STEM challenges changed my life as a teacher. How? One simple word…. engagement. Students absolutely can’t get enough of competition or STEM challenges. They want to win.
Teaching gifted students has taught me that I need to be more creative when it comes to classroom management and motivating students. Some of the classes I teach can be as large as 20-25 students. Most of them think they are right, many of them have never been challenged in the classroom beyond the standards, and quite a few of them prioritize their thoughts by what is interesting and not what is on the agenda. THIS all equals a classroom of chaos at times.
STEM Challenges for Elementary
So what to do with a classroom zoo? Give them a STEM challenge competition. What is that exactly? It begins with a question, a real-world question. Something real. When students can relate to the problem at hand and feel like they are in charge and doing something relevant, MAGIC happens. One STEM challenge I often use is to create something from trash. Creating with trash is cheap! There are many ways to spin this challenge, as well. Can you make a tower? How about create a new invention? Maybe you can design a tool? There are so many ways to make trash your best friend when working in STEM or STEAM!
So, what’s next? Before classrooms can begin with STEM challenges, the Engineering Design Process needs to be introduced. This can be found online pretty easily and can be adapted to fit any age level of student. Students will use this process to complete their STEM challenge. It needs to be modeled. It can’t just be thrown at them. If not modeled, this activity will flop. Trust me!
STEM Design Challenges
Don’t forget……one essential element of the Engineering Design Process is to test and evaluate the build. Students often struggle with this concept. What relevant data should be gathered to test the success of a build? What is grade-level appropriate? This is where the teacher must insert his/her expertise and give students parameters. Parameters must be given at the beginning of STEM challenges. These come in the form of criteria and constraints. Criteria being what must be done to complete the STEM challenge. Constraints being what cannot be done during the STEM challenge. Creating a Design Brief and giving it out before a challenge begins is the perfect way to keep students on track and guide them through the test and evaluation phase of the Engineering Design Process.
Finally, The cherry on top of doing STEM challenges in the classroom…. they allow students to grasp understanding of math and science concepts in action. Students can see how science and math apply and learn at the highest levels of engagement. Why are they engaged? It’s active. It’s creative. Oh yes, and it’s a competition. As a result, Students will try ever so hard to be the winner of every STEM challenge no matter how hard they have to work to complete it. Give it a try. Need some ready to go? Check out these that I have tested and tried first hand in the classroom.
Classroom STEM
Support STEM challenges in the classroom with daily STEM instruction that sparks curiosity.
Check out my ultimate guide for starting a STEM/STEAM classroom: 9 Steps to turning your classroom into STEM/STEAM classroom in any subject!
