Teach Middle East Magazine Sep - Dec 2020 Issue 1 Volume 8 | Page 19

Sharing Good Practice
PRACTICE MEETS THEORY:
CONSTRUCTIONISM IN STEM
BY JACQUELYN BANKS
different STEM skills and 21st century
skills that pupils will need to succeed
in future careers such as: researching,
measuring, constructing, writing,
debating, inquiring, interpreting data,
engineering design process, and
investigating scientifically, etc.
R
emember the days of listening
to professors’ babble on about
foundations in education,
theories and practices? Having
spent time in the classroom, I now
know what they were talking about.
Constructionism is basically the
formulation of mental models and
the process of its transference into a
tangible product. Within a STEM class,
engineering is already at the heart
of the matter, so the theory drives
itself. Thus, the problem in today’s
classrooms are rooted in a great many
things happening simultaneously that
are almost impossible to measure. So,
how can one teach, utilise research
to support teaching, assess each
student, differentiate lessons for
each student, maintain safety, create
inviting classroom environments,
promote authentic learning, hold
students’ interest, and still breathe?
It seems impossible but allow me to
share my experiences.
In my project-based learning class,
I have developed a solid base that
encompasses them all. All the projects
are different, students can decide on
some of the assignments that they
want to complete and can submit
them when they feel that they have
shown mastery. Additionally, students
can bring their own device to conduct
research, and even listen to music
as they work. Students are always
expected to show responsibility and
autonomy. Still a work in progress,
students adhere to a daily lesson plan,
guided by choice.
Student Daily Lesson Plan
Entry: Students collect their STEM
journals and notebooks from their
cubbies. In their journals, they write
the date and topic of the project that
they choose to work on for the day.
They also write their starter. The starter
describes what the student intends to
accomplish for the day.
Indicating a Topic: Each student
created a picture frame out of
cardboard. It has their name and
picture on it with a magnet attached
to the back. After the students
choose a topic for the day, they move
their magnets to that section of the
whiteboard to indicate where they are
working. If I want to know what they
are working on, I just look for their
magnets on the board, instead of
having to ask each individual student.
Building skills: All the projects build
Engagement: In their notebooks,
students
locate
their
project
information and use the questions to
help them research the information
expected to be learned from the
topic. They can choose any topic that
they want to work on. The topics can
change daily, if students wish. Students
are expected to make subject, project,
job, and world connections, from the
projects. Assignments are completed
in small groups, whole group or
individually. On any given day, you
can observe students building,
researching,
writing,
handling
equipment, and collaborating. I
serve merely as a facilitator! I provide
feedback and clarify questions and
answers during the class.
Assessments: Throughout the class,
students can engage in a five-minute
uninterrupted private conference
with me. Also, the students can pose
questions to me or their classmates
for support. In every project, there’s
a formative, summative, culminating
and performance task. Each project
is turned in and assessed according
to check-points, dates that are set to
submit projects. Students must learn
to manage their time.
Exits: Five minutes before the end of
the class, I let the students know to stop
working, to clean their areas, and to
write their exits. In their STEM journals,
students utilize the same page as their
starter, to record their daily activities.
Specifically, the students write what
they accomplished for the day.
There are many aspects to my project-
based learning class that has proven
effective and others that are still
developing.
I am Jacquelyn Banks and the elementary STEM Leader at Manor Hall International
School in Al Ain, UAE. I have taught for ten years in grade levels 1st-7th in USA and
the UAE. I am a certified teacher with a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and a
Master’s in STEM Leadership.
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