Learn how this state is hoping to bring coding to all of its students and why it’s an important curriculum change.

The $5 Million Challenge

In 2019, the Utah tech industry demanded computer science education. They challenged the legislature to find $5 million to allocate to computer science resources, money that would then be matched by the leaders of Silicon Slopes, a nonprofit that works to empower Utah’s tech community. 

The $5 million challenge was introduced during the 2019 Silicon Slopes summit, where executive director Clint Betts asked the other leaders present to put their money where their mouths are. Each of the five executives pledged $1 million to fund computer science education as long as the governor could find enough money to match it in the budget. 

“So many entrepreneurs and so many companies talk about building their company to change the world, right?” Betts said. “And you’re like, ‘You’re building an analytics platform. You’re not changing the world.’”

This was an incredibly powerful gauntlet thrown at the government, as more than 24,000 conference attendees bore witness to the donation and the expectations set by the speakers. In the end, these efforts worked. In December 2019, Governor Gary Herbert announced his intent to invest more than $10 million in computer science funding, pending state house and senate budget approval. Utah would provide computer science classes to every K-12 student by 2022, reports Art Raymond at Deseret News. 

“Computer science has become a form of literacy just like reading,” says Aaron Skonnard, founder of Silicon Slopes and CEO of enterprise technology learning platform Pluralsight. “But not everyone is learning it. And our kids do not have equal opportunities.”

This donation serves as one step toward equality in Utah K-12 schools while reminding government officials about the importance of education and STEAM funding.

Introducing the Utah Computer Science Master Plan

This wasn’t the first time tech leaders in the state approached educators and legislatures to develop a CS curriculum. For the past few years, the leaders at Silicon Slopes have worked with the Department of Education to develop a comprehensive plan for computer science education: The Utah Computer Science Master Plan was born. The passage of this curriculum makes Utah the 12th state to implement a statewide CS initiative.  

“The Utah Computer Science Plan identifies key needs, strategies, and target outcomes across six essential categories that uplift the education system and its successful and equitable integration of computer science,” explains Sydnee Dickson, Utah’s superintendent of public instruction. “The Board of Education is committed to increasing enriching, high-quality computer science learning opportunities for students across grade levels.”

The creation of the plan was developed by a task force that has been meeting since 2018. Education specialist at the Utah State Board of Education Ashley Higgs was part of that task force asked to create a comprehensive computer science curriculum. She worked alongside parents, teachers, and other key stakeholders.    

“The task force met three times to see first, what we had already; second, where we were lacking; and third, where we needed to go,” Higgs says. “Computer science isn’t about sitting in front of a computer and coding all day. It’s about how to solve problems and how to think outside the box because a lot of times there are many answers to a problem.”

The master plan was also developed with the help of the nonprofit organization Washington STEM, which strives to advance “excellence, equity, and innovation” in STEM education. In a statement on the collaboration, they say they are “proud to have played a crucial role in helping the state of Utah lead the way to prepare children for the rapidly changing needs of the workplace.”

Parents and Students Want Computer Science Education

There’s a reason why Utah is rushing to implement a computer science plan: Parents, students, and employers are realizing the subject’s value.

“I think, for a long time, computer science has been seen as, ‘Well that’s only if you’re really into technology,’” explains Sarah Young, director of strategic initiatives at the Utah State Board of Education. “Technology is a part of our day-to-day life…so this isn’t for a select group; this is for all Utah kids.”

To get an idea for the work cut out for the state, only 32 schools in Utah offer an AP Computer Science course and just 376 AP Computer Science exams were administered in 2018.

It’s not just tech innovators and parents demanding access to computer science education. Students nationwide are getting involved too. Out of 300 students in one Louisiana high school, 75 requested a CS class, leading their chemistry and science teacher to try and develop a curriculum. In a different school in Nebraska, 65 out of 200 students asked for a computer science course.

“It’s empowering to see [my students] create an answer, rather than just finding it in the book,” Kyleigh Lewis, the teacher from Nebraska, says. 

Students in Utah are no different from their peers across the country. They want computer science courses and have been vocal in their demands.

Pre-Closures, Coding Clubs and Programs Were Packed With Students

Utah students have also been flocking to CS clubs both in their schools and outside of them. 

Before the Board of Education computer science curriculum task force, Ken Garff launched the Code to Success program (as part of the foundation Success in Education Utah, a public charity founded by Bob and Kathi Garff) for high school students. Participants attend nine weeks of summer school to learn coding. The program has been exceptionally popular: Last year, more than 1,200 applicants fought for 930 openings across 27 schools in 14 districts. 

