Real World Connections are the STEM Catalyst

Transcript

Kris (00:00)

Welcome everyone to the Learning Loop Podcast, your best source for educational insights and trends. I’m Kris, your host, and today’s special guest is also a Chris, but the Chris from Daily STEM. He strives to provide educators and families with simple STEM resources that connect the real world and learning together and build thinkers of the future. Go to DailySTEM .com to see all of the amazingness that Chris has to offer. We can’t wait anymore to get started. Chris, welcome to the show.

Chris Woods (01:01)

Hey, thanks a lot, Kris. Really happy to be here. I love hearing about Seesaw. I love hearing about that family engagement piece. I think STEM is perfect for getting more parents and families involved.

Kris (01:14)

Absolutely, we cannot wait to hear all about this here in just a minute. I want to open up with just a basic question here. So thinking back to when you first started as an educator, what really built your passion for STEM instruction?

Chris Woods (01:27)

You know, when I first started as an educator, I was working with kids that struggled. I was working with kids that didn’t always love being in class. As a high school math teacher, you hear that question, why do we have to learn this stuff anyway?

And for me, it was about trying to combat that question. I wanted to get to the end of the year and those kids to stop asking that question because they knew. And that’s a lot of why I brought STEM into my classroom. I looked for ways to make things relevant. I looked for ways to make things hands on. And I found that as I did that, the kids got more excited, they got more engaged, and then the learning really started to blossom.

Kris (02:04)

Love it, love it. Coming from that personal experience. What do you want kids to leave education with? And I think more that you want to really instill in them, and you kind of said this, is more that lifelong learning. Like this is why you want to learn. This is why you want to get better and how you continue to put all those pieces together. I love that that’s your back end mindset with everything you do.

Chris Woods (02:24)

Yeah, and as an educator, you know, I mean. You may think, well, STEM is complicated. You may think it’s technical, it’s rocket science, it’s robots, it’s 3D printing. And yes, it is. You know, I came from an engineering background. I started in college in engineering, but switched to become a teacher and best decision of my life, you know, outside of getting married and having kids, but best decision of my career to help kids to be able to see all those practical applications that I come with. But yet every educator has those practical experiences. They can bring in those things that they’re doing in their everyday life to connect that stem to cooking, connect it to different things that kids are doing at home and going for a walk and playing games and playing sports. There’s so many of those connections.

Kris (03:13)

Love it, love it. Making those explicit connections and getting them to see the benefits of working through that is so important. I want to ask you a question on these same lines as, you know, thinking broader than maybe just helping those students just to see what’s happening. What other benefits do students get when they really get to experience STEM instruction on a routine basis as they work through their entire year?

Chris Woods (03:36)

Yeah, to get kids on that routine basis of STEM where, you know, yeah, you can’t do a big project all the time, but you can throw in a five -minute demo. You can show in a quick two or three -minute video in a class. It’s about making it relevant. It’s showing the kids that it does connect. That subject isn’t just a standalone idea. It connects cross -curricular. It connects to the history that they’re learning, you know, in a different class or in social studies or.

It connects to even their literacy. When you’re building something, when you’re creating something, that engineering design process is a lot like writing a rough draft and revising it and then making that final draft. And so those skills that they learn in STEM learning, they transfer to so many other things. The other aspect that I love about building STEM in is that opportunity for career connection. And…

There’s so many different ways, even again, through just a quick video, a quick guest speaker that maybe zooms into your classroom even, that can show those kids, hey, this is how we’re using these things for amazing careers. That could be a huge piece that a lot of educators are missing out on.

Kris (04:50)

So many powerful examples you just shared there around videos and recordings and even just drafting and other things too. I want to just ask you a question around how to really collect all that information. You know, we here at Seesaw, we love digital portfolios. We’re a digital portfolio platform, but what ways have you found teachers, what benefits, I guess, do they get around using a digital portfolio combined with STEM instruction?

