New teacher or teaching 10 + years, when you take a new STEM teacher position for the first time, it feels like a roller coaster! You want your elementary students to think like scientists and engineers, but you don’t know where to even start? For some this may be an easy transition, but for others, there may be major adjustments and paradigm shifts for the teacher’s role in the student learning experience.
1. Students are the focal point in the classroom.
In a traditional training setting, you may have been taught the “I do, we do, you do.” In STEM, this is taken completely on its head, and then shaken up some more. In your STEM class, you want your instruction to include the 4 Cs. They are critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. You can read more about them on the NEA website.
When you infuse your classes with the 4 Cs, you no longer should be the center of the lesson. Your students are the ones creating, collaborating, and their voices are being heard the loudest.
I always found this hard in the beginning. When I would walk around the classroom observing my students’ frustration levels trying something brand new. There was tension, they were upset, and I just wanted to make it all better.
Instead of giving them the answers, I taught them perseverance and to try another angle. The best part of STEM is that we get to go back and revise what we worked on before. As they’re the center of all the learning experiences, making mistakes is actually a good thing.
2. Look at the standards.
This should be one of the first places you look up once you find out that you’re a STEM teacher. Although we get the reputation of being the fun teacher, we very much still have a responsibility to teach all of our students, with an emphasis on ‘all’, the academic content and vocabulary they need to thrive in STEM fields.
See how you can implement the design thinking and problem solving skills within the science lessons. Keep in mind that a fun lesson that is great for critical thinking but does not address any of the science standards is not very valuable.
If you don’t know where to start, you can get this bundle of elementary NGSS Standards and Checklists to start planning your year.
3. Check your biases.
Many groups of students and Black students, more specifically, have been historically underrepresented in the STEM fields. This is not because these groups are not more inclined to learn about science, technology, engineering, or math. For many years, biases have ruled without even an acknowledgment, and so in your new STEM position, the goal is to help ALL of your students fall in love with all things STEM.
While checking for bias in your own heart, look for it inside your classroom as well. Who is being isolated? Who is being punished and why? Who is being excluded from groups? Whilst doing this, avoid singling out “different” or “diverse” students.
When reading picture books or speaking about famous scientists and engineers, think how you can incorporate an inclusive and diverse group of people. This set of Women in Stem Posters will help encourage the students in your classes because representation matters.
4. Expect to see a lot of students.
You may be on a cart or you may have your very own stem lab. I’m a cart stem teacher, but I dream of having my own space. Regardless of your classroom (or class on wheels) situation you will be seeing hundreds of students every week. You might not even know the names of most of your students until January.
It can all get very overwhelming, but it’s so important to be intentional with getting to know all of your students.
Building those relationships (and knowing their names) will be so worthwhile for the long haul. When they know and can feel that you like them and want to get to know them, they allow themselves to let their guard down and learn.
Research has consistently proved that classroom behavior issues decrease when students form a bond with their students, and this is no different for a stem teacher.
5. Get and stay organized.
Many STEM teachers will have about 10-20 minutes in between classes, and this will barely give you enough time to switch gears and charge some devices. I usually have about 20 minutes time in between classes, and in that time I have to take note of where my previous class left off, unpack my current cart, charge my tablets/robotics gear, get my lesson out for the next class, set up materials, and pack all of the next class’ items on the cart again. If I’m lucky, I use the restroom.
If you don’t have a system for how you will organize your lessons for each class, now would be a good time to start. Planning digitally has its benefits because they your plans are at your fingertips at any moment. Although digital planning is my favorite, I usually still write down in a calendar journal where each class left off for next week.
Purchasing baggies in all sizes would also help with organizing and sorting materials that are used for different classes and projects.
This can be a lot of work, so bring your students into this part. It’s beneficial for them to learn how to clean up after themselves, because I’ve seen the students that remain organized during the build time to be more successful.
If you use robotics kits such as the VEX IQ Kits, teach and explicitly model how to hold the kits so they don’t tilt, how to put away all of the materials, and how to place it back on the flatbed.
6. Keep learning.
Don’t let any STEM teacher fool you into thinking they’ve got it all figured. Between our hundreds of students, barely any time in between classes, and the constant noise and movement, we feel like we are going crazy. I’m happy to mention that it is the best kind of crazy, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
There will be many of times when students ask questions about robotics or coding that I just don’t know the answer to. Don’t be afraid to let your students know that you are learning alongside them. As co-learners, create a space where questions can go unanswered but still researched.
We want our students to know that learning never steps. Problem solving never stops, and it is in fact thrilling and full of excitement. They get a sense of it when they see their teachers modeling that for them and not just saying the words.
There are also free webinars or very inexpensive ones online to continue your learning. Check out Ed Surge, Iste, and EdX. Many districts also allow you to find professional development and get reimbursed for it later.
You may also feel free to join my community of teachers that sign up for my newsletters with lots of free content for elementary STEM teachers. Click here to sign up.
7. Join stem teacher communities.
You shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel or be your very own teacher island. If you have another STEM teacher at your district or school, reach out and see if you can plan together. I’ve always attributed the success of our district’s STEM program to the collaboration within the STEM teacher team. We work together to plan, to bounce ideas off of, and even to share responsibilities when it comes time to STEM Parent Nights.
If you don’t have the option of doing that with anyone locally, there are many Facebook groups that are designated just for STEM teachers. The one I lead is for STEM teachers who want to support English and other diverse learners. Check it out here and join the conversation!
