming up over the next hour. Get involved :-)
#UKEdChat - Q2.
How do you challenge any misconceptions or biases about certain pathways that #STEM learning opens up?
(Please remember to include A2 & #UKEdChat in your response)
#UKEdChat A1. To me personally they're massively important but it can be a struggle to incorporate them within the rigid school timetable. If your school is able to move away from the mindset of discrete lessons towards a project-based learning approach then STEM is a perfect fit
#UKEdChat - Q2 again
How do you challenge any misconceptions or biases about certain pathways that #STEM learning opens up?
(Please remember to include A2 & #UKEdChat in your response)
#UKEdChat-Q2 There are some excellent books and resources relating to women in STEM. I think inviting in visitors such as STEM ambassadors is also a great way to break down misconceptions and biases.
#UKEdChat - Q3.
How do you create more opportunities, through STEM activities, to ensure inclusion for all?
(Please remember to include A3 & #UKEdChat in your response)
A3 we've sent students to events, we have plenty going on at KS3 during Science week, there's lots of STEM that happens in Science club. We'd like to do more but it's difficult with time & staff #ukedchat
#UKEdChat - Q3 again
How do you create more opportunities, through STEM activities, to ensure inclusion for all?
(Please remember to include A3 & #UKEdChat in your response)
Lots of great engineering in #STEM club this evening! We built some impressive weight supporting bridges and tall towers using simple engineering principles! #STEM#Engineering#skills
A3 in class this website is free and has loads of great activities for all ages with STEM. Way for schools where you have form time or pshe. https://t.co/RthUjCF1vn#UKEdChat
Science, DT and computing are underrepresented in terms of the amount of time dedicated to them compared to maths. Consequently, pupils sometimes see maths as lacking real application - would like more time for STEM projects.
Senior pupils have been working towards their @CRESTAwards in our STEM science club by completing a 10 hour project, with groups running experiments on bath bombs, tea bags, crisps and lemonade (to name a few!). #stem#science#crestawards#activities
A1 I am not keen on “giving importance” to any one subject. All have a place and all@are important. Many are in Maths and Science but form time and PSHE are fab extras. https://t.co/RthUjCF1vn this will help with a website for free resources! #UKEdChat
#UKEdChat Q3 'The Lightyear Foundation' is an incredible charity that provides STEM activities for disabled children. They use sensory opportunities to make STEM accessible and teach life skills such as helping children cope with unexpected outcomes. @lightyear_fdn
#UKEdChat - Q4.
What are the greatest challenges of incorporating STEM activities into the curriculum?
(Please remember to include A4 & #UKEdChat in your response)
#UKedchat A2 Find out what the misconceptions and biases are first. Regarding women in STEM, there are excellent role models but we need to make girls aware. I would regularly name tables as female scientists and task pupils with finding out about them and their contributions.
Way to go 3rd Graders! These students are working on a STEM unit in ALPHA (Advanced Learning Program for Higher Achievement). They explored the difference between potential and kinetic energy by building rollercoasters!
#STEM#ScienceAndMath#ALPHAClass#SJCS
#UKEdChat - Q4 again
What are the greatest challenges of incorporating STEM activities into the curriculum?
(Please remember to include A4 & #UKEdChat in your response)
#UkEdchat A3 Extracurricular clubs are a great way to allow all to get involved and potentially discover new interests and talents without the pressures of covering the curriculum and assessment. In primary don't need to be expert - can model learning/creative approaches.
A4 seems I always write the same things...time/money/experience/enthusiasm. A school needs to commit to it and know it’s importance for our economies and translate this to staff/pupils. Money is needed for resources and experienced staff for success! #UKEdChat
#UKEdChat - Q5.
How do you use technology to support #STEM activities, and what are the best resources available to use?
(Please remember to include A5 & #UKEdChat in your response)
I think even in primary it can be difficult to move away from teaching discrete subjects towards a STEM approach. Often this kind of decision is in the hands of SLT rather than individual teachers.
#UkEdchat A4 a challenge in primary can be staff being interested and confident enough to give it a go - not sure of figures but primary appears to attract far more arts/humanities graduates rather than STEM graduates.
#UKedchat we put together treasure baskets for early years that encourage early years to learn in an interdisciplinary way. Please visit our website for further information... https://t.co/OHpVyDYszx
S1 STEM with Sea Cadets. Big success. Well done, everyone. Thanks to John for his enthusiasm and brilliantly fun workshops. See you again in June, with the S3s. #engineeringisfun#WeAreBraeview
#UKEdChat - Q5 again
How do you use technology to support #STEM activities, and what are the best resources available to use?
