Teacher Training By Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski

No matter what hands-on-minds-on inquiry-based teacher training workshop I’m conducting. A fundamental component of the teacher training is introducing teachers to investigations that help the student develop observational skills, as well as developing critical thinking skills. Developing observational skills and critical thinking skills is essential in all science classes. I find that in my STEM teacher training workshops the need for heightened observational skills and critical thinking skills is crucial for the student to fully comprehend STEM education concepts. Recently, I conducted a 3-day STEM teacher training institute for an elementary school that is in its first year of becoming a STEM school. Throughout the 3 days teachers were actively engaged in exploring STEM concepts through hands-on-minds-on inquiry-based investigations. Many of the teachers shared with me that they had never looked at nature and the world the way they learned to during the training. As teachers we often get caught up in the daily rut of covering mass amounts of information within short periods of time that becomes disjointed with little meaning to the student. The first priority in any classroom is to teach observational skills and help the student develop critical thinking skills. But first, teachers may need to take the time to look closely at nature themselves. The following slideshare below is from a recent Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) teacher training workshop I conducted.

Had the pleasure of conducting a STEM teacher training workshop for a middle school in Florida that has become a STEM school this year. It’s an exciting time for the teachers and students to become a part of the ever growing STEM movement. All teachers of the school will incorporate STEM concepts within their classrooms, whether they are a foreign language teacher, reading or social studies teacher. The entire staff at CASE will incorporate STEM, and they are excited to be involved with such an endeavor. During the STEM teacher training workshop I conducted teachers explored an array of STEM concepts from conducting experiments. We began the workshop with teachers exploring biomimicry concepts. Incorporating biomimicry investigations into the STEM classroom helps to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the student. Teachers also conducted experiments with nano-technology products as well as designing, constructing, and testing parachutes. In addition to the many hands-on-minds-on inquiry-based investigations teachers conducted to explore STEM concepts they were also introduced to literature that reinforces STEM concepts. The following photos are a sample representation of some of the hands-on-minds-on inquiry-based STEM investigations the teachers undertook during the STEM teacher training workshop.