his summer there was a lot of STEM going on in the NAD. We had record numbers of educators attend the virtual Loma Linda EXSEED conference, training for teachers at the Andrews University Chemistry Camp and eager students at our summer camp at the Florida Innovation Center. All this was possible through a STEM grant from Versacare in partnership with the North American Division and Loma Linda University.”
Why the investment in STEM? According to the National Science Foundation, “In the 21st century, scientific and technological innovations have become increasingly important as we face the benefits and challenges of both globalization and a knowledge-based economy. To succeed in this new information-based and highly technological society, students need to develop their capabilities in STEM to levels much beyond what was considered acceptable in the past.”
The Verscare STEM grant focuses on training teachers to equip them to provide real-world, engaging, and strategic content for their students K-12. Over the next three years, we plan to provide expert facilitators to host monthly STEM training and coaching sessions with teachers across the NAD. These will include STEM lesson plans, demonstration lessons, and support in developing teacher's own STEM lessons for students.
In addition, we are planning a STEM virtual series. STEM Tuesdays will be available in the Adventist Learning Community. Teachers will be provided with a list of low-cost or free materials for their students to participate in the STEM session.
September 2021 – May 2022
Week 1 – Grades K-2
Week 2 – Grades 3-5
Week 3 – Grades 6-8
Week 4 – Grades 9-12
How can teachers take advantage of these STEM resources?
- Look for emails, Facebook announcements, and Slack chat on upcoming STEM Tuesday events.
- Announcements about STEM training sessions, summer programs, joining cohorts, and STEM kits.
- Sharing STEM lesson plans, PBL units, and resources on Adventist Learning Community in Adventist Teacher Connect.
T
create
What's STEM got to do with it?
From July 26-28 the STEM Division hosted "Chemistry: Principles from Food," a Zoom workshop featuring kitchen chemistry activities that can be deployed by teachers in K-10 classrooms.
The "Chemistry: Principles from Food" workshop included live demonstrations of activities that can teach students about chemical principles in the context of reactions with food. (Photo by Jeff Boyd, media relations manager, University Communication)
Lisa Ahlberg, associate professor of Chemistry, presented from the Andreasen Center for Wellness for the workshop "Chemistry: Principles from Food." (Photo by Jeff Boyd, media relations manager, University Communication)
By the end of the workshop, participants were fully prepared to implement the demonstrated chemical experiments in their classrooms. (Photo by Jeff Boyd, media relations manager, University Communication)
2 - 4
<
>
Fall ’21
What’s STEM got to do with it? STEM pervades every part of our lives and is the fastest-growing need in the global market.
Science is everywhere in the world around us. Technology is continuously expanding into every aspect of our lives. Engineering is the basic design of roads and bridges but also tackles the challenges of changing global weather and environmentally-friendly changes to our homes. Mathematics is in every occupation, every activity we do in our lives. Let’s be part of the solution, let’s get our students excited about STEM!
TOP
copyright 2021 North American Division of Adventist Education. all rights reserved.
Leisa Morton-Standish, PhD
Director of Elementary Education