Schools often begin enacting STEM by introducing clubs or activities at lunchtime or after school, establishing specialist subjects and maker spaces, or even participating in the ever-growing number of robotics, mathematics, computational thinking, science and engineering competitions. These approaches are all great ways to begin laying the groundwork for a sustainable STEM program. They start to orient teachers, students and parents to the possibilities and outcomes that a STEM program can deliver and help schools build a range of resources over time. The challenge for many schools will be moving from these groundwork-laying activities to an authentic whole-school STEM program that is not ad-hoc and coherently grows students to be problem solvers, critical and creative thinkers while meeting the curriculum.
Dr Adrian Bertolini takes teachers and school leaders through a system thinking approach to develop a well-planned STEM program in their school. From creating a design brief for STEM, to a coherent and progressive development of mindset, to mapping a range of practical and critical skills through the years, to backward planning learning, through to structures for assessment, and finally to leading change. The workshops are a mix of research, practical structures, examples and activities and distils decades of thinking and practice across many disciplines – not just STEM. The blend of theory and practice has been designed to challenge teachers and schools to stop, think, and explore the largely unexamined structures and approaches that exist within most schools.
Workshops and In-School Support Services
Suggested formats:
One-day workshop overview that explains the design principles of planning an authentic whole-school STEM program. The workshop will lead participants through the underlying thinking and provides an opportunity for participants to take the first steps in planning. Templates for planning will be provided.
Two-day workshop that supports participants to backward plan a range of STEM units with progressive complexity with the aim of understanding how to design STEM learning across a year. Participants will also experience a simple design activity and how it can be used to achieve multiple outcomes and various year levels. All materials and planning templates will be provided.
Multiple one-day sessions to go deeper with individual session outcomes.
Workshops:
Learn how to design and develop a whole-school approach to STEM learning through applying evidence-based approaches to developing authentic STEM learning, whole-school mapping, creating student driven assessment structures, and leading change. Participants will explore:
Address unexamined perceptions that can disempower and block the development of authentic STEM learning (and any new change initiatives).
The educational, psychological and neuroscientific theories underlying effective learning.
Systems, design and computational thinking and how the vocabulary could be used across all curriculum areas.
The process to create a design brief for a whole school STEM program that acts as the vision for learning within the school.
How to create whole school mindset, capability and curriculum maps.
How to create learning ladders to capture the progression of core skills and resources that support students to become highly capable STEM learners.
How to audit existing curriculum maps and refine them to embed STEM.
How to plan transdisciplinary STEM units of increasing complexity and richness.
How to deconstruct the Australian curriculum to develop learning intentions, success criteria and enduring understandings.
How to design student driven assessment structures for STEM learning.
The factors that lead teachers to being effective STEM learners and leaders.
How to lead the pedagogical and curriculum change effectively.
Interactive Webinars – Tailored sessions to focus on specific aspects of planning whole-school STEM programs tailored to group, school or system needs.
Coaching Support – Adrian can work with one or more educators either online or in-school to support the bespoke planning of the school STEM program.
Keynote –Keynotes can focus on one or more themes from Igniting STEM Learning including topics such as developing curiosity, the importance of STEM, developing “Have a go” mindsets and creating opportunities for learning from failure.
Who should attend?
All educators, including (but not limited to) classroom teachers, principals/assistant principals, and instructional coaches.
Contact us today to discuss how our professional learning solutions can transform your school.
