Giving Compass' Take:

• Academic Technology Specialist, Kristen Fudale, explains the two-stage process she uses to help educators introduce STEM learning into their classrooms. 

• The first stage of the process uses Code Monkey, a coding game that helps students understand how computer programming `works. Why are games effective engagement tools for STEM learning? 

• Interested in STEM education? Read the Giving Compass STEM Education Guide for donors. 

Since the spring of 2014, I’ve worked with Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools in technology integration. The purpose of my position as an Academic Technology Specialist is to help teachers feel comfortable embedding new technology into their classrooms.

That’s why our school gradually introduces STEM concepts, and coding in particular, to students as they progress through each grade level. We emphasize two learning stages to build fluid STEM integration from kindergarten to 4th grade:

  1. Stage 1: Solving Problems Step-by-Step and Together: To broaden technology integration within STEM curriculum, we began to introduce computer science through the international movement, the ‘Hour of Code.’ In our K-4 buildings, our goal is to integrate technology into the curriculum and enhance the lesson, activity or the critical thinking skills of the student, not just to use technology.
  2. Stage 2: Applying a Problem-Based Mindset to Cross-Curricular Lessons: Each day, we all need to take large amounts of information and figure out how to break them apart into doable tasks. We teach students these skills by weaving computer programming instruction into daily learning, rather than keeping the lesson isolated.

I understand when teachers might be hesitant to try new tech products in their classroom – especially at the elementary level. It’s natural to want to know how to help every student, but with coding and other modern learning skills, we as teachers need to be the coaches. Recently I heard Alice Keeler talk as a keynote speaker at ITIP 2017 and she said, “teach the future, not your comfort level.”

Read the full article about introducing STEM education gradually by Kristen Fudale at eSchool News