Stanton’s STEM Class

Stanton’s STEM Class

Carl Sagan once said, “We can do science, and with it we can improve our lives.”

That is exactly why Jeff Sefcik, Principal at Stanton School, knew it was essential to integrate the learning objectives and opportunities that STEM classes offer into the daily schedule at Stanton.  

What is STEM?  STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.  However, STEM is more than just a grouping of subject areas.  It is a movement to develop the deep mathematical and scientific underpinnings students need to be competitive in the 21st-century workforce.  STEM integrates concepts that are usually taught as separate subjects in different classes and emphasizes the application of knowledge to real-life situations. A lesson or unit in STEM class is typically based around finding a solution to a real-world problem and tends to emphasize project-based learning. According to Mr. Sefcik, “STEM has become more than a popular buzzword.  In recent years STEM education has gained momentum through teacher education, federal grants, and solid research-based curricular guidelines.  As a former teacher, I know firsthand that the types of activities and learning experiences students have access to must expand to keep pace and meet the expectations of our Illinois state standards.  I’m fortunate to have Mr. David Roat on staff who eagerly accepted the offer to teach Stanton’s first STEM class and is doing an excellent job leading the way for Stanton School.”  

David Roat, Stanton’s Technology Coordinator, has 21 students in class and pictured below is Shelby W., Milla L., and Abigael T. who look on with anticipation as Mr. Roat executes the “Drop the Golf Ball” lesson. During the lesson, the students were asked to collaborate and find a solution to strategically build a container that would catch a golf ball when dropped from six feet high using only 12 straws, one 24” piece of masking tape, and one rubber band.  Although only 2 of the 7 containers the students designed could withstand the challenge, however, Mr. Roat was impressed and emphasised, “One of the unique things about STEM classes is that they always provide the opportunity for multiple right answers and approaches. The STEM environment offers rich possibilities for creative solutions. When designing and testing prototypes, teams may flounder and fail to solve the problem, and that’s okay. The students are expected to learn from what went wrong, and try again. Failure is considered a positive step on the way to discovering and designing solutions.”  

As the world of education constantly changes and the focus on STEM in the classroom increases, one thing is for certain, STEM at Stanton School is full steam ahead.