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.
knowledge with scientific practices. The NGSS classrooms will find students more engaged in the learning process, using scientific practices to explore scientific concepts. To find out more about the final version of the Next Generation Science Standards in STEMblog. For information on NGSS-based teacher training workshops for K-12 teachers check out the teacher training workshops I offer nationwide on this site.
