Just Playing Around: Teaching (PreK-Grade 1) STEM Through Inquiry, Exploration, and Play (2) - Engineering

E Childhood Prof Dev | This program is completed

1117 Williston Rd South Burlington, VT 05403 United States

TBD

6.0 Professional Learning Hours

11/4/2019 (one day)

8:30 AM-3:30 AM EDT on Mon

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$150.00

A workshop series for teachers of PreK, K and 1st grade students


Children are naturally curious, full of questions, creative, and playful. This four-part workshop series uses the concept of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as play; children are engaged in asking questions, making discoveries, experimenting, working with others, and working toward proficiency in the VELS, NGSS and CCSS standards.

The format of each workshop reflects this playful approach to STEM. Participants will interact with each other, ask questions, explore materials, and play. The series starts with a focus on science followed by engineering, then math. Technology is viewed as a tool that is woven throughout the series. The last workshop focuses on integrating STEM throughout the day.

Engineering is the application of science and math to solve problems; its aim is to solve the “so what?” question that students often wonder about. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) specifically call for students to engage in the practices of science and engineering that will address major challenges confronting our society today and get them ready to solve societal and environmental challenges they’ll face in the future. Students are expected to define problems, identify and work with criteria and constraints when searching for solutions; build and test prototypes; and generate, evaluate and optimize solutions.

Participants in this Engineering workshop will:
· Dive into the importance of engineering in early elementary classrooms, as well as resources and tools to help build students’ capacity in both science and engineering;
· Engage in an engineering design challenge; and
· Consider ways to incorporate engineering into the day.

  • The series can also be taken as a 3-credit graduate course. The course requires participating in all four workshops, completing readings and assignments online, focusing on purposeful play, cultivating STEM identities, and strengthening both teacher and children’s mindsets with STEM content. Please register under the COURSE option if you choose to participate this way.
Carrera-Bly, Margaret

Margaret Carrera-Bly is the science specialist for the Vermont Agency of Education. She has been providing professional learning to the field around the Next Generation Science Standards in an effort to familiarize all educators in how to unpack, read and understand the disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. Prior to her work at the state, she was a classroom teacher for grades 5 through 12.