Full STEAM Ahead

So apparently I don't blog enough. Perhaps it's because I'm too busy. Even more, it's because there's so much to say and no clue how to phrase it.  Sam Patterson convinced me to share what I'm doing in my Engineering, Robotics, and Design elective class, so here it is.

@jstevens009 do it now! #patue

— Sam Patterson (@SamPatue) April 24, 2013

My job is incredibly awesome.  I teach two classes of algebra 1 to a motivated group of kids, then get a conglomerate of IEP, Special Ed, ADD, GATE, 7th, 8th, and everywhere in between kind of kids in my engineering class.  All in all, this class was set up for complete failure.  The class was designed to enhance the algebra 1 curriculum and support kids who were craving the Project-Based Learning that every student should be exposed to on a regular basis.

With the slew of varied levels in each of the two engineering classes, you'd think that there would be a ton of problems.  However, it's the most intense 51 minutes of each kid's day.  In this class, we are going full steam ahead (pun intended, I guess).  Choo Choo.

Photo Credit: Express Monorail via Compfight cc

Details of the class

It's all about projects.  As a student, I was always the kid who asked questions, took things apart, broke them, then tried to put them together.  I liked computers, loved designing, and wasn't happy with failing.  Insert the entire MO of the Engineering, Robotics, and Design curriculum.  In our class, we talk about what an engineer does, how to build things, how to fail and learn to deal with failure, how to build websites, how to... do anything they want.  It's pretty amazing.  The class works on long-term and short-term projects that build confidence and challenge the brain.

Every now and then, we have a little fun:

The Projects

I could talk all day about the things we do in here, but it would be better if you read it from a student perspective.  Over the course of the school year, we have done the following projects:

• Create a website
• Design a tower to withstand an earthquake and 25 MPH winds
• Create a scale model of the Twin Towers as a tribute to 9/11
• Program Lego Mindstorm NXT Robotics
• Build and program robots for "BattleBots"
• Design and build wind turbines as part of the KidWind Challenge
• Upcoming car design and building

Basically, we do everything that is fun in the world.  According to captain Bloom, this is the upper echelon of his taxonomy.  

The Real Fist-Pump

I get so stoked about the little things in life.  It isn't CST scores (by ANY stretch of the imagination), certainly not a student having an A that usually gets F's, or anything else that deals with grades.  The real excitement comes when I get those laborious weekly grade reports and seeing that a student has rocked out in my class.  We certainly want our students to do well in all classes, but something has to be said about that ADD kid who can't stay in his seat during math but can't get enough of programming a robot.

It's exciting to watch a kid who is notorious on campus for being "off-task", only to find out that he's been bored out of his mind until you put a challenge of designing the perfect wind turbine blade in front of him.  All of a sudden, he's using math to find the pitch, language to express his requests for materials, history to research best practices of former turbine designs, and science to discuss the application of force for each design of turbine blade.  Yes, sir, all subjects are being incorporated into this measly project.  

That, to me, is a win.

Happy Fishing