Forums

Hello! I am a preservice teacher at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. I am graduating in May of this year with Reading and Early Childhood endorsements. What challenges should I anticipate facing in my first year of teaching, particularly in integrating STEM education, and how should I plan to overcome them?

Hi!

I am so close to graduating and starting my career as a high school science teacher. With that, I have recently gotten my STEM certification. I am also wondering what to expect as a new teacher in a STEM field of what to expect. I am also wondering what activities do you all incorporate into your classroom that the students engage and respond well too. What challenges have you all faced and how did you overcome them?

As a first-year teacher incorporating STEM, you need to start small. You don't need to do a STEM unit every week or even every month. Find an activity that aligns with your standards where you can give students an open-ended challenge and space to create their own solution, including time to test, refine, and improve their solutions. 

In my opinion, the best part of incorporating STEM into your classroom is the opportunity students have to safely fail -- they can get something totally wrong without consequence or judgement. This creates a culture in your classroom where students are willing to be problem solvers and innovators.

I would expect other teachers to be suspicious when your students are having fun with STEM learning. There is a misconception that fun and learning do not go hand in hand.