Science and Engineering Day Top 5
Science and Engineering Day has been one of my favorite days of the school year since my first Day in 2013 at STEM Randall. I remember not having any idea of how the day would go because I had never experienced an entire day that was restructured like that. The day was filled with student choice and design thinking. There were opportunities for learners to work together, question and change their thinking at a rapid rate on that day.
We are fortunate to have this same opportunity for our Hillcrest learners this week! The FLIGHT Academy students are anxiously preparing and our students are eagerly awaiting the fun that comes with this day.
I'm offering up the top five reasons I love Science and Engineering Day:
#5. The day provides multiple examples of how design thinking is a process for learning. Design thinking involves activating students in designing a solution to a problem. This process can be used to solve any problem in life, really. When students are asked to design and construct their thinking and then evaluate and improve their model, they activate all parts of the brain for thinking critically.
How to prep your students: introduce them to a design loop (SAMPLE) and ask them how they could use the loop to solve problems.
#4. Science and Engineering Day is a day we learn as a community. Each session is set up to be multi-aged with 5th graders accessible to Kindergarteners. This builds connections across the building. Helping a younger student through a struggle builds empathy and develops a sense of self in the older student. When kindergarteners see older students a someone they trust, the entire building feels emotionally safe. How to prep your students: Let students know they will be working with students from across the building. Empower older students to be role models and supporters without doing the thinking or the work for younger students.
#3. Opportunity for flexible thinking develops a growth mindset. Learning happens in the moments of life that don't work out as we expect it and the ability to productively struggle is an essential skill that often our students lack. On this day, there are many little (how do I find my next session?) as well as big (how do I design a structure to support a heavy weight?) challenges that students will need to navigate. Maintaining a positive disposition and framing the frustration around "struggle helps me learn" are skills everyone can develop. How to prep your students: Begin celebrating the best FAILs (First Attempt In Learning) with your students. Help them see that we all make mistakes and we can use them to make things better.
#2. On this day, our partnership with FLIGHT Academy shines. We have a significant portion of our 5th grade class who applies to the FLIGHT Academy. This is an extended part of our school community and maintaining our relationship with Horning helps us grow as a school. Take some time to look at the young adults your former students have become...you've done good work! Seeing students from the middle school gives our students role models and gives them something to aspire to. For the middle schoolers, they are asked to design an experience that engages others - many lessons in empathy and perspective taking here! How can we continue to grow this partnership as a school community? How to prep your students: Do students understand the purpose of school? Do they understand that all of these pieces building to their next steps as learners?
#1. The day is memorable and the learning "sticks". This day is a lot of fun and we know that heightened emotions promote memory. The design challenges also give us a common experience that we can connect to in future learning activities. "Do you remember on Science and Engineering Day when you had that tricky problem to solve?" There are concepts related to science that you will be able to reference with future units of study. This is why classroom parties and reward days are so - it is a way of celebrating who we are as a community. On this day we celebrate that at Hillcrest we are problem solvers, designers, thinkers and collaborators. These are identities we want our learners to develop. How to prep your students: Share your excitement for the day as well. Show them that you are having fun, too!
I'm looking forward to my first Science and Engineering Day with you all this week!
We are fortunate to have this same opportunity for our Hillcrest learners this week! The FLIGHT Academy students are anxiously preparing and our students are eagerly awaiting the fun that comes with this day.
I'm offering up the top five reasons I love Science and Engineering Day:
#5. The day provides multiple examples of how design thinking is a process for learning. Design thinking involves activating students in designing a solution to a problem. This process can be used to solve any problem in life, really. When students are asked to design and construct their thinking and then evaluate and improve their model, they activate all parts of the brain for thinking critically.
How to prep your students: introduce them to a design loop (SAMPLE) and ask them how they could use the loop to solve problems.
#4. Science and Engineering Day is a day we learn as a community. Each session is set up to be multi-aged with 5th graders accessible to Kindergarteners. This builds connections across the building. Helping a younger student through a struggle builds empathy and develops a sense of self in the older student. When kindergarteners see older students a someone they trust, the entire building feels emotionally safe. How to prep your students: Let students know they will be working with students from across the building. Empower older students to be role models and supporters without doing the thinking or the work for younger students.
#2. On this day, our partnership with FLIGHT Academy shines. We have a significant portion of our 5th grade class who applies to the FLIGHT Academy. This is an extended part of our school community and maintaining our relationship with Horning helps us grow as a school. Take some time to look at the young adults your former students have become...you've done good work! Seeing students from the middle school gives our students role models and gives them something to aspire to. For the middle schoolers, they are asked to design an experience that engages others - many lessons in empathy and perspective taking here! How can we continue to grow this partnership as a school community? How to prep your students: Do students understand the purpose of school? Do they understand that all of these pieces building to their next steps as learners?
#1. The day is memorable and the learning "sticks". This day is a lot of fun and we know that heightened emotions promote memory. The design challenges also give us a common experience that we can connect to in future learning activities. "Do you remember on Science and Engineering Day when you had that tricky problem to solve?" There are concepts related to science that you will be able to reference with future units of study. This is why classroom parties and reward days are so - it is a way of celebrating who we are as a community. On this day we celebrate that at Hillcrest we are problem solvers, designers, thinkers and collaborators. These are identities we want our learners to develop. How to prep your students: Share your excitement for the day as well. Show them that you are having fun, too!
I'm looking forward to my first Science and Engineering Day with you all this week!
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