WOODLAND SCHOOL Teacher Sharon Marzouk describes features of the Thymio robot with Woodland School students. Here in the heartland of HIGH TECH, schools are working hard to meet the challenges produced by the August/September 2014 65 COURTESY OF WOODLAND SCHOOL STEM MOVEMENT. project where students work together on a challenge. Last spring, students had to create workable pinball machines. “We give them a hard problem that takes a long time so there is no instant gratification,” says Flores. “They build up a sense of ownership and pride since they have to go through a lot of failure.” To many, STEM is a mix of learning style along with cold hard facts. “It’s not just memorizing any more since facts are so accessible and methods of reference are so available,” Flores says. “But the traditional method of teaching science isn’t too far off. You still need to document data, to ask questions, follow procedures and write lab reports. But what makes it stick is if the questions are around what kids are interested in.” The next challenge will be proving if STEM approaches work. “These programs are very time-consuming, and the assessment around them is tricky,” Flores says. “How do you take something so openended and children-oriented and assess it? You want to know that it’s not just fun.” The fun factor—not to mention robots— helps, but kids may be more open to STEM classes for another reason: They can’t avoid technology. “If you don’t see it, you might not be interested in it, but today everyone is in front of a computer or smartphone,” says Marzouk. “It now has a cool factor. Look, ‘Big Bang Theory’ is the most popular show on TV. Geek has become the new chic.” n
South Bay Accent - Aug/Sep 2014
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