SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Workforce Ready Learning
STEAM Technical Assistance Center
Workforce ready learning is intensifying in West Virginia classrooms thanks to the STEAM Technical Assistance Center ( STEAM TAC ), a three-year strong program that ’ s providing students with career-oriented skills for jobs of the future .
More than 32,945 students in grades 6-12 and 450 teachers in 254 middle and high schools are engaging in immersive , hands-on experiences that bring a new level of real-world learning directly into classrooms .
Under the direction of the West Virginia Department of Education ( WVDE ), the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative ( WVPEC ) and West Virginia University , the STEAM TAC challenges students to design , build and test engineering-type projects while exposing them to related career pathways .
STEAM TAC specialists travel to public schools in all 55 counties , bringing with them the technology , tools and expertise . They integrate science , technology , engineering , arts and mathematics , as well as history , social studies and English language arts so the classroom is fully immersed in learning multiple content areas at once .
Teachers choose from three middle school and four high school immersions . While each focus on different skill sets and lessons , all require design thinking to solve real-life problems .
Middle school lessons range from focusing on fluid dynamics and kinetic energy , to energy transfer and wave vibrations .
Coding , computer science and math skills take center stage in the high schools , which focus on data collection technology using micro bits and PocketLabs .
The impact in classrooms is instantaneous . As one student put it , “ This is like a field trip , except it comes to you .”
“ By designing the learning experience to be fun and accessible , we see students gain confidence in their abilities to learn and grow at the time in their lives when they ’ re considering what their future holds ,” says Donna Hoylman Peduto , executive director of the WVPEC . “ Little do they know that they ’ re also practicing marketable job skills like critical thinking , problem solving , creativity and team building .”
Free teaching resources are left behind in the schools to encourage experiential learning year-round , which also align with WVDE Career and College Readiness Standards .
There ’ s a good chance you ’ ll spot a colorfully branded STEAM van cruising down your county road on its way to the nearest school this year . If so , honk and wave ! In the meantime , consider supporting the STEAM TAC at steamtac . wvu . edu .
High School Immersions
• Growing with Innovation
• Coding a Better Path
• Zipping into Ecotourism
• Shaking Things Up
Middle School Immersions
• Projectile Launcher
• Hydraulic Claw
• Wiggle Bot
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE jlschwertfeger @ k12 . wv . us | steamtac . wvu . edu