Chris Woods (05:15)

Yeah, it’s easy to maybe show a video this year and then, you know, here you are a year from now and you’re like, oh, what was that one video I showed or here’s a project that I did and now a year from now you’re thinking, boy, it would be great to have some examples to show my students that maybe are struggling. Some of those kids that just can’t quite get the concept. And if I could show them a video, show them an example. And that’s where that recording, that process of making a digital portfolio can be super helpful.

For me, you know, because I’m high school, I’m not really using Seesaw all the time. I’m just making playlists in YouTube, which is a super simple tip for every educator. If you’ve got a Google account, you’ve got a YouTube account. And just use that. Add those things to playlists. Create ones that are career videos. Create ones that are for each subject or each chapter. That could be simple ways to do that. And again, those are things you could do in Seesaw as well. Those ways that you can, again…

Transfer things that you did last year that worked to next year Which you know, it’s easy to forget we get we get so busy with so many other things and all of a sudden, you know here We’re doing a topic in class and going. Oh, I remember doing this last year. We should have we should have done that this year. So

Kris (06:33)

Yeah, so much. And really looking back at that growth too, beyond that of just kind of seeing what we did and how we did it, we can actually see how much we’ve grown in our accomplishments over those years as well.

Chris Woods (06:45)

Yeah, a lot of educators, especially STEM educators, like using that idea of a STEM journal. You know, something where kids can write down ideas of things that they want to keep learning about or ideas and projects, designs, pictures, ideas, and having those things all in one spot. And we know kids can lose things if they have a paper portfolio, a paper journal. Yeah. But if you could make something digital and they have access to that year after year after year and they could see those projects that they made in third grade, in sixth grade, and eighth grade, they’re going to be able to see some tremendous growth in what they’re doing and able to do.

Kris (07:25)

Absolutely, love it, love it. And I will say too, you know, those journals and those paper copies too, those can also showcase growth as you continue to go through the year. A digital portfolio is just one piece of the puzzle that really showcases this entire picture of what a student has and understands as well. You reference a couple quick technology things and I want to ask you a question on those lines because in the word STEM, T stands for technology. We all know this, so.

Chris Woods (07:32)

Yeah.

Kris (07:53)

What role does technology play when you think about your STEM activities? And how does that really shape the way that you potentially even measure student performance and provide instruction to your students in your classroom?

Chris Woods (08:07)

I think a lot of it, Kris, has to depend on the subject, the content, the lesson. If we try to always shoehorn ideas into a particular technology,

then that’s not gonna benefit the kids and really that’s gonna make things more complicated for us. So finding that great way to integrate it, that great way to meld those two things together. We may really like cheese, we really may like salmon, but if you try putting those two together, that’s just not gonna taste very well. So it’s finding those correct ways, those best ways to use it. So if I’m using maybe Tinkercad to design something in my science class, I can have the kids be able to, you know,

designed all the planets in the solar system, you know, by different sizes, you know, because we can make those spheres and make them different sizes. They could change the colors, label them and everything like that. Or I can have them get out paint and get out, you know, Styrofoam balls and paint them and things like that. Both are great. Both provide kids with that hands -on experience. And it’s important, I think, that we really balance that, that we say it.

I want to have that technology piece and I want to show kids that tech free, that off the screen, that tangible idea right in front of me as well. So finding the best ways to use the best of both worlds is probably the best use of technology.

Kris (09:38)

Absolutely, and you didn’t explicitly say it, but I’ll also kind of add in that you’re talking about providing access to for students who maybe are suffering from a disability or maybe are trying to learn a new language or maybe just need to provide a little bit more equitable opportunity. You’re also speaking to that too of just kind of how you can cater and custom STEM instruction and how how student -led that can be as you go through the entire year. So I absolutely love that.

Chris Woods (09:49)

Mm -hmm.

Chris Woods (10:04)

Yeah, that differentiation is so critical, so crucial and finding those ways to help each kid. Because face it, if you and I were to compete in some sort of a cooking challenge or some type of a woodworking challenge, our skills would be at much different levels. But if we both got to be by the end of a cooking class or a carpentry class, if our skills both increased, then there is progress for both of us and how important that is for every kid in our classroom, whether they’re using a hot glue gun, whether they’re attaching nuts and bolts together, or whether they’re creating something, Google Slides or Tinkercad or any type of software.

