The first step toward teaching hands-on activities is to do hands on, which is what teachers learned at the recent STEAM conference in Columbia, SC.
By Tammy Pankey, Education Program Designer
tpankey@pitsco.com
COLUMBIA, SC – More than 1,500
teachers of District 5 of Lexington and
Richland Counties came together on
February 20, 2012, to attend the STEAM:
Empowering the Mind conference. This
district has taken a stand. Officials see
the importance and relevance of science,
technology, engineering, arts, and math
(STEAM) education for their students. They
are preparing their students for careers in
high-demand job fields.
The opening remarks were delivered
by “someone” the district had never seen
before. “Stevie the Robot” conveyed the
message from District Superintendent Dr.
Stephen Hefner. After a keynote speech by
futurist Jim Brazell, the teachers dispersed
to their STEAM sessions. More than 40
presentations and 120 sessions were
conducted that day.
Pitsco Education and LEGO® Education
provided presentations and products for
the teachers to experience STEAM. I was
able to take part in this massive endeavor
as one of the presenters. My sessions
were on Highlighting the T & E in STEAM
in Elementary Classrooms. I utilized the
Everyday STEM: A Children’s Engineering
Professional Development series to provide
my presentations.
More than 50 teachers attended my
sessions; unfortunately, I had to close
the door after reaching capacity. It was
apparent a lot of teachers were interested in
how to teach technology and engineering in
the classroom. I began by asking audience
members to share how they were teaching
about technology and engineering. After
polling the teachers, I had a resounding
top response. They believed that by using
SmartBoards, iPads, and computers they
were teaching technology. Are they teaching
technology or is the technology just a tool
with which to teach? This is a misconception
of many teachers: If I use the latest
technologies and electronics, then I am
teaching technology.
Technology goes well beyond something
requiring a battery or electricity. I
challenged the teachers to look around the
classroom and name one thing that wasn’t
technology. The only thing was their own
bodies. Technology is everywhere and
surrounds us constantly.
Too many students believe the same
thing. When I taught technology to middle
school students, I played a game where
they had to name
technologies that
didn’t involve
electricity or
batteries. That’s
when they really had
to think about what
technology is.
Engineering
and technology are
concepts that can
be integrated into
the classroom every
day through a variety
of subjects. For example, a teacher could
read the students the story Three Little
Pigs and discuss the different materials and
structures of each house. Teachers don’t
have to sacrifice class time to teach the T
& E; it can be incorporated into their daily
activities and lessons. In actuality, teaching
about T & E enhances the students’
learning through real-world examples and
contexts. By teaching about technology
and engineering, we are creating the next
generation of critical thinkers, problem
solvers, decision makers, and innovators.