How North Godwin Empowered Education: Turning STEM Dreams into Reality

Written by Karen Baum, Instructional Specialist Godwin Heights Public Schools

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) is a fantastic way to engage students in learning about the world around them, develop their problem-solving skills, and provide them with hands-on learning where they can create, collaborate, and think critically. We wanted North Godwin students to have STEM experiences where they could enjoy this type of 21st-century learning, but where to start?

The Journey Begins

Conversations about STEM learning goals began in the Fall of 2019. We worked with Kent ISD consultants Marcus Deja, Wendi Vogel, and Keith Tramper. We discussed what other districts were offering students for STEM learning, and we looked at published programs available for elementary students, like Engineering in Elementary STEM Education (EIE). However, we didn’t find any program that seemed the right fit for our community of learners. Equity was our priority, and we realized that we needed to make our program available to all students to achieve it. To achieve this goal, we decided to offer STEM opportunities during the school day, and we made teacher professional learning central to the design of our program. As we continued to plan for the new year, March 2020 brought COVID and school closures, and our STEM plans were quickly put on the back burner.