It was with apprehension that Kelly Abraham sat down in July for her first day of STEMpact’s two-week STEM Teacher Quality (STEM TQ) Institute at Washington University in St. Louis. Of the 150 K-8 teachers taking part, she was the only fine arts teacher, and not really sure how much of it would be applicable. […]
It’s often the case that teachers go to seminars and workshops and get really excited, but then life takes over and that energy fizzles out. That’s exactly what Lisa Graham, a K-4 special education teacher at Coverdell Elementary School in the City of St. Charles School District, and Jessica Lawrence, who teaches fourth-grade at Harris […]
STEMpact’s Leadership Series is a series of workshops for school and district administrators, principals, coordinators, coaches, teachers, and leaders. Directed toward individuals and/or teams interested in bringing a stronger STEM mindset and intention to school and classroom practices. The leadership series focuses on: STEM best practices for classrooms and schools, resources and opportunities, strategies and successes […]
Like the nation’s former First Lady Michelle Obama, teachers at Barack Obama Elementary School are using gardening to teach students about health, math, and science. Working under the guidance of teachers and Monsanto volunteers, students at Obama Elementary recently took to the school grounds to prep planting beds for fall veggies and greens native to […]
To help fill a pipeline of future scientists and engineers, many teachers in the St. Louis area are “stemitizing” — integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts into all school subjects. One such effort, STEMpact’s Teacher Quality program, trains 150 kindergarten through eighth-grade teachers on how to incorporate the concepts into their curriculum in hopes […]
It’s mid-June and while students are out on summer break, teachers never stop learning. Victorious arms shoot up in the air as towers of playing cards sway precariously on tables. This simple card activity is an example of how teachers can help students develop identities as STEM-capable learners. About 50 educators from school districts throughout […]
More than 100 years before the invention of the modern computer, the idea of computer programming existed. Created by a gifted mathematician named Ada Lovelace who wrote instructions for the first computer program in the mid-1800s. “The takeaway from her work is that computational thinking is not device-dependent,” said Jaime Gilligan, instructional specialist with the […]
Michelle Harrison was scared. She has a fear of touching dead things. And now she was tasked with dissecting a pig heart. But instead of dodging the assignment, Harrison faced her fear, grabbed the scalpel and went to work. “It was eye-opening and I’m so glad I did it,” said Harrison, a sixth-grade teacher at […]
It’s midday at the Missouri State Capitol and the pizza line snakes around the third floor rotunda. A sure sign that it’s not business as usual in Jefferson City. March 2 was STEM Day at the Capitol which drew nearly 50 exhibitors and many more students and educators. A smiling Elizabeth Petersen mans the STEMpact […]
This past summer nearly 160 educators from 13 school districts and two charter schools kicked off a yearlong professional development program called STEM Teacher Quality Initiative (STEM TQ). Launched in 2011, STEM TQ has graduated some 500 teachers. The regional community effort aims to develop exemplary teachers who can provide quality learning in STEM, so […]