STEM club helps with real-life implications
Just a few short years ago, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that STEM occupations were growing at 17 percent while other occupations were growing at 9.8 percent.
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics workers play a key role in the sustained growth and stability of our economy. STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy and innovation leading to new products and processes which sustain our economy.
The Dayton Regional STEM Center creates fellowship opportunities for groups of area teachers who are passionate about STEM and its role in schools and in the broader community and professional world.
Teams of teachers are provided the opportunity to work in conjunction with higher education and industry fellows to learn more about the changing landscape and the demand for workers in the STEM fields.
This year, Cline Elementary created an after-school STEM Club that included 13 teachers from several buildings in Centerville City Schools. STEM Fellow and fourth-grade teacher Craig Chabut was the lead teacher due to his involvement as a Fellow of the Dayton Regional STEM Center.
Chabut was fortunate to be a recipient of a scholarship from the National Defense Industry Association and began to learn about STEM activities. He immediately saw the benefit of the STEM curriculum and how it engages students in authentic work. Chabut liked how students began talking, collaborating and problem solving in real-life, measurable ways.
Soon the Cline STEM Club had an attendance of more than 70 students who worked together in two 45-minute sessions every week for eight weeks.
Activities included designing cone cups that fly, inventing a method for removing a pig figurine from the bottom of a pretend well, building foil boats that sailed using wind power, egg drop / balloon racers, TI rovers, earthquakes and bridges. After these mini-challenges, students were able to choose extended challenges based on their grade level. Providing choice enhanced student “buy-in” and allowed students to delve deeper into areas they were truly interested in learning more about.
The final culminating activity was an after-school event where parents received an invitation to witness the hard work of their children who explained the challenges and demonstrated how they problem-solved each challenge.
It was great to see parents and staff walk through the Cline Elementary building and interact with the students who proudly showed their work as well as their understanding of the power of working collaboratively to solve a challenge.
In conclusion, I think we would all agree that STEM education is critical to help the United States remain a world leader. Programs outside of school like the Cline STEM Club help children experience activities that show real-life implication and the benefit of being able to work together to solve world issues.
Children can see that what they are learning now is pertinent to their future and the future of the whole world, creating an interest often lacking when learning new concepts that do not seem to carry realworld application.