K-12 teachers dive into STEM at ECU symposium
As Shantres Clark dripped clear liquid into a test tube and watched it turn red, ideas bounced around in her head.
“I’m thinking of a lesson right now,” said Clark, who teaches science at Weldon Middle School.
East Carolina University hosted Clark and about 250 other K-12 teachers for its annual STEM Symposium. The educators participated in labs and hands-on experiences they can incorporate into their lesson plans when their students return in a matter of days for the upcoming school year. The goal is to provide fun and engaging lessons that can inspire K-12 students to consider college degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering or math, careers that not only support business and the economy, but also can enrich their own lives.
Shantres Clark, a science teacher at Weldon Middle School, participates in a chromatography lab as part of the STEM Symposium in the Science and Technology Building. (Photo by Steven Mantilla)
“There are so many careers in eastern North Carolina that are STEM related, especially in biopharma and biotechnology. That’s really growing,” said attendee Kelly Hoff, a career development coordinator at Havelock High School.
Chris Cone, teaching instructor in ECU’s Department of Engineering, guided Hoff, Clark and others through a chromatography lab in which grape Kool-Aid is separated into its red and blue components. Chromatography has pharmaceutical and medical applications and even can be used in food safety and pollution detection.
“This is definitely something I can incorporate in the lesson standards,” Clark said. “They (students) can relate to Kool-Aid, or even if they can’t, some other kind of juice that they know.”
Symposium attendees selected three of 10 breakout sessions led by ECU faculty from the College of Engineering and Technology and the Center for STEM Education. Topics included computer aided design, 3D design and printing, cybersecurity, construction with pasta noodles, and automation with Arduinos, which are small programmable circuit boards. Attendees even had the chance to test their cardboard created buildings in a hurricane simulator that produced winds up to 74 mph.
Tracey Reason, entering her 32nd year as a teacher, explored the “STEM Playground” that included tools, kits and classroom resources on everything from circuits to robotics.
“We just started a third, fourth and fifth grade innovative class, so I’m here trying to find some things,” said Reason, who teaches at Williamston Primary School.
She was among a group of teachers from Martin County who attended the event.
“It’s very exciting,” she said. “It’s helping us think of new ways to teach things that we’ve been doing so it’s more engaging. That’s what this is all about — doing things you’ve already done but making it more engaging for the students.”
Tracey Reason, right, learns about an electric circuits tool she can use to help her students at Williamston Primary School learn about STEM. (Photo by Steven Mantilla)
Casey Schulte, a high school biology teacher in Beaufort County and part of the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership, demonstrated that engagement in her keynote address. She involved teachers in a pyramid game that can help students learn vocabulary and showed them how dice can be used to quiz students in a fun way.
She also inspired the teachers.
“Each of you is a flame to the kids in the classroom,” she told them. “Sometimes as teachers and educators, our job is really, really hard. Sometimes people want to dim your flame. I encourage you to surround yourself with people who help reignite your flame. Keep shining bright. It’s OK for your flame to be a little dim sometimes, but don’t let it go out.”
She showed attendees a recent photograph with her own grade school teachers, reminding them of the impact they have on students.
“Even though sometimes we’re not treated like it — and we sure as heck aren’t paid like it — you have power,” she said. “My high school biology teacher looked at me and said, ‘You’re going to be the best biology teacher that I’ve ever seen.’ Fun fact: I’m teaching biology in her classroom today. So, you have the power to make students believe they can pass a test they never passed before. You have the power to make them believe in dreams they never thought they knew they even had. Never forget how powerful you are.”
Beyond the College of Engineering and Technology, symposium sponsors included STEM East, Cypress Creek Renewables, the N.C. Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Center, Minges Bottling Group, Hitachi and the Center for STEM Education in ECU’s College of Education.