69. Can My Baby Do STEM?
How young is too young for STEM? My kids' daycare claims to teach STEM with activities geared to students as young as 2 years old! But how does a 2-year-old even do STEM? I am pretty skeptical so I asked Claire, who teaches STEM for Pre-K all the way to 8th grade, to get her perspective. Tune in as we discuss STEM for little kids, learning goals, and what is even possible.
68. Game Based Learning with André Thomas
Have you used game-based learning in your classroom? Can gaming actually improve learning outcomes? In this episode of The STEM Space, Natasha chats with renowned game-based learning expert and Texas A&M University professor André Thomas. His career started in the movie industry creating graphics for movies like Men in Black, then moved into the world of graphics for games like Madden NFL, and he now uses those experiences to develop immersive games to teach educational content like calculus. We discuss his background, how to engage students in the gaming industry, and ways for teachers to leverage game-based learning in their classrooms.
67. Is STEM After School Effective?
Are you interested in learning about the latest research in STEM education? In this episode, Natasha, a doctoral student at Texas A&M University, shares her recent research on the impact of attendance in an afterschool STEM program (Space Club) on student attitudes towards STEM. Tune in to hear the latest trends in STEM education and the behind-the-scenes of conducting quantitative education research.
66. Eco-House Sustainable STEM with Kristina Ohl
Natasha chats with Kristina Ohl, a 6th-grade science teacher who decided to “re-create” one of her favorite activities, Vivify’s Mission to Mars Planning Game. She brought the real-world project back to Earth by having students plan and design an energy-efficient and eco-friendly house! She discusses her experience developing the lesson including consulting a sustainable building engineer and testing with elementary and middle school students. We also chat about effective teaching practices and how we cannot simply pour our knowledge into children’s brains - try as we might!
65. How to Plan Your Year in STEM
Tune in as Claire and Natasha tackle another question from our listeners: “I am new to STEM…how do you keep it all together? All the resources, organizing for all grade levels…I’d love to be a fly on the wall in Texas!” As the school year wraps up, Claire reflects on a crazy busy year and how she stays organized when teaching different STEM topics for her PreK all the way to 8th-grade students!
64. Inspire Kids with Space: Chat with NASA Ground Controller!
What is it like to work at NASA? What happens at mission control? In this episode, Natasha chats with Patrick Ream, a ground controller trainee at NASA's Johnson Space Center! We talk all about his work at NASA, what inspired him to become an aerospace engineer, and his advice for motivating struggling students.