“These students are remarkable in that they see an opportunity to virtually lift themselves into a better paying situation in the future by learning to code through the Code to Success program,” Rick Folkerson, president of Garff Foundation, said of the program. “And they are excelling in ways we had only dreamed of.” 

Individual schools are seeing success with their after-school coding clubs. With the help of school counselor Mark Jones, who hosts a coding club, the students at West Jordan Middle School have entered competitions to prove their skills. They’ve won the Jordan School District’s CTE Choice Award, Utah Jazz STEM student of the month and awards from the Utah STEM Action Center. 

The Utah STEM Action Center is an organization working to spread STEM education across the state. This group reports that there has been a 33 percent increase in demand for STEAM jobs within the state over the past 10 years and more than 18,500 high school graduates report an interest in STEM. This group provides grants, sponsorships and facilitates “STEM education by providing a platform for educators to share lesson plans to students of all levels.” 

Looking Ahead: CS Must Be Integrated Into Other Subjects

The goal of Utah’s Computer Science Master Plan is to provide lessons that will benefit all students, not just those who want to enter the tech industry and become future Silicon Slopes leaders. When students study CS, they learn computational thinking, logic, and a variety of soft skills that they can tap into throughout their future careers. 

“Even students who will not need to program at all are likely to have important encounters with computational thinking later in life,” explains Princeton’s William O. Baker Professor in Computer Science Robert Sedgewick. “For example, philosophers, politicians, reporters and, well, everyone — not just software engineers — must address privacy, security and ethical issues in software.” 

Sedgewick lists several other careers including archaeologists, artists, and biologists that use programming, technology and critical thinking.

For this school year and the next, schools in Utah and other states may need to find ways to integrate coding and computer science into subjects like math and ELA. According to a new NWEA brief titled The COVID-19 Slide, policymakers, educators, and parents are going to need to work together to give students access to engaging math and reading instruction to counteract ground lost in those subjects during school closures. Incorporating technology and coding can make that instruction more engaging, while laying the groundwork for the larger goal of CS instruction for all by 2022. 

Images by: RobinSaville, 3282700,  jovannig/©123RF.com, dolgachov/©123RF.com

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Some educators are developing innovative solutions on their own, but as broader remote teaching strategies and guidelines evolve we thought now might also be a good time to check in on Alabama’s overall approach to STEAM learning, and what kinds of initiatives can make an impact when schools are back in session. 

In Alabama, students from all walks of life are eager for STEAM education, but don’t always have the access they need. From private sector companies to non-profit organizations, residents of this state have made STEAM education a community effort. But one question remains: how will the government keep up?  

Governor Ivey’s Push for STEAM Learning

In late 2019, Ivey announced her support for investing in STEAM education and the formation of a plan to prepare students for the jobs of the future. The plan presented to the governor was developed by the Advisory Council for Excellence in STEM (ACES), which is comprised of 78 leaders from across the state representing diverse fields. This plan is meant to create a pipeline that will fill 850,000 STEM-related occupations by 2026. 

It’s not that Alabama lacks STEAM-jobs, but rather it lacks qualified workers to fill those roles. In particular, Alabama needs a workforce that can step into aerospace, biotechnology, cybersecurity, and advanced manufacturing positions. 

“Thirty-four of Alabama’s 40 in-demand occupations require secondary and postsecondary education in areas such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” Joshua Laney, director at the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship, said of the program. “As a state, it is crucial that we come together to prepare our students to succeed in these industries.” 

Some local cities and counties have already developed STEAM plans of their own. Mobile is supported by the Mobile Area Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving local public schools. 

“STEM education is more than a workforce development effort,” the organization states on its website. “It provides a pedagogical approach to engaging young people as early as elementary school in rich and rigorous content, inspiring students’ sense of curiosity, and giving them the tools and habits of critical thinking to understand the world around them.” 

However, not all cities have the same resources. If Ivey wants to implement a plan for STEAM education, she is going to need to consider education funding, teacher training, and appropriate resource allocation across the state. 

The plan is still currently in the works, but community organizations and educators are hopeful. In the meantime, many groups have stepped in to provide STEAM opportunities in their area to help their students have successful careers and find fulfillment in the future.

