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Engaging students through STEM activities

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Hello, My name is Britney and I am a current college student majoring in Elementary education. I am currently working on creating a fun and engaging STEM activity for my methods of science class. I know some students are not big fans of STEM courses, and I am wondering how I can create an activity that is both interesting and educational for students. Is there anything I should take into consideration when creating a STEM activity? 

Sweta Srivastava Sweta Srivastava 150 Points

Hi Britney,

My Britney,

Currently, I am teaching Chemistry in High School and taught Science in middle school as well. During my transition from middle to high school, I noticed that students' perspectives changed as they attended high school, science classes. After observing the trends, I realized that in elementary schools, students only learn the fun part of science 5E lessons: Engagement and hands-on activity. When they move to secondary schools, teachers help them to think about the connection between engagement and expect to explain and correlate their observations to real word scenarios. Which students think is problematic because now they have to think, write, and calculate to get the outcome of their science experiment. I would suggest planning a fun activity while encouraging them to think outside the box and allowing them to share their findings in class with their classmate.

Best,

Sweta

Neely Tonos Neely Tonos 585 Points

I like to use the bottle ecosystems in my high school classes to help my students learn about scientific research but this could easily be adapted for any grade level and many different STEM activities.

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Lisy Vazquez Lisy Vazquez 1825 Points

Hi Britney,

I am also a big fan of STEM projects and I think a important aspect of creating a successful STEM lesson is to have the students engaged whether that be by working in a group or having a hands on project that they're working. Students will also learn best also by demonstrating if you want students to take something from the lesson make sure you're giving them a sort of demonstration of what you what them to learn.

Aisha McLaughlin Aisha McLaughlin 345 Points

Hello Britney,

              Lets first start with what STEM means. Stem stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. So as long as you intertwine two or more of these learning areas, you should have a good STEM project. STEM projects usually focus on solving a problem and can be based on real-world applications. Almost every good science or engineering project is really a STEM activity because you have to pull from different resources to complete it. Results happen when many different factors fall into place. Technology and math are also important to include in the concept of STEM whether it’s through research or measurements.

Lauren Cramer Lauren Cramer 2025 Points

Definitely do somethings that is hands-on and I would suggest choosing something they can do outside. Find a problem somewhere on campus that you want them to create a solution to. It can be something open-ended where there can be multiple solutions. For example, if there is a pond or creek nearby, give them water bottles with other materials and tell them they need to create a device that will help collect water that is below the surface. Maybe something that reads temperature at all days and times of the year. It could be anything. Something to get them working and thinking.

Tami Furtado Tami 10 Points

Hi Britney! That is a great question. Creating a fun and engaging STEM activity can be challenging, but to make it more engaging for students, you need to encourage students to engage in active activities. Allow students to experiment and explore. Connect it to real-world situations so students are more likely to be interested in STEM activities if they can see how they relate to real-world problems and situations. Try to associate the activity with a real-world application or problem.

More information: https://my.nsta.org/forum/topic/y0yaCYOOY4c_Egeometry dash

Berberdes Resed3er Berberdes 10 Points

STEM education has become a buzzword in recent years, but what does it really mean for students? At its core, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education is all about preparing students for the future. By providing opportunities to explore these fields, educators can help students develop critical thinking skills, encourage creativity, and foster a love of learning. But how can we make STEM activities engaging and accessible for all students? In this blog post, we'll explore some chatgpt4 blog strategies for engaging students through STEM activities and share some examples of successful programs. Whether you're a teacher, parent, or student, there's something here for you!

Lauren Cramer Lauren Cramer 2025 Points

This is very true and I am glad you made a post on this. 

Travis Washington Travis Washington 586 Points

Hi Lauren,

I am also new to STEM, an there are many activities that are fun. During a STEM summer camp one year, the campers used pencil lead and batteries to create light using a copper wire. With safety measures in place the campers enjoyed the experiment and navigated the different charges for successful electric flow.

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