On Friday, we launched part one of our final project of the year: the Lanier STEM Maker Fest (project overview). In May, we will be hosting our first ever Maker Fest at our high school. It’s sure to be an exciting event as our students will be sharing maker projects and showing others how to… Continue reading STEM Maker Fest Project
Category: Classroom
Let’s do (real) science!
Are you bringing authentic science experiences to your students? I’ve always been a big believer in doing authentic science with students. However, I’ve come to realize that students don’t just want to do “real” science. They also want to be part of something that matters and is important. Last year, my students helped to design… Continue reading Let’s do (real) science!
Reflections on a #flipclass experiment
We had three weeks of school in between Thanksgiving break and winter break, and I had an entire unit to cover with lots of labs and activities as well as end of semester exams. In order to fit everything in, I decided to venture into the realm of the Flip Class. I conducted my “lectures”… Continue reading Reflections on a #flipclass experiment
Kevin: How a lab supply turned into a class “pet”
This past Wednesday, I ran into the local grocery store on my way to school to pick up a small potted plant for an erosion lab I had planned for the day. One of the stations called for the plant to be taken out of its pot so students could observe the root structure’s ability… Continue reading Kevin: How a lab supply turned into a class “pet”
When the school year ends and it’s time to say goodbye
It’s hard to believe: the last day of school has already come and gone. It seems to me that each year the days pass faster, and each year it is harder to say goodbye. One of my classes really became a large extended family this year. On the last day of school, we watched our… Continue reading When the school year ends and it’s time to say goodbye
Reinventing school
For a while now, I’ve been dreaming of learning experiences that are different than the traditional “old-school” methods. I’ve even thought about making it a goal to start my own school that doesn’t feel like normal school at some point in the future. Basically, I love school, but the experience of school needs to change.… Continue reading Reinventing school
Remembering our failures can launch future successes
Yesterday I took time out of our normal teaching calendar to discuss something I deemed really important with my students: failure and tragedy. It was the yearly observation of the NASA Day of Remembrance. We discussed the the sacrifices made by the Apollo 1, Challenger STS-51L, and Columbia STS-107 astronauts. We had briefly discussed Apollo… Continue reading Remembering our failures can launch future successes