Teachers Bring Their Passion for STEAM to the Classroom

The classroom is ground zero for STEAM learning. Teachers are often left creating their own STEAM lesson plans and pulling their own resources to create materials that are valuable for students. This is because STEAM learning is different from rote memorization straight from textbooks. 

“It’s not like what you’re used to, students sitting [in] straight rows and quiet,” says Andre Harrison, senior director at Cognia.org. “The kids are up talking, using problem-based learning [and] solving problems.”

When students are given the STEAM resources they need to fulfill their curious nature, they absorb lessons that stick with them through high school and beyond. For example, Rhonda Tinker and Erika Clark, principals at Kitty Stone Elementary School in Jacksonville, start students off in kindergarten with basic coding principles like logic and basic math. Then, older students learn to build robots and compete in programming competitions. By the time students graduate, they’ve had several years of STEAM exposure. These educators don’t know what jobs will need to be filled by 2026, but they will prepare their students with future-ready skills to fill almost any role that is available. 

“We want them to be able to be leaders of their own learning and to take ownership and pride in what they do,” Clark says. “We teach leadership here that cuts across every subject, every brain level.”

Exposure at a young age can give students the energy and curiosity to explore STEAM subjects in extracurricular activities — and that’s when students in Alabama can stand out above the rest. In the Spring of 2019, Alabama was the only state to send two teams to the national StellarXplorers aerospace competition. Not only that, the two teams came from the same county — Madison County, near Huntsville. Students from Huntsville High and James Clemens High worked to build parts for a satellite and launch rocket.

There’s no doubt that exposure to space exploration and engineering by growing up in the Huntsville area inspired those Madison County students. This highlights just how important exposure is, which is something many STEAM educators try to bring to students.  

The Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind hosts STEAM summer camps where students participate in activities and go on field trips related to science and technology. “We can’t necessarily teach a kid to be a cyber-security expert in a week or a robotics master in a year, but what we can do is expose them to those activities and camps and show them that they have just as much capability and potential as their hearing peers,” explains Dennis Gilliam, Ed.D., special education coordinator at AIDB.

When students realize they are capable of having a STEAM career, they can pursue their interests by looking for other channels and learning outlets.

Local Universities Offer STEAM Experiences to K-12 Students

Local universities in Alabama have stepped up in a big way to provide STEAM resources to students. The University of Alabama System works with rural and underserved students, in particular, who might not get the exposure they would in more affluent districts. They host the STEM Entrepreneurship Academy where students stay on campus for a week and have multiple community-based partnerships to get involved in rural education.

“Many students in these areas had not been able to come to a college campus or had access to the resources and opportunity that exist here,” says Holly Morgan, Ph.D., regional in-service center director at The University of Alabama. “Students often aren’t even aware of some of these career fields.” 

Another example of the University’s STEAM outreach can be found at Woodland Forrest Elementary School. Education majors from UA travel to the local school and lead STEAM activities to practice their lesson plans. Some students drop eggs in makeshift lunar orbiters to try and make a module that lands safely, while others develop modified shoes meant to help basketball players run faster and play better. 

Additionally, Hemphill Elementary School in Birmingham hosted a Family Thanksgiving STEAM night in partnership with The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Education. Families were able to come together to celebrate the holiday while getting hands-on experience with scientific and engineering concepts. 

The event was hosted in partnership with the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI), part of the Alabama Department of Education’s initiative to improve K-12 science and math teaching statewide. AMSTI offers training materials for educators and administrators to improve their STEAM education and hosts events throughout the year to engage students and their families. 

The local universities provide a natural partnership for elementary learners. Younger students get hands-on experience, while future teachers grow their skills for when they eventually enter the classroom full-time.

Community Organizations Step in When They Can

Universities and educators aren’t the only ones investing in the futures of Alabama’s students. Many community organizations offer events throughout the year and dedicate their time to bringing STEAM learning where there is none. 

For example, the annual Girl Scout STEM festival in Trussville has become a staple event among scouts in the state. The event is open to the public and girls get to pick what they focus on and learn about when they visit the fair. 

“At Girl Scouts, girls learn how they can use STEM to help their community, improve their world, and build the future,” Karen Peterlin, CEO of Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, explains. “And they do all this through hands-on learning in a girl-focused, girl-led environment.”

Another organization helping to engage students in STEAM is Alabama STEM Education, a non-profit that holds events, seminars, and forums to bring science and engineering concepts to students and parents. Through donations and fundraising, this group recently purchased their first bus, used to bring students on field trips.

