Teacher Training By Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski

Twenty-five primary teachers spent two days actively engaged in exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts via conducting hands-on-minds-on STEM investigations. During the two-day STEM teacher training session conducted by Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski, teachers were immersed in exploring STEM practices and content. Concepts covered during the training included:

• Inquiry-based science practices
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Reflective journaling in the STEM classroom
• Engineering Design Process (designed structures and animal habitats)
• Exploring structure and function in nature and man-made objects
• Engineering principles (teachers implemented the engineering design process during each of the investigations)
• Architectural design (analyzed real-world structures)
• Buoyancy (designed, built and tested a variety of boats)
• Reverse Engineering (using toys)
• Force, motion, and energy concepts (ramp science and more)

The teachers left the training with a new perspective on conducting hands-on-minds-on STEM investigations in their classrooms, that make clear connections to the Common Core, and the Next Generation Science Standards. I truly believe that these teachers were enlightened as well as transformed.

The photos below are from the two-day STEM teacher training conducted by Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski.

Kindergarten and First-grade teachers were introduced to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts during a two-day teacher training workshop I conducted recently in Louisiana. We started off the two-day inquiry-based STEM training by discussing STEM philosophy, critical thinking in the classroom, reflective journaling, and the engineering design process. Teachers conducted numerous hands-on-minds-on inquiry-based STEM investigations throughout the two-day session. A key component of my STEM trainings are spent on conveying the need for teachers to design STEM investigations that are student-driven versus teacher driven. It’s not easy for teachers to release control of the classroom, especially at the Kindergarten and First-Grade level. However, the implementation of student-driven STEM investigations is a natural for the primary level classrooms. Teachers were introduced to the following concepts during the two-day teacher training session:

• Stem philosophy and practices;
• Critical thinking in the STEM classroom;
• Designing and implementing student driven vs. teacher driven STEM investigations;
• Reflective journaling in the STEM classroom;
• Identifying patterns and shapes in nature and man-made structures;
• Building 2 and 3-D structures with simple materials;
• Floating and sinking;
• Boat building and testing;
• Architectural engineering concepts;
• Blocks in the STEM classroom;
• Designing and building self-sustaining ecosystems to house backyard invertebrates;
• Reverse engineering;
• and Ramp science.

The photos below will give you a bird’s eye-view of how engaged teachers were during the two-day STEM teacher training session. Once again, it was a great group of teachers who left motivated and ready to implement STEM investigations within their own classrooms.