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Have We Been Teaching STEM Completely Backwards? The Case for Project-Based Learning
Rethinking STEM: Keeping Curiosity at the Heart of Education
Jack Casdorph, a mechanical engineer developing hands-on physics kits, and Rachel Davie, a former math teacher now homeschooling her children, explore what's broken in traditional science education and how project-based learning transforms how children engage with STEM subjects.
Through personal stories and professional insights, our guests reveal how traditional education often extinguishes natural curiosity and fails to connect theory with real-world applications. Jack introduces his STEM spectrum concept showing the imbalance between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, while Rachel provides perspectives from both classroom teaching and homeschooling environments.Timestamp Chapters:
00:00 Introduction01:00 Why traditional science education kills curiosity03:00 The problem with procedural learning06:00 The STEM education spectrum explained09:00 "When will we use this in real life?"11:00 The treehouse project: project-based learning in action15:00 Bridging the gap between theory and application19:00 Creating portfolio-ready skills through projects
🔗 Helpful Resources for Project-Based Learning:
Edutopia - Project-Based Learninghttps://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning
PBLWorks - What is Project Based Learning?https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl
Buck Institute for Education - PBL Resourceshttps://www.pblworks.org/resources
National Science Teaching Associationhttps://www.nsta.org/
STEM Learning Ecosystemshttps://stemecosystems.org/
The Case for Project-Based Learning in STEMhttps://www.gettingsmart.com/2019/05/20/the-case-for-project-based-learning-in-stem/
Clean Your Craft - Physics for Makershttps://cleanyourcraft.com/
Exploratorium's Science Snackshttps://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks
DIY STEM Projects for Kidshttps://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities
Edutopia - Project-Based Learning
PBLWorks - What is Project Based Learning?
Buck Institute for Education - PBL Resources
National Science Teaching Association
STEM Learning Ecosystems
The Case for Project-Based Learning in STEM
Clean Your Craft - Physics for Makers
Exploratorium's Science Snacks
DIY STEM Projects for Kids
View all episodes
By OpenEdRethinking STEM: Keeping Curiosity at the Heart of Education
Jack Casdorph, a mechanical engineer developing hands-on physics kits, and Rachel Davie, a former math teacher now homeschooling her children, explore what's broken in traditional science education and how project-based learning transforms how children engage with STEM subjects.
Through personal stories and professional insights, our guests reveal how traditional education often extinguishes natural curiosity and fails to connect theory with real-world applications. Jack introduces his STEM spectrum concept showing the imbalance between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, while Rachel provides perspectives from both classroom teaching and homeschooling environments.Timestamp Chapters:
00:00 Introduction01:00 Why traditional science education kills curiosity03:00 The problem with procedural learning06:00 The STEM education spectrum explained09:00 "When will we use this in real life?"11:00 The treehouse project: project-based learning in action15:00 Bridging the gap between theory and application19:00 Creating portfolio-ready skills through projects
🔗 Helpful Resources for Project-Based Learning:
Edutopia - Project-Based Learninghttps://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning
PBLWorks - What is Project Based Learning?https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl
Buck Institute for Education - PBL Resourceshttps://www.pblworks.org/resources
National Science Teaching Associationhttps://www.nsta.org/
STEM Learning Ecosystemshttps://stemecosystems.org/
The Case for Project-Based Learning in STEMhttps://www.gettingsmart.com/2019/05/20/the-case-for-project-based-learning-in-stem/
Clean Your Craft - Physics for Makershttps://cleanyourcraft.com/
Exploratorium's Science Snackshttps://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks
DIY STEM Projects for Kidshttps://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities
Edutopia - Project-Based Learning
PBLWorks - What is Project Based Learning?
Buck Institute for Education - PBL Resources
National Science Teaching Association
STEM Learning Ecosystems
The Case for Project-Based Learning in STEM
Clean Your Craft - Physics for Makers
Exploratorium's Science Snacks
DIY STEM Projects for Kids