Even the Private Sector Gets Involved in STEAM Learning

Tim Disspain, host of The Pit-Stop Radio Show, reported on a STEAM day at the famous Talladega Superspeedway where more than 550 students from five middle schools participated in a STEAM-focused “Talladega Garage Experience.” Students were broken up into groups and visited four different stations, each one introducing a different STEAM concept. They also listened to a few guest speakers, including NASCAR drivers, who shared how they use STEAM concepts while they’re on the track. The goal was to present learning in a fun and unique way and engage students outside of the classroom.

Prior to COVID-19, students from three high schools in Talladega County were working at Lincoln High School’s campus to build tiny homes. This project gives students real-world experience with their engineering and electrical lessons. They also learn future-ready skills like teamwork and leadership. The tiny home building process was assisted by Alabama Custom Cabins in an effort to introduce students to potential trades that they could enter out of school while helping their local communities. 

These Small Steps Need Statewide Support

The opportunities created by companies and universities in Alabama paint a rosy picture of the state’s STEAM initiatives when schools reopen and social distancing is no longer necessary. It may seem like the ACES plan aligns well with what students are already learning. However, there is still a long way to go in improving state education and students will need opportunities for hands-on, collaborative projects when it’s safe to engage in them again.

Brandon Moseley at Alabama Political Reporter recently reported that Alabama schools scored “dead last in the entire country” for math on the National Assessment of Education Performance. Only 28 percent of students were proficient in math by fourth grade, a number that drops to 21 percent by eighth grade. 

If Governor Ivey wants Alabama to turn today’s students into tomorrow’s STEAM leaders, then there needs to be more investment in education beyond community involvement and dedication by individual teachers. Perhaps this time will allow for much-needed allocation of funding to support the plan and bolster the efforts of those teachers, community volunteers, and organizations already working to help students.

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Our team at Ozobot looked over the agenda and picked our favorite can’t-miss sessions that we want to attend. Check out our recommended speakers and the topics they plan to cover. 

Expressions of a 21st Century Learner with Spanish and Computer Science

Thursday, March 19, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Mesquite F – Convention Center

Learn how the Orange Unified School District helps young learners hone their language and computer science skills through its immersive two-way language program. This presentation is a fantastic example of how technology can be a tool for immersive learning while also helping students build computer literacy and coding skills. 

The presentation is led by Randy Kolset, coordinator of educational technology at OUSD. An educator in Orange County with more than 19 years of experience that has spanned all levels of teaching and administration, Kolset has been presenting at CUE since 2008.  

3 Dudes Rocking the 4Cs: Primary Edition

Thursday, March 19, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Primrose D – Convention Center

The 4Cs stand for creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. These are future-ready skills that will help students regardless of their career fields or changes in modern technology. Join speaker Ben Cogswell and presenters Michael Hughes and Eric Garcia as they explore how to hone the 4Cs in primary grades. This presentation will review how these skills are taught in three different classrooms and then attendees will learn how today’s technology can help students use the skills of tomorrow. 

Cogswell, who is also known as Coach Ben, is a kindergarten teacher in the Alisal Union School District in Salinas, California. He regularly shares his presentations and lessons on his website, so follow him for tutorials on blended learning, Google 101, and how to create curious learners.

Protecting Students in the Digital Age: Why Privacy Matters

Thursday, March 19, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

San Jacinto – Renaissance Hotel

As students use online apps and school-provided computers, they are generating data. Schools are gathering more data than ever — and few know exactly what to do with it or how to store it safely. This session for teachers and administrators will help attendees stay compliant with the law when handling student data. It will also cover the FERPA and COPPA laws. Greg Cox will be speaking on this topic, along with presenters David Sallay and Whitney Phillips.

Cox is a data privacy trainer for the Utah State Board of Education. He taught fourth and fifth grade for several years before working for an edtech startup and now the USBoE. In his current role, Cox creates videos and other materials to help teachers with student data privacy.

10 Ideas for Enhancing the PE Classroom Through Technology Integration

Thursday, March 19, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Mesquite F – Convention Center

Technology can be used across the school experience, which means students have the opportunity to learn new subjects with tech and enhance their digital literacy in subjects they enjoy. Speaker Heather Lyn and presenter Phyllis Epling will discuss technology in the PE classroom, specifically through the use of iPads. Join Lyn as she walks participants through six apps for student use and four apps for the physical educator. Just make sure you stretch first.  

Lyn has 16 years of teaching experience, both as a classroom educator and curriculum TOSA (teacher on special assignment). She has developed her own curriculum for a hybrid modeled class and has spent the past six years coaching teachers and staff on the 1:1 iPad classroom.   

