These last few weeks have been trying for all of us. Teachers have been thrust into strange new territory with distance learning, and parents received an unexpected new job of...
Be honest — have you ever been profoundly irritated or disappointed in how quickly your students give up when things get tough during a STEM Challenge? Have you lamented their...
I’ll be the first to admit that my first few STEM Challenges were a bit of a disaster. Chaotic, constantly running out of time, high frustration levels, and so many...
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “What STEM Challenge materials should I have in my classroom?” While most STEM Challenges come with a recommended materials...
In the last year or so, I’ve seen an increasing number of requests in social media groups I’m part of for STEM Challenges that can be done in 5 minutes....
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I enjoy crafts. I mean no disrespect to craft-lovers, but science-themed crafts are NOT STEM Challenges. Period. Hard stop. End...
I know the feeling. You planned a fun STEM Challenge and it’s going to be a great day! You envisioned students hard at work, excelling in their designs, topped off...
I have resisted the topic of assessing STEM Challenges for a long time. I get a worry-headache from the thought of undermining certain goals through excessive assessment. But after a...
Let me start by saying I have nothing inherently against makerspaces, tinker labs, “simple” STEM centers, task cards, and activities. They can be great — in much the same way...
What could be more important than helping students develop healthy relationships with productive failure? I’m hard-pressed to come up with a single thing, honestly. If we help students learn to...