Engaging Students in the Early Grades: Why STEM Learning Works

I visited an early elementary classroom the other day where students were working on a design challenge. They were spread out across the classroom clustered in small groups. Some on the floor and others perched on stools, these students were […]

How to Develop Future-Ready Students

We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist … using technologies that haven’t been invented … in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.”

—Richard Riley, former Secretary of Education

This quote from former […]

Spring Into STEM Learning

A group of students gathers outside in a large grassy area. Their teacher is giving directions and assigning students to teams; launch team, diagnostic team, retrieval team, and evaluation team.

The students have spent several weeks learning about […]

Tips for Using PBL in the Remote Math Classroom

Teaching math in a remote classroom needs to be even more engaging than face-to-face since we are not next to our students to give them a nudge when they are off task. One way to engage them while reinforcing our math standards and practices is by […]

What is the Difference Between Projects and Project Based Learning?

One area that I have tried to bring into my teaching practice more over the past four years, is Project Based Learning (PBL). When I first started teaching, I thought that I had been doing “PBL” however I was not. Making connections with educators, […]

Make Every Day PI Day

Pi Day, celebrated annually on March 14, honors the mathematical constant Pi and promotes mathematics. Every day can be a celebration of math's significance through improved teaching methods, sustained professional development for educators, and the […]

Fulton County Public Schools Uses Defined Learning to Empower Teachers to Implement STEM-Based PBL

Dr. Valencia Bradshaw may be a 14-year veteran of Fulton County Public Schools, the fourth-largest school system in Georgia, but she has not always been an educator. She spent 18 years in the financial management industry before becoming a business […]

Engaging Students with Puzzles

National Puzzle Day is January 29th and this would be a great time to encourage students to do a crossword puzzle, number puzzle, logic puzzle, physical puzzle, or a word search. There is a lot of data indicating that solving puzzles helps develop a […]