Read Between the Pixels: Finding Truth in the Age of Social Media

Friday, March 20, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Pasadena – Renaissance Hotel

David Paszkiewicz is taking on digital literacy and challenging participants to consider where messages come from on social media and who is providing them. He’ll look at the world of social media influencers and discuss their goals. Paszkiewicz will also provide and demonstrate tools that educators can use to fact check statements and test their beliefs when consuming content on social media. 

Paszkiewicz has 20 years of experience as a technology educator and works as a lead instructional specialist in La Cañada Unified School District. He actively lobbies administrators and teachers to adopt new technology and works to make sure they can use it to the best of their abilities. 

Robotic and Social Equity

Friday, March 20, from 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.

Ballroom Foyer – Poster 1 – Renaissance Hotel

Robotics can change how students think about math, technology, and engineering — regardless of their background. This presentation will explore robotics instruction with inner-city fifth grade students. Speaker Kevin Obillo, Ed.D. wants attendees to understand why 1:1 technology isn’t enough to close the technology gap while also learning how to use robotics to engage students in STEAM fields. 

Obillo is the main speaker for this presentation. He has been a grade five teacher for more than 25 years and currently teaches at Lowell Elementary School in the Santa Ana Unified School District. Obillo is also an adjunct professor in the School of Education at the University of Redlands.

Principals’ Journeys in Scaling Tech Integration Across Schools: Sharing Success and Challenges

Friday, March 20, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Andreas – Renaissance Hotel

This presentation consists of a panel of four school principals who will discuss their challenges with adopting new forms of technology and scaling its use to the rest of the school and district. Topics will include staff communication, professional development, and school culture. The speakers will share how they worked together to develop and share technology while providing support to each other for the greater good of the school district. 

Cindy Bak, Ed.D. is the principal of the Laguna Road Elementary School in the Fullerton School District in Orange County, California. She has been an administrator for four years and has 14 years of teaching experience before that. Her goal is to instill a passion for learning within her student body.

Cyber Champions: Creating Conscientious Cyber Citizens

Friday, March 20, from 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Ballroom Foyer – Poster 2 – Renaissance Hotel

Many teachers are trying to create engaging lesson plans around the topic of digital citizenship. So why not gamify it? Attendees will get to explore a game that encourages students to improve their knowledge of the web and overall netiquette. They can also participate in #DigCit conversations and use different tools to help students. Eduardo Rivera will be speaking on this topic, along with presenters Bhavini Patel, Kathy Surdin, and Ursula Fabiano.

Rivera, also known as EdTech Eddie on Twitter, is an instructional technology specialist for the Palm Springs Unified School District. He started as an algebra teacher but followed his love of technology in the classroom to his current role. Rivera has spoken at multiple conferences, including CUE.   

Relevant Robotics: Integrating Creative Coding and Robots in Your Classroom

Saturday, March 21, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Primrose D – Convention Center

Carrie Willis and Caitlin Arakawa are presenting this session with the belief that you don’t need a computer science degree to bring coding and robotics to the classroom. They want to show how this form of learning is approachable and an option for even the most technophobic teachers. It will be a mixture of personal stories and illustrative examples, and with free tools that educators can use when they’re first starting out. 

Arakawa is a kindergarten teacher at Valley Preparatory School in Redlands, California. She tries to infuse technology into as many lessons as she can and uses it to engage her students. Arakawa also enjoys collaborating with other teachers and sharing tips to improve the education experience.  

Back to the Future: Teaching for a Time That’s Yet to Exist

Saturday, March 21, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Primrose D – Convention Center

Technology seems relatively new, but many teachers and schools have already shed past lesson plans and early technologies that first entered the classroom. This session will look back at these old technologies and see which key elements have lasted. The goal of this presentation is to realize that the lessons are the core concepts that students are learning, not the technology. Teachers need to prepare lessons for technology that has yet to be invented. 

Jason Spence will be leading this presentation with Mike Gizzo. Spence is an innovation coach at Poway Unified School District. In his 13 years of teaching, Spence has taught almost all grade levels K-8 and has served as a coach for the past five. He works closely with teachers to integrate technology and utilize the 1:1 classroom.

