My students are motivated, critical thinkers who want to see change in their world. They need the skills to be able to be the change that they want to see!
My students are in a lottery program of choice in our school district.
Our program is a project-based, standards-based program with a STEM focus. Our program also pulls from our neighborhood that is low-income and culturally diverse. Our mission statement is that we are "A Caring Community of Critical Thinkers". We try to instill this everyday in our students who are very community-aware and are always striving to make a positive impact on their worlds while learning the skills they need to be college and career ready in a very competitive job market. My students live in Alaska where there a few opportunities to expand their horizons in the STEM fields so we try to instill as many of these experiences in their daily learning as possible.
My Project
The resources I am requesting are those that foster knowledge of STEM-related skills as well as requiring my students to work together cooperatively to complete a task. These construction kits use the engineering design process as well as the scientific process to teach students about structural design and physics concepts. They all require team work and collaborative effort to be successful - a very important skill for working in today's world.
Students in my classroom love to learn in a hands-on manner. However, much of the curriculum materials provided to us are not interactive enough to capture their imaginations. I have found that allowing students to experiment and try and try again, gives them a sense of pride in their learning and makes the learning more powerful when they construct it themselves. The KNEX and Science Olympiad products will allow my students to construct their own knowledge in a meaningful way!
I am passionate about incorporating STEM-related skills and activities into my classroom learning activities.
I am convinced, and the research bears out, that these skills are of paramount importance to ensure that students are able to be career or college in the STEM fields. This will be where the jobs and earning potential will be when my students graduate and begin to work in the 21st century work force.
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