CURRICULUM DESIGN
STEM FAIR PROGRAM
264,000,000– that is how many results Google returns in a one second search of “science fair projects”. Clearly, it is challenging for students to be original and show evidence of innovative thought. Many of our client schools expressed frustration over seeing the same Science Fair projects year after year. So, we engineered a new kind of STEM Fair! Four years ago, we developed a prototype, piloted it with a local school, debugged and revised it several times, and launched a robust new approach. It has since been adopted by over 40 schools with more joining the program every year.
Our middle school STEM Fair program, Engineering a Better World, focuses on global issues that matter to the young people in your classrooms. The challenges of equitable access to water, energy, food, and housing are real concerns. The impacts of climate change, severe weather, depleted resources, and harm to the land and sea are problems that students will have to deal with in the future. Meeting these challenges will require innovative thinking and collaboration in order to design new and appropriate technologies that will adapt to the ways people live in different parts of the world.
Our STEM Fair program embodies the imperative that drives us as educators – to prepare young people to work together to create a better future for all and to care for the planet that is our shared home.
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Some of the features and resources of our program include:
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A team-based approach that uses the Engineering Design Process
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The world is a big place, but many problems are local. Students to focus on one country or region with an emphasis on the need to understand how people live and the impact of any planned solution or technology.
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The program is designed to be co-curricular and supports the involvement of multiple teachers, both STEM and non-STEM oriented.
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Teachers have access to a 250-page Guide that provides resources for all phases of the program.
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Our Student Handbook takes teams through the planning, research, design, and prototyping phases.
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Training and ongoing support in your first year ensures a positive experience for all; in addition, all teachers have access to our STEM Fair PLC and newsletter.
See how our STEM Fair program can bring engagement, empowerment, and worldview to your school, district, or diocese. Hear firsthand from administrators, teachers, and students committed to engineering a better world!