Graduate course

As a teacher and parent, I strive to be an example of life-long learner.  When I heard about an upcoming the graduate course called “STEAM for the Classroom Teacher”, I knew that I had to seize this opportunity.  I am super busy between work and home, so I chose to audit the class (I get to take the class, but will not get a grade or college credit).  I am excited to learn how to improve my STEAM classroom. 

The question that I am focusing on for my first assignment is:
What resonates with you as valuable about trying innovative education methods?

     First, I want to share some insights from two TED talks by Ken Robinson.  One was that we are preparing students for the world of tomorrow that we cannot predict or envision.  Think about that for a moment.  I was struck by this idea and realized the importance of the STEAM for teaching thinking skills not just content.  The question that I was left with after watching these two TED talks was how do I do this?  I was raised in a traditional school environment, I was taught to be a teaching using most of these same ideas, and still struggle to think outside the skills and standards.
     Thankfully, my professor had a potential answer to the big HOW question in one of our required text books entitled Setting the Standard for Project Based Learning.  I am intrigued on how to create and implement Project Based Learning in my STEAM/Library classes.  I have a vision of giving students a task or project to complete while in STEAM and library, to use the print and digital resources interchangeable, and allow students to move fluidly through the two spaces to create an end product.  I think the new answer is in the idea of Project Based Learning (PBL).  In November, after visiting family and friends in Virginia, I had heard about PBL.  Now, I can be more knowledgeable about this concept and even start to utilize it. 
     I am thankful that I am taking this course since PBL can easily be completed incorrectly.  If I am going to step outside my comfort zone and maximize my student learning (while meeting ELA, Math, and NGSS standards), I want to do it well.  I am just working on how to accomplish the same task with 100 students in a grade level not just one classroom.  I see each group for less than two hours a week.  Is it possible to tackle a grade level PBL or do I need to pick one class?  I will keep all of you posted as I learn more about this topic.  In the meantime, for my inquiring minds…here are links to the two TED talks as well as the book that I am reading about PBL!


  Ken Robinson - Do Schools Kill Creativity?
Ken Robinson - Bring on the Learning Revolution 

 What are your thoughts on Ken Robinson’s Ted talks?  Comment below.