Authentic STEM Projects: Learning with a Purpose

Problem-solving is the heart of STEM investigations, but not just any old problem will do. STEM focuses on authentic projects that fuel students’ curiosity and investigative interests – problems that generate enthusiasm and a sense of empathy as […]

Simplifying STEM Instruction

In this 6-part series, I'll be sharing best practices and advice from educators that I interview in my fifteen-minute online Bam! Radio Podcast; Practical PBL Strategies. 

The Need for STEM

In my latest podcast, I interviewed Dr. Jacie Maslyk […]

Teaching Every Subject with an Eye on Career Readiness

To prepare our students for the next phase of their lives, my district is committed to helping all students have a relevant career experience prior to high school graduation. That authentic learning experience might be a job shadow, apprenticeship, […]

Preparing Students to Thrive in a Modern Workforce

A middle school English teacher explains how she incorporates STEM skills like problem-solving, formulas, and tech into her word-filled classroom.

With report after report touting the American economy’s need for STEM workers, school districts […]

7 Questions That Guide the Work of Inspired Teachers

I’m near the ocean where the sky is bright blue and the water is placid, but I can’t help recalling how gray, mute, and turbulent the last 15 months have been. While I spent most of that time wrestling with a book I began four years ago, the process […]

How Project-Based Learning Aligns with Effective Teaching Frameworks

Sometimes, when teachers and school leaders hear about project-based learning (PBL), it sounds like a whole new thing. They can’t imagine adding any more to their already-full plates. They may think it’s so different from what they are already doing […]

6 Resources that Engage Students in STEM Learning

There are many different ways that all teachers regardless of grade level or content area can bring STEM into the classroom. There are numerous benefits of incorporating STEM activities into learning, whether we connect it directly with the content […]

How PBL Empowers Learners

PBL or project-based learning is happening in K-12 classrooms in ways that incorporate a deep understanding of content while infusing creative and empowering opportunities for students. A third-grade student shares this reflection after her class […]

Helping Students to Build Digital Literacy Skills

We have access to billions of resources in less than a second. With all of this power through technology, as educators, we must be able to sort through the information and develop our own digital literacy skills in our work. But more importantly, we […]

STEM Apps for a Rainy Day

Sometimes a hot summer day gives way to a thunderstorm which may have you stuck inside for hours. While summer should be a time for playing outside and enjoying the weather, you may need some STEM apps to try on a rainy day. There are lots of apps […]