How Can Your School Think Outside The Box When It Comes to Taking Full Advantage of STEM Electives? STEM learning has exploded to the forefront of education as the reality sets in that our nation’s workforce has a STEM gap. There aren’t enough STEM graduates to fill the number of open positions that require a STEM degree. In an increasingly …
The word learning loss is being tossed around by teachers, administrators, and even the federal government. Rounds of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds have been steadily flowing from Washington DC to every qualifying school in the nation. These funds are intended to prepare schools for safe re-entry, but also to combat learning loss through summer programming, materials, technology …
A 6 Step Guide to Pilot Testing of K-12 Curriculum We’ve spent countless hours carefully developing a STEM curriculum for middle and high school students. We’ve spoken with thousands of educators, administrators, and curriculum directors in our time in the education field. Over the years, we have been lucky enough to pick their experienced brains about best practices regarding the …
Hint: It Probably Boils Down to Your Curriculum Adoption Process You thought you were nailing it at this curriculum director thing. You read all the blogs, checked through thousands of reviews on EdReports, and chose the newest, trendiest, most cutting edge curriculum on the market. Ready. Set. Launch! *insert screeching brakes* Halfway through the first academic year with your newly …
It’s inevitable that teachers, like other professions, sometimes lose their edge over time. Policies, parents, and standardized testing can dull the excitement that launched you from your college graduation into a fresh classroom. STEM education conferences are like the energy drink of your teaching career. Reigniting your passion for the classroom can be difficult, but these gatherings, conventions and symposiums …
What IS project based learning? The formal definition of project based learning, according to PBLWorks is: “Project based learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging and complex question, problem or challenge.” PBLWorks In real-people speak: Project based learning is …
Summer’s getting closer (or maybe we’re just itching for some natural vitamin D). If you’re a parent, this is the time to start thinking and planning with that age-old question in mind: What’s my child going to do this summer? Our suggestion: STEM summer camps. Let’s take a look at what these camps have to offer, how to attend them …
At an intermediate school in southwestern Pennsylvania, a classroom is set up like few others. On the floor, in tape, is a grid with an X and a Y axis, but with an added twist. A piece of string has been hung vertically in the middle of the room as the 3rd axis – the Z axis. Using the entire …
March is Women in History month. Here at Thimble, we didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to celebrate some of the girls in STEM who have made strides in pushing innovation forward. (Specifically girls in engineering – because Thimble and engineering are BFF’s – forever.) While we love celebrating the work that women and girls have contributed to the world around us, we …