Kris (10:46)

Absolutely, love it, love it. And I love your example too of ensuring that we’re growing, ensuring we’re moving forward, because that’s really all that matters as educators, as students, and even as parents and family members. We just want people to move forward in the way that they’re going.

Chris Woods (11:01)

And a lot of that can happen at home too. So like a virtual technology piece, that’s something that families can engage with. I think a lot of parents think, well, the kids are on a screen, I’m just going to let them be on a screen. But have those kids show you what they’re doing, what they’re making. Say, hey, show me how to use this Tinkercad thing I’ve heard you talking about. Or show me how this other piece of technology works. I’d love to do that with you.

Kris (11:04)

Yeah, yeah.

Chris Woods (11:31)

That’s a great thing that a mom or a dad, a grandparent, anybody can do.

Kris (11:36)

Absolutely. I want to lean into that a little bit further, this family connection piece that you’re talking through, because we at Seesaw, we super value family connection and having them be involved in the learning. What other ways and what other benefits have you seen from having families be a part of this learning and really help to move that learning forward even now?

Chris Woods (11:57)

Yeah, I can tell you that a lot of times this happens, Chris, at STEM nights, which a lot of schools are starting to do. They’re realizing, hey, that old science fair thing that we used to do, let’s rework it. Let’s transform it into something that’s very hands on where it’s not just the parent doing the project at home, which we knew a lot of kids did, but having parents and kids showing up together and to do something where they’re both creating a project, where they’re both exploring or investigating or using a microscope, using some things like that. And when parents find out that they can be learners right alongside their kids, that’s incredibly powerful for them, but also for their kids.

I love finding those opportunities. A lot of schools are starting to do that. If you’re a school and you haven’t done a STEM night, reach out to another neighboring district, neighboring school, and ask them, hey, what worked, what didn’t work, or ask me, ask Chris. We’ll both be able to share some great ideas of things we’ve seen.

But then also to educators, if you’re sending home a weekly newsletter or you have some sort of a website or some sort of something that you share with parents, share a couple of ideas each week. Say, hey, here’s a fun project you can do with your kids. It connects a little bit what we did this week in class. Here’s a couple of simple ingredients that you would need, some cardboard, some baking soda. I mean, we know all those typical types of things. Or just remind parents, go for a walk and count if you’re a little kindergarten class.

Count how many birds you see, how many different dogs you see. Look at the houses, look at the angles of the roof. Any type of thing that can just kind of reinforce that, get that learning to happen at home. It doesn’t have to be complex, it can be, but it’s just a matter of just being together and getting families learning together.

Kris (13:45)

Yeah.

Kris (13:51)

Absolutely, and getting them to feel empowered to be a learner as well. Such an amazing experience to share together with families and students and everybody as they continue learning, whether it’s at home, in the car, or on a walk, wherever you need to. Absolutely love it. We have just a couple more questions, and I really want to ask you this next one. What has been or is your absolute favorite STEM activity that you’ve have ever taught and why was it your favorite?

Chris Woods (14:23)

Yeah, this is an easy question for me, Kris. Years ago, I taught a hands -on geometry class. And just one for kids that’s really struggled with, I mean, I’m sure a lot of listeners are thinking, oh, I remember proofs. I remember how difficult that was to figure out the right one, the right steps, the right order. So we made a geometry that was very hands -on and a lot of formulas, a lot of the area perimeter, surface area, volume, 3D shapes, all those kinds of things. And so one thing I had kids do was just trace their shoe.

And so we did it on graph paper. And I said, OK, count up the full squares, count up the partial squares that gave them kind of an estimate of the area. Because we think of area, we often just think of rectangles, circles, triangles, those standard shapes. So here we’re getting an area of a very irregular shape. And one of the kids says, hey, Mr. Woods, can we try making some shoes? And I was like, well, why not? And it’s like, got out some paper, got out some cardboard, some construction paper, glue, tape, everything. And I said, all right, try making some shoes. And.

