Grow Your STEM Practice in 2023

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution for 2023? Rather than selecting specific goals, I instead choose a word of the year that can apply across all of the different domains of my life. This year, I chose the word “Expand.” After recharging during the holiday break, I’ve been thinking about how I will expand my repertoire of teaching tools and techniques in 2023.

Teaching is always evolving, particularly if you’re teaching or incorporating STEM – there’s a constant stream of new resources, tools, and technologies. Keeping up can feel intimidating, especially if you aren’t sure how to start. Here are three possible starting points to level up your learning in 2023!

1. Play with Your Materials!

When was the last time you played with your STEM materials or worked on a project of your own? Spending some time exploring your tools and materials is a fun way to grow your knowledge and to find inspiration for future projects and activities. 

This fall, in response to the passage of a Computer Science Education initiative, all Maine schools received funding that could be used to purchase different classroom kits curated and put together by the Maine Department of Education. My STEM Lab got several new resources – including a set of Indi robots, a set of Sphero Bolts with coding mats, and several Lego Spike Prime robots. It was an incredible haul…but it also means I’ve got a lot of learning to do! I did some of this exploration alongside my eager coding students by using my coding afterschool club as a testing ground for all of these new tools, but I know there’s still much more that I can learn through tinkering with these new robots.

Even if you didn’t recently get a bunch of STEM goodies delivered at your doorstep, experimenting and playing with the materials you already have can really get your creative juices flowing while deepening your understanding of the potential uses of your resources. So, get playing!

2. Take a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)

My dream job is to be a full-time student – learning is hands down my favorite activity. But…until that career path exists, I’ll keep taking MOOCs. If you don’t already know, MOOCs are free, online classes offered on countless topics that typically allow you to explore content flexibly and at your own pace. 

I especially recommend using MOOCs to grow your skills in computer programming. If you’re like most STEM teachers I know, you didn’t pivot to teaching after starting out as a coder, so anything beyond basic computer science might feel a bit murky. MOOCs are an awesome way to grow your own skills and help you be able to better present programming concepts to your students. Most recently, I’ve been working on this Python for Everybody course that has made me much more confident about teaching the fundamentals of this popular and useful language to my 7th and 8th graders. 

There are MOOCs on almost everything these days. Here are a few other STEM-specific courses on my learning list:

• Tinkering Fundamentals: Circuits (I’ve long loved Exploratorium’s STEM resources and am excited that they’re offering courses now!)
• STEM Outside
• Minecraft, Coding, and Teaching

You can browse thousands of MOOCs available at Coursera and edX. 

Note: Be aware that while many of these courses now offer “freemium” options that give you a certificate of completion or access to graded assignments, you can typically access all of the content without spending a dime.

3. Attend STEM CON & Beyond!

The best professional development comes from those who live your experience – that’s why I’m a huge fan of STEM CON & Beyond. At this virtual conference, you get to hear from thought leaders in the field of STEM education. My favorite part is that all of the content is available for you to view on your own schedule (and while you’re wearing your pajamas) in the comfort of your own space. 

This year, I have big news to share – I’ll be presenting a session called “Let Them Make!: Creative Freedom in the Elementary STEM” at STEM CON and Beyond! This is always my favorite PD experience of the year and I’m honored to be included in this year’s line-up of presenters.

If you want to check out all of the great sessions, you can use this LINK to register for this conference. Lock in an early-bird attendance rate by signing up today. As an added bonus, if you use my link to register, you’ll gain access to a free download of my popular “Robot Winter Games” product. 

The conference content will go live beginning on April 14th, but you’ll have access to all of the recordings for several months, so you can view them at your own pace.