Flying Toilets: Teaching in a Digital Makerspace

Saturday, March 21, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Madera – Renaissance Hotel

If you want to provide a makerspace for your students, but lack the resources or space, then attend this session to learn how you can create a digital-makerspace your students will love. Your makerspace can engage students in problem-based learning and get them excited about STEAM concepts even if you don’t have a woodshop or 3D printer on hand.  

Lora Carey is a fifth grade teacher at Monte Bella Elementary in California. She has specialized in teaching math over the past five years while incorporating computer science and a makerspaces into her classroom. Carey also teaches an after school makerspace enrichment program.

Cyber Security Made Simple

Saturday, March 21, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Smoketree C – Convention Center

Cybersecurity breaches aren’t limited to large corporations. Schools collect a significant amount of data on students and are at risk of losing it if the information is not protected. This presentation will guide teachers and administrators through the process of safeguarding their data as their classrooms become increasingly more connected.  

Michael Dreyfus-Pai, director of technology at the Catholic Schools Diocese of Oakland, is the speaker and will be presenting with Mia Gittlen. Dreyfus-Pai has previously worked as a math and technology teacher as well as a technology coordinator. He thinks a lot about the intersection of technology and education. He is the vice president of East Bay CUE and spoke at Fall CUE.  

Find Ozobot at Spring CUE 2020

While there are dozens of presentations to help you improve your classroom and engage your students, take time to find Ozobot on the vendor floor. Tell us how you bring Evo and Bit to life in the classroom or try out our tech to see if it’s right for you. We can’t wait to see you!

Images by: rawpixel/©123RF.com, kasto/©123RF.com, Skitterphoto, Scottslm

The post 12 Must-Attend Sessions at Spring CUE 2020 in March appeared first on Ozobot.

There are some outstanding speakers this year, from the featured keynote presenters to speakers leading various discussions and seminars. Here is our must-see list for you to plan your schedule around. 

Meet the Featured Speakers

The conference planners at CUE have outdone themselves with this year’s lineup of featured speakers. These presenters are traveling from as far as Texas, Canada, and Australia and have become pioneers and thought leaders in how they connect with students. Make sure you get a good seat for their presentations and come ready with questions to ask them. 

• Sylvia Duckworth has more than 32 years of experience and hails from Toronto, Canada. She is actually leading two sessions at CUE on sketchnoting. This is a great way to help students learn with visual cues and to bring artistic elements into your lessons. Duckworth is an author of several books on sketchnoting and is an Apple Distinguished Educator.  
• Claudio Zavala, Jr. is based in Fort Worth, Texas. He looks for new and engaging ways to bring creativity to the classroom. Zavala uses his experience in music, photography, and cinematography to engage his students and help them better understand complicated material. Learn how he uses storytelling in the classroom and how you can apply his teaching methods.    
• Nicholas Provenzano recently celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his Twitter persona, The Nerdy Teacher. He is the Makerspace Director at University Liggett School in Michigan. This session will be particularly important for STEAM educators, as Provenzano will be discussing the value of project-based learning and makerspaces to support student agency.    
• Rachelle Dene Poth is a Spanish and “STEAM: What’s nExT in Emerging Technology” teacher. She is a noted author and an incredibly hard worker and advocate for her students. In 2018, she received the ISTE Gold Award for having done more than 500 hours of volunteer service in education. She is visiting from Oakmont, Pennsylvania. 
• Brett Salakas is the founder of #aussieED (the largest online network of teachers in Australia) and has 20 years of experience teaching in South East Asia and Australia. He is leading a session called “The Meta of Greta,” and will encourage teachers to consider which pedagogical practices can help students become leaders and follow their passions like Greta Thunberg.

Each of these speakers brings a unique way of teaching to the classroom. From engaging students in nerdy ideas to using creativity and storytelling, they create lessons that help students fall in love with learning and seek out the material they need to know.

Our Top 10 Notable STEAM-Focused Presenters

The featured speakers are just the starting point for getting the most out of Spring CUE 2020. There are hundreds of presenters from the west coast and across the United States. We combed through the list and found notable names we are looking forward to hearing. Their backgrounds, interests, and speaker topics are incredibly varied, but all have a core interest in STEAM concepts and improving education through technology. 

Andrew Arevalo

Andrew Arevalo is better known for his persona Gameboydrew. He is a fourth-grade GATE teacher and district Esports director in Southern California. Notably, Arevalo was the 2019 CUE Emerging Teacher of the Year. At CUE 2020, he will talk about his passion for blended learning and bringing play into the classroom. You can ask him how his students designed a learning game to improve their motivation and reasoning skills. Check out his blog