My name is Chris. I have been teaching in the Integrated-STEM field for the last nine years, and my background is mainly rooted in project-based learning and the design/engineering process. This approach allows students to learn, apply and understand standards-based content from all four STEM subjects at one time, in a manner that is contextual, practical and interdisciplinary. In the evening, I am an adjunct at The College of New Jersey where I teach pedagogy, design and classroom management, as they relate to Integrated-STEM classrooms. Through a grant at TCNJ's Center for STEM Ed., I've spent the last three summers running the Future Engineers Camp at the Trenton Boys & Girls Club.
The other day, my Skype alert started ringing during Future Engineers Camp. You know the funny sound it makes when someone is trying to call you? Well, since my laptop is linked to a giant speaker under the table, everyone could hear it loud and clear. Read the rest of this entry »
During the second and third week of camp, we began to introduce tools and machines. We wanted to give students a simple modeling project that would ease them into their use of the equipment and our safety rules and procedures.
Our design challenge was to brainstorm an innovative edible candy or sweet treat that could be marketed and sold in stores. The final prototype would be an over-sized model of the product, built out of foam, painted with acrylic paints and hung from the ceiling of the room by fishing line! Luckily, I ran into a very accomplished entrepreneurer over the summer, named Bridget Graham, who happened to have her own business along these same lines. Read the rest of this entry »
Thanks for continuing to follow my blog and letting me share my classroom experiences with you. This Summer, I’d like to take you away from my usual location at Gateway High School, and direct you to a new set of students and activities taking place at the Boys & Girls Club in Trenton, NJ.
First, let me back things up a bit and provide you with some background information. For the last three summers, I have been running a summer camp located at the Trenton Boys & Girls Club, which we call Future Engineers. The camp itself is just one function of a larger grant project, also called Future Engineers, which provides camps, after school enrichment programs and professional development throughout the year, in order to enhance K-12 Engineering Education in New Jersey. The grant itself is funded by the Martinson Family Foundation, and housed within the Center for Excellence in STEM Education, located within the department of Technological Studies at The College of New Jersey. This summer, I have 75 students, ages 9-15, enrolled in Future Engineers for a total of eight weeks. Read the rest of this entry »
Earlier this month, Chris Better and I took a team of five students to participate in the NJ Envirothon for the first time. In fact, we were the first team comprised of “Technology Education/Engineering” students, as the other teams were all assembled by their schools’ science teachers. There were 47 teams participating in total this year. People were quite receptive to our participation because the whole theme of the event was based around solving environmental problems, particularly those dealing with water conservation. Read the rest of this entry »
Student-made flashlight using an old baby bottle.
Out here in New Jersey, public schools were recently told to prepare for budget cuts across the state in every district. In the spirit of the sustainable design challenges and problem solving activities that we have been giving students all year, our current situation presented us a REAL problem to solve. Next year, we might have less money to buy new supplies, so it is important to conserve now. However, we want to continue giving students fresh design challenges that deal with sustainability and the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), as well as other 21st century skills such as innovation, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration. Read the rest of this entry »
“Maglev” is a term used to describe the levitation of an object using the repelling forces of magnets. If you have ever tried to force two magnets together with like poles facing one another, you have felt the repelling force.
Base with magnets evenly spaced
To start off 2010, we are still working on our Solar Energy unit that I blogged about in my last post. In this post you saw examples of the circuits and housings for the solar panels that the students had designed and constructed. Now, those circuits are being integrated into everyday products in order to give use to portable wireless power. Read the rest of this entry »
Breadboard circuit running to an iPod
I really wish I had some more exciting, colorful photos to show you, but the world of electronics and circuitry is not always as aesthetic as hydroponics. As I mentioned in the beginning of the year, our high school students are learning about how to harness the power of the sun in order to charge battery powered devices like phones, ipods and PSPs. While anyone can go to the store and by a solar powered charger for just about any one of these devices, they are extremely expensive. And what about students who want to use solar energy to power devices that they have designed and built themselves (e.g., purse lights or car dashboard LEDs)? Such devices have variable power needs and require individual custom chargers. Read the rest of this entry »
In this video, we briefly explain biodynamic farming using aquaponic techniques and tour a classroom with various systems in place for hydroponic and aquaponic farming – both forms of sustainable and predominately organic biotechnologies.
Students were challenged to research, design, build and test creative footwear made only of recycled materials. The hardest part about the activity was that they had to make their prototypes functional, meaning in theory, they would be able to wear the shoe around school for a week without it falling apart. Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to Teach Green, where educators share their tips and inspirations for teaching lessons about the environment.
