PBL

In the United States, 34.6% of high school students participate in sports. Incorporating sports into your classroom STEM learning can boost retention and engagement. Try STEM Sports kits to show kids the science behind their favorite sports and inspire them to pursue real-world applications of STEM. Check out these turnkey, standards-aligned curricula in this blog.

To create environments and experiences that are conducive to helping kids build design thinking skills, there are a few key areas that educators should focus on. Since a K–12 makerspace, for example, is a notably open-ended environment, combining play-based exploration with design thinking could be effective, especially when compared to traditional instruction.

Fostering environmental awareness in children could take many forms. We have identified some EdTech tools that truly help kids approach ecological learning from different perspectives. They can capture data from the world with robots, take their coding outside, use sustainable tools, and complete hands-on projects on renewable energy while expanding their eco literacy!

Our model of Ecological Education, or EcoEd, uses principles from Nature to inform all learning. In this white paper, we explain the need for a shift to project-based learning and the formation of an “Ecological Mindset.” EcoEd can equip students with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to create a sustainable future. Download the white paper and read a summary

Earth Day is the perfect holiday to apply the concepts of STEAM education and project-based learning. After all, the central goal of each opportunity is for your students to apply creative and innovative thinking while working to solve real-world community problems. Plus, Earth Day classroom activities can help all educators highlight the critical importance of going green.

Since they are so group-oriented, project-based learning experiences truly help students develop more than academic skills. They often learn to build up connections with their classmates, their communities, their teachers, or their work. And, this also helps kids learn to take greater pride in what they are doing, knowing they can positively impact others’ lives and their own.

Discovering connections through active experiences is a chief cornerstone of PBL and helps students establish authentic feelings for their causes. As such, knowing the impacts these connections can have among children is key for the educators who are leading them. And, this is especially true as they leverage them across the curriculum to connect different subjects.

Project-based learning, as you might know, is a quite effective approach to instruction that’s often tied to increased community involvement and active collaboration among students. So, we’re exploring what may help teachers get PBL right, tips for implementing successful projects, and ideas for how to best leverage EdTech tools to generate ideal results.

There are, of course, many different pedagogical approaches that can lead to effective instruction. These days, teachers might be fond of promoting a growth mindset, a maker mindset, or perhaps even instilling a collaborative mindset in children. Whatever buzzwords we toss around, however, they’re only as effective as the purposeful teaching techniques that result.

If you mostly focus on introducing elementary school students to MakerEd, it could potentially involve a much more simplistic start. Then, once they’re into middle school, children can start to create their own valuable MakerEd experiences. And, by the time they transition to high school and more fully grasp the essence of making, it’s up to them to impact their