The STEM Space

Show Summary:

“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it is the only one we have.”
- Émile-Auguste Chartier, French philosopher

After many class discussions of failure, social-emotional learning (SEL), and upstairs/downstairs brain, one of Claire’s 6th grade students asked, “Why do you think that [failure is] required? If you’re successful the first time, why isn’t that a victory? Why is failure necessary? Why do you HAVE to fail?” Taking this personally as an engineer, Claire mulled this over and found the quote above as she began examining how to better explain this to her students. Tune in as Natasha details her most recent NSTA Conference venture (and how teachers fared compared to the engineering class in a prior episode) and Claire tells the truth about why you need more than one idea.

Links from the Show:

NSTA Conference

NSTA Conferences

Natasha 2022 NSTA photos

SEEC

SEEC (Space Exploration Educators Conference)

Natasha & Claire at SEEC 2022

Claire’s Giant Moon Map

Bring Space Club to Your School! (It’s FREE!)

Learn more about Space Club here!

Space Club Pitsco Kits: Mission to Moon or Mission to Mars

STEM Space Lander Math & Engineering Activity (Printed & Digital)

Vivify STEM Resources

56. What Do Kids Need To Prepare For Engineering?

How to Teach Growth Mindset and Failing Forward

12 Ways to Boost Social-Emotional Learning with STEM

Upstairs Downstairs Brain Paper Circuit SEL STEM Activity

Space STEM Resources

Video “7 Minutes of Terror”

What Space Jellyfish Tell Us About Interplanetary Travel

OSD AT&L Defense Acquisition Process Chart

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES:https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/60/why-should-you-have-more-than-one-solution

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestemspace/

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vivifystem

Show Summary:

Rewards work well if you have a skill or a task that is mechanical, but what about in STEM? How do you get your students to be more intrinsically motivated versus wanting those extrinsic rewards? Tune in as Claire recaps her Invention Convention with Natasha and all of the ways she was surprised by her students. Learn how you can incorporate motivational tools and emotion regulation methods into your STEM class.

Links from the Show:

Episode 13. How to Effectively Teach Skills to Students

Episode 19: How To Motivate Your Students

Daniel Pink - Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Google’s 80/20 Rule

Dr. Georgia Lagoudas is a Senior Advisor at the Office of Science and Technology Policy

46. STEM Career Chat with Bioengineer Dr. Georgia Lagoudas

Recording of White House Virtual Event – “Let’s Clear the Air on COVID: An OSTP Discussion on Clean Indoor Air”

EPA’s Clean Air in Buildings Challenge

Jigsaw Method of Teaching

33. My Students Built A Wheelchair

Upstairs/Downstairs Brain

56. What Do Kids Need To Prepare For Engineering?

Upstairs Downstairs Brain Paper Circuit SEL STEM Activity

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnne Deak

Why Do We Lose Control of Our Emotions?

Upstairs Brain Downstairs Brain - SEL Sketches

How to Teach Growth Mindset and Failing Forward

12 Ways to Boost Social-Emotional Learning with STEM

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES:https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/59/how-to-motivate-students-and-regulate-emotions-in-stem

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestemspace/

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vivifystem

Show Summary:

You can come up with anything you want. There are no constraints. It sounds like the perfect formula… for disaster. It’s been proven time and time again that we, and especially our students, need constraints. But how do you give them constraints without stifling their creativity? Enter Invention Convention! Tune in as Natasha questions Claire on her school’s very first Invention Convention and other important facets of this amazing corner of STEM (like wondering if we need/will get a Starbucks on the moon?), the difference between invention and innovation, and how you can use these concepts to inspire your students.

Links from the Show:

Henry Ford Invention Convention Worldwide

Previous Podcast Episodes Mentioned:

33. My Students Built A Wheelchair

49. Big Things Happening in 2022!

51. How Do You Get Every Student to Speak?

How to Teach Growth Mindset and Failing Forward

Creativity Tools

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES:https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/58/are-you-training-up-innovators

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestemspace/

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vivifystem

Show Summary:

Are you in search of inspiration for a STEM summer camp? How do you keep your kids learning while having fun? Whether you’re exploring history and learning about other countries, building solar ovens, or even welcoming new people to Mars with a solar tower, tune in as Claire and Natasha discuss all things STEM to inspire your summer camp!

Links from the Show:

Gravity comparison video

What are the Ethical Concerns of Genome Editing? (from the National Human Genome Research Institute)

STEM Explorers: Travel the World with STEM Activities for Elementary

Vivify Products mentioned in this Episode (all from the Vivify TpT store):

STEM Starter Engineering Challenges (includes egg drop and boat challenges, plus more!)

