Are there any strategies that you’ve found to be particularly useful for new STEM teachers?
One strategy I would recommend is letting kids play around with and explore technology before you give your explicit instructions, because they’re going to play around with it anyway. You might not need to model certain things, such as how to add text boxes to a website.
However, modeling is important. Give students a chance to see finished projects and the overall process. You have to find that balance of modeling and letting them figure things out on their own.
Also, be sure to actively stay current with information, because things change every year in STEM. In the past, cell phones were a no-no in the classroom, but now we can use them to do surveys and comprehension checks.
There’s one cool website called Plickers, where students can use their cell phones to answer questions.
One of our favorite field trips was with the Potomac Boat program, and it took us from around the Wharf to near the National Harbor, we did water testing, and they even let students drive the boat. I also took my fifth graders to Anacostia Park. It’s awesome to see their eyes light up and see the wildlife in our very own backyard. Anacostia River is very close to Chamberlain. They learned that we have a whole ecosystem here of fish and birds, predators, and prey...different species and all right in our backyard.
Can you talk about your experience at Friendship Chamberlain?
The thing I love about Chamberlain is the family vibe. I’ve worked at two other schools before I came here. The camaraderie I have with my colleagues - the sharing, the looking out for each other - it’s second to none. We don’t only work together, but we actually like each other. We help each other. We give each other gifts. It makes the job easier, and it doesn’t feel like work. The students pick up on this positivity as well.
To intentionally create this positivity, we had a “Sunshine Committee.” We get to know each other as actual people after school. I think that understanding each other helps us work together better.