By Maggie O’Brien

Each month, we list articles on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and project-based learning (PBL) that we find exceptionally inspiring and educational.  Topics range from research reports to feature stories about new STEM and PBL initiatives in schools.  These articles support Defined STEM’s mission of empowering students to build future-ready skills through authentic project-based learning.

Here’s what we liked this month:
 

Boosting Student Engagement Through Project-Based Learning

Edutopia

Taji Allen-Sanchez, a sixth- and seventh-grade science teacher at San Francisco’s Aptos Middle School, is one of a growing number of teachers who believe that traditional methods of teaching aren’t preparing students for life beyond school. Lectures and direct instruction can be used to convey information to students, but they don’t enhance skills like teamwork, problem solving, and curiosity that employers are increasingly looking for.

“If you just give students answers, they’re not going to understand [the science],” he explains. “Really, any kid can memorize information, but can they apply it to an actual real-world application?” Read more…

‘It’s OK to fail:’ How Indiana teachers are rethinking STEM for the real world

Chalkbeat

In Kraig Kitts’ biology classes, it’s OK to fail.

“That’s science. That’s the nature of it,” said Kitts, a science teacher at Center Grove High School. “Sometimes we don’t know. As teachers, we have a lot of pressures that everything works, every time, 100 percent.” This is the message Kitts wants to send to his students. It’s also the message he wants to relay to other Indiana teachers.

Kitts is the mastermind behind the Lilly Experience for Teachers in STEM, a two-day workshop for teachers of STEM — or science, technology, engineering, and math — designed to redefine the field by connecting math and science curriculum to real-world applications. Read more…
 
 

Project-Based Learning Is Just the Beginning

EdTech Update

A district is preparing its students for the future by focusing on the skills and connections students will need in their careers.

Having a job may seem a lifetime away for a child, but by exposing them to different career paths, we can get them thinking about their life after high school and better prepare them for their lives after graduation. Read more…
 
 

6 questions (and answers!) to ask before moving into PBL

eSchool News

Don’t jump into project-based learning (PBL) too quickly. But at some point you’ve got to just jump. Does that sound like conflicting advice? Let me explain.

Some teachers jump on the PBL bandwagon—and these days it’s a loud, expanding bandwagon—because they’ve read persuasive articles, seen cool videos, heard inspiring presentations, or been swept up by enthusiastic colleagues. To these folks I’d say, don’t try PBL until you’ve done a bit more reading, gotten some training, or planned your jump with colleagues. Read more…
 
 

Let Students Take Control of Their Learning

Education Week

At Kankakee School District, we asked our students the question, "What was your most memorable moment in school?" More than 90% of their responses reflected a project they created on their own, and the relationship they had with a teacher during it. They remember the moments where they were excited and felt in charge of their own learning.

For a long time, we've been trying to nail down that golden learning style that works best for every student. But ultimately, every single person thinks and learns differently. To unlock every student's potential for growth, we have to start by letting them take control of their own learning. Read more…