Space Lander Math & Engineering Activity

Launchpad Mission to Mars: Middle School STEM Curriculum

Moon Tower Solar Panel STEM Engineering Challenge

Solar Oven STEM Challenge

STEM Explorers: STEM Curriculum Bundle

Sailboat Challenge Math & Engineering Activity

Oil Spill Challenge

Chile Solar Car STEM Challenge

** Solar Oven STEM Challenge and Chile Solar Car STEM Challenge are also included in the Summer & Solar Energy STEM Activity Bundle**

Find Student Sparks

Bring Space Club to Your School!

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES: https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/57/how-to-organize-a-stem-summer-camp

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestemspace/

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vivifystem

Show Summary:

How does a group of undergraduate engineering students perform on one of Vivify’s most popular STEM activities, the space lander design challenge? Well let’s just say we have seen middle school students with more successful designs! In this episode of The STEM Space, Natasha shares her experience in teaching engineering students, who plan to become STEM teachers, how to use a design challenge to promote learning of science. She describes the phases of the learning cycle, and how the space lander design challenge is a great way to apply and deepen understanding of the concepts of drag, stability, and shock absorption. Claire and Natasha also compare the engineering design process used in STEM classrooms to real world engineering.

Links from the Show:

HELP! My Students Are Struggling With TEAMWORK!

Not all STEM is Equal: 3 Stages of STEM Education

10 Tips for Managing a STEM Classroom

Dan Siegel’s Upstairs/Downstairs Brain:

- Why Do We Lose Control of Our Emotions?

- Upstairs Brain Downstairs Brain - SEL Sketches

STEM Space Lander Math & Engineering Activity (Printed & Digital)

Best STEM Challenge Ever < from the Vivify Blog>

Pipecleaner STEM Challenge

SEEC (Space Exploration Educators Conference)

Engineering Design Process Worksheets for all STEM Challenges -Printed & Digital <FREE in our FREE STEM Explorer Library>

Houston NSTA Conference

EDP

- NASA Systems Engineering Processes and Requirements (PDF)

- OSD AT&L Defense Acquisition Process Chart

Understanding a Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES:https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/56/what-do-kids-need-to-prepare-for-engineering

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestemspace/

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vivifystem

Show Summary:

March is Women’s History Month! Can you name something invented by a woman? How about windshield wipers, Wite-OutⓇ, heating with solar power, the Brooklyn Bridge, the step trash can, and even every kid’s favorite fish-shaped snack? In this episode, Natasha and Claire discuss how to celebrate the contributions of women through hands-on STEM activities for your classroom.

Links from the Show:

Did You Know? Women’s History Month started as Women’s History Week…

The Invention of Wite-OutⓇ

7 Activities Featuring Women in STEM History

Books: 

The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle

The Crayon Man

Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge

All About Failure:

The STEM Space Podcast Episodes:

44. How Do You Manage Your STEM Classroom? (ft. Julie Lyons)

17. We All Need a Lesson in Failure

18. What You Should Know About Failure

From the Vivify Blog: 

How to Teach Growth Mindset and Failing Forward

The Importance of Failure

Breaking Down STEM Stereotypes

Who is an Engineer or Scientist? STEM Career Game & Activity

Top 10 Ways To Encourage Girls In STEM

50. How to Involve Girls in After-School STEM

The GoldfishⓇ Brand Story

Fish Camp - A Freshman’s First Tradition - Texas A&M University

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES:https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/55/how-to-teach-stem-during-womens-history-month

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestemspace/

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vivifystem

Show Summary:

This week, we respond to an email from Robert, a STEM teacher, who told us, “I have been a teacher for 11 years, and this is my second as our school's STEM teacher. I am STRUGGLING with teams working together. So much arguing, fighting, crying…I need all the teamwork advice I can get!” How do you facilitate good teamwork in your classroom? Join us as we discuss all things teamwork plus a creativity bellringer that Claire tried with her PreK - 7th grade students. The difference in responses was incredible and eye opening!

Links from the Show:

Claire’s “What is this?” black square in action!