(Please remember to include A5 & #UKEdChat in your response)
A5 we are lucky to be a 1:1 IPad school and use so many good apps for coding etc #EveryoneCanCreate free on iBooks are too! Science are using @Sphero to look at friction! It’s as big as your imagination can go! #UKEdChat
Year 8 have shown so much enthusiasm this morning! Their mission was to build and charge an electric car that travelled 6metres exactly and 2 teams were successful! Well done girls!
🌟🚗🔋🔌
@Tomorrows_Eng#Engineering#dgs#dgspride#STEM
Our KS2 students are doing some preparatory work in advance of our #STEM week, by learning what an engineer is and why it is an important career. #science
#UKEdChat - Q6.
How can you use #STEM activities to support enquiry-based learning, or enhance problem solving skills?
(Please remember to include A6 & #UKEdChat in your response)
I think STEM activities are well placed to support project or enquiry based learning #ukedchat A6 - Yes, takes a little planning and organisation, but such rich learning takes place.
The Valentines: Happy Girl Lucky by Holly Smale - Sisters Hope, Faith and Mercy have everything: fame, success, money and beauty. But what Hope wants most of all is love - daily new YA/children's book #ukedchat#readingrockshttps://t.co/7rLuaDOPP7
#UKEdChat - Q6 again
How can you use #STEM activities to support enquiry-based learning, or enhance problem solving skills?
(Please remember to include A6 & #UKEdChat in your response)
#UkEdChat A6 STEM activities are perfect for regular reflection. Is this working? How can we look at this differently? Do we need to change our focus? What helped/hindered us in our approach to this task?
A6 make them real life. Give a real problem to solve. Make it relevant to them & the world. Doesn’t have to be real life/design a broom stick for Harry Potter that will win a race others or create a tower that is earthquake proof Make it local, look at real local issue! #UKEdChat
A6 if you do the theory with students first then you can present them with equipment and ask them to find something out, it just takes a bit longer and still needs to be structured for less able students #ukedchat
#UKEdChat - Q7.
What are the ‘go-to’ resources, websites or people that you refer to for #STEM activity ideas?
(Please remember to include A7 & #UKEdChat in your response)
#UKEdChat A6 I like the idea of starting each activity with an enquiry question for the children to solve (e.g. how can we drop an egg from a height without it breaking?). They're also great for teaching children that mistakes are an important part of the learning process.
#UKEdChat A6 I like the idea of starting each activity with an enquiry question for the children to solve (e.g. how can we drop an egg from a height without it breaking?). They're also great for teaching children that mistakes are an important part of the learning process.
A3 During science week and with each science topic in a year there are opportunities for investigation that are mainly hands on, practical which means all children can access learning. #UKEdChat
#UKEdChat - Q7 again
What are the ‘go-to’ resources, websites or people that you refer to for #STEM activity ideas?
*Please remember to include A7 & #UKEdChat in your response*
A5 Our school has a subscription to https://t.co/TKNcHPutox lots of ideas and subject knowledge for class teachers.. Using apps such as @Seesaw can mean you can hear chn talking about what they have been learning which is something different to recording in books. #UKEdChat
#UKEdChat - Q8.
What are your favourite #STEM-based classroom activities, that never fail to enthuse your students?
*Please remember to include A8 & #UKEdChat in your response*
A6 I think chn enjoy having a real life question to answer when trying to solve a problem. One teacher asked a family member to make a video dressed as a doctor. The film posed the problem. It engaged the children. They found a solution and shared it with her. #UKEdChat
Teachers! This one's for you! Alongside @NtlMuseumsScot, @STEM_Edin and @EducationScot, we're holding a FREE teachers afternoon all about engaging students with #STEM subjects and how to bring the 3-18 Careers Standard to life | March 1 | Register here 👉 https://t.co/u2scnQ0A13
I think I have just about caught up with #febmusicchallenge19 this evening, only just got in as we had a rather late meeting at school. Still time to add more though #primaryrocks#ukedchat Thanks again for all contributions without you it wouldnt happen https://t.co/9iLyoF5Xtc
#UKEdChat - Q8 again
What are your favourite #STEM-based classroom activities, that never fail to enthuse your students?
(Please remember to include A8 & #UKEdChat in your response)
#UkEdChat A8 Children generally get excited about making anything with a practical application - creating something that didn't exist before. Adding in a 'pitch' element at the end for older primary really makes them focus on the objective.
