Infusing Creativity into the STEM Classroom

By Scott Chandler & Ben Foust

Introduction

* 4th/5th Grade Math & Science teachers at St. Elmo Center for the Gifted in Columbus, GA

*Each year the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation selects 5 teachers who were among the top Teacher of the Year candidates and sends them to Harvard to attend the Project Zero classes. Last year we were fortunate enough to be selected from this group of excellent teachers.

One of our professors was THE Howard Gardner!!!

Project Zero Classroom

*PZC was founded by Nelson Goodman in 1967 with a mandate to work in the area of Arts Education. This has since spawned many studies in education throughout the years, ranging from studies about the learning that takes place in after-school programs to how the use of technology in the classroom improves learning.

*Howard Gardner & David Perkins have been the biggest advocates of PZC...and still work closely with the program.

Did we mention that

we got to meet

Howard Gardner???;-)

Slow Down & Look

In a time where teachers have more work, higher expectations, and less time...we NEED to teach students how to slow down a little and actually look deeply at problems and concepts...resulting in INQUIRY-BASED learning.

This will require an environment that supports risk-taking.

*question-asking is invited *"mistakes" are valued for the learning they provide *open-ended questions are asked and appreciated *there's more than one possible answer...all ideas are okay to share *theorizing and considering evidence is more important than a "right answer" *sometimes questions are asked and not answered

What Do You See???

*What does he do?

*Where is he?

*What kind of life has he had?

*How do you know this?

Be able to explain & defend your answers!!!

Out of Eden Walk

Out of Eden WalkV

ideo

JOIN the Journey

Elementitis & Aboutitis???

"The whole point of education is to prepare for other times and places, not to get better at class work. Very little that schools ask youngsters to do gets used in everyday life.“ -David Perkins

Elementitis-Approaching things through elements with the "whole game" nowhere in sight...

Aboutitis-Endless learning about something without ever getting better at doing it.

Parts, Purpose, Complexity

*What is your object? *Describe your object. (physical description & purpose) *How do you think the object works?

PART PURPOSE COMPLEXITY

1)2)3)

*How does the object work?*How could you re-purpose the object?

http://www.casieonline.org/events/pz/atl

Links

Project Zero Classroom - http://www.pz.harvard.edu/

PZC Atlanta Conference - http://www.casieonline.org/events/pz/atl

NatGeo Out of Eden - http://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.com/

Out of Eden Walk - http://learn.outofedenwalk.com/

Design Squad - http://pbskids.org/designsquad/build/

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us at:

Chandler.thomas.s@muscogee.k12.ga.usFoust.benjamin.d@muscogee.k12.ga.us