Invention Convention Worldwide

Marshmallow Challenge

Previous podcast episodes mentioned:

44. How Do You Manage Your STEM Classroom?

51. How Do You Get Every Student to Speak?

Vivify Blog posts mentioned:

Not all STEM is Equal: 3 Stages of STEM Education

How to Teach Growth Mindset and Failing Forward

Space Docking challenge: The Best 3 Back to School STEM Icebreakers

From the Vivify Store:

Stage 1 STEM:

Back to School STEM: 6 Icebreaker Teamwork Activities

Intro to Coding: Communication STEM Activity (Robonaut Challenge)

Stage 2 STEM:

STEM Space Lander Math & Engineering Activity (Printed & Digital)

STEM Drag Device Parachute Challenge (Digital & Printed STEM Journals)

Straw Rocket STEM Challenge (Forces & Motion, Variables)

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES: https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/54/help-my-students-are-struggling-with-teamwork

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestemspace/

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vivifystem

Show Summary:

Featuring questions from Space Club students, Natasha chats with Dr. Scott Olesen, a biological engineer from MIT who now works in wastewater surveillance at Biobot Analytics! This episode is the audio recording of a Career Chat episode, streamed on Vivify’s YouTube channel, as a way to share the story of STEM professionals to inspire elementary and middle school students. Listen in as Dr. Olesen gives advice on STEM careers and his pathway from an Eagle Scout with an interest in physics, a venture to France for archeology, and now tackling COVID-19 through wastewater surveillance!

Links from the Show:

How to Bring Space Club to Your School

Vivify YouTube Channel: Career Chats: Dr. Scott Olesen (Biological Engineer)
**The audio for this podcast has been edited for content and clarity.**

Natasha’s Project: SpinSat Experimental Satellite Deployed from ISS

Biobot Analytics

Data

Massachusetts jail monitoring wastewater to check for COVID-19

YouTube: Testing Wastewater to Help Detect Covid-19

Want to try your hand at a Mission Patch? Check out our STEM at Home Challenge here!

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES: https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/53/getting-data-from-our-poop-career-chat-with-dr-olesen

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestemspace/

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vivifystem

Show Summary:

With things finally starting to return to “normal,” how can you get families excited for STEM? HOST A STEM FAMILY NIGHT! But how do you do that? How far in advance should you start planning all of this and recruiting your help? What kind of STEM activities should you include? Planning and executing a STEM family night doesn’t have to be difficult. Tune in as Natasha walks Claire through her proven steps to make STEM family night truly EPIC and divulges some of her favorite activities to include!

Links from the Show:

STEM Family Night Information and Guide

Vivify Blog - 10 Amazing STEM Family Night Activities

Need to host a Virtual STEM Family night? Read this!

Vivify Store - Bundle: STEM Family Night Planning Guide, STEM Activity Instructions, Posters (includes Straw Rockets activity!)

Vivify Products Mentioned in this Episode:

Basics of Makey Makey: STEM Activity <FREE in the STEM Explorer Library>

STEM Activity Hoop Glider Challenge (Variable Testing)

STEM Catapult Math & Engineering Activity (Angles and Ratios)

Vivify Blog Posts Mentioned in this Episode:

Space Docking Challenge

Basics of Sphero Robotics + 3 Awesome Sphero STEM Activities

Activities and Products Recommended by Vivify in this Episode:

Strawberry DNA Experiment Steve Spangler Science

USB 2.0 Digital Microscope

Pitsco Straw Rockets – Getting Started Package

Snap Circuits

“The CLAW!”

Pitsco Education Family STEM Night Bundle (takes out all the guesswork!)

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES:https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/52/how-to-host-a-stem-family-night

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestemspace/

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vivifystem

Show Summary:

Time to put on our Thinking Hats! I am light as a feather, yet the strongest person in the world can’t hold me for five minutes. What am I? 

Unsure of the answer? How do you facilitate brainstorming and get your students to ask questions? How do you give your students a voice? Do you have any brain teasers or riddles you use to get your students’ creative minds going? Tune in to this episode of The STEM Space where Claire tells Natasha all about how she helps take the pressure off of students who might be hesitant to chime in and boost both their confidence and creativity while adding voice to your classroom. (You’ll also hear the answer to the riddle above!)

Links from the Show:

Previous STEM Space Podcast Episodes:

Episode 7: How to Ask Questions

Episode 41: What is Your Problem?

Elementary STEM Con and Beyond - Register here!

Guinness World Records: 56-year-old freediver holds breath for almost 25 minutes breaking record

Who has the hat?

Vivify TikTok

Vivify Instagram

The 6 Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono

12 Ways to Boost Social-Emotional Learning with STEM

Download the full study here: Hands Up for Gender Equality: A Major Study into Confidence and Career Intentions of Adolescent Girls and Boys

NASA - How to Request a Speaker

Skype a Scientist

Who is an Engineer or Scientist? STEM Career Game & Activity

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES:https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/51/how-do-you-get-every-student-to-speak

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestemspace/

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vivifystem