I tell you what, it wasn’t planned, but it turned out to be a great project, a great challenge. Kids had to persevere through it. And each year as I did it, kids just did incredible things. Each year as I showed them examples of previous years projects, they wanted to, oh, I want to do that, or I want to make it even better. And then even to the fact that later on in the year when we were doing surface area and volume, they had a much better grasp on it because they had actually had to build something that they thought would be really easy to build. Yeah. But that transferring from 2D to 3D, great.

Kris (15:58)

So powerful, I love it. And I love too that the student said like, well, why can’t we do, like, can we do this? They asked for permission and granting that sometimes as a teacher and releasing that responsibility or that we’ll say power can be hard, but the benefits that you experience sometimes when you do that are tremendous. They far outweigh the pressure and the anxiety that might come with that at times.

Chris Woods (16:04)

Yeah. Yeah. Yep.

Chris Woods (16:19)

Yeah.

Chris Woods (16:24)

Yeah, and I’ve seen educators because I’ve shared those pictures and stuff on social media and I’ve seen pictures of teachers doing it with second graders, fifth graders, eighth graders, high schoolers, and they’re all making incredible things. And it’s definitely a very wide range of skills that can make those types of things. And if you’re doing circuitry, you know, add some copper tape and some LEDs. If you’re talking about prosthetics, you can, you know, or if you think about what’s the softest shoe, you’d be

There’s so many things you can adjust and modify and those are the best STEM projects that you can make fit any type of thing that you’re learning.

Kris (17:02)

Love it, love it. Such a practical project for anybody who’s listening just to take away right now. We have two more questions and I’m gonna ask this one next which is our loopy question. This is just a silly question. We ask everybody who’s here, are you a salty treat person or are you a sweet treat person?

Chris Woods (17:06)

Yeah.

Chris Woods (17:21)

Can I say both, Chris? I love some chips, but yet I just ate some brownies end of the school day. They’re both good. Sometimes I don’t eat enough salt, believe it or not, so I have to make sure I eat some chips now and then to do that. How about you, Chris?

Kris (17:23)

You can, yeah.

Kris (17:41)

There you go, I would lean more on salty for me personally. I like a really savory snack, something that you can kind of munch on and then be done for the day, but I know that having both, there’s nothing wrong with that too. So you might have spurred a new idea in my head here as it goes. All right, final question here. There might be listeners here who are new to teaching. They might be new to STEM instruction. They might be new to really anything in education in general. What…

Chris Woods (17:44)

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Chris Woods (17:53)

Yeah? Yeah.

Kris (18:08)

one or two things would you tell to this teacher for some advice, some quick next steps for them to just get started with improving their STEM instruction in their school?

Chris Woods (18:19)

Yeah, so important, Kris. A lot of educators think, again, I don’t, I have to be maybe some sort of rocket scientist or some high tech individual to do some and you don’t. So, so number one, just just try something. The kids are going to be better for it. You’re going to enjoy it. The kids are going to get to make a little noise, have a little fun, make some mess. And they’ll they’ll also be able to make something with with their hands. And one of the best ideas came from a friend of mine, Liz Gallo, who works with educators.

and she said copy, change, and create. And if you see a project out there, you’re like, I can copy that. I can do that with my kids. And after a little while, you’re going to start to realize you can change it. You can adjust it for your classroom to make it even better for your kids, your community. And then eventually, you’re going to be creating your own. And that’s that ultimate goal. But you don’t have to start out with creating your own project. Find somebody else’s project. Look for them. There’s so many ideas out there. If you need some ideas, you know, we’ve both got ideas. We’re happy to help if anybody’s got any questions.

Kris (19:26)

Love it, Chris. Thank you so much for being here. If you listened, if you want to get some quick ideas, you can always go to DailySTEM .com. Chris is your expert out here, is providing so many practical things out here. Thanks for taking time out of your day to share a little bit about how STEM instruction is happening around you and how STEM instruction can really have a positive impact in every student’s academic careers. We so appreciate it.

Chris Woods (19:49)

Hey, I really appreciate it, Chris, and keep up the great work, all of you and everybody there at Seesaw.

Kris (19:54)

Absolutely. Thank you so much. Bye.

Chris Woods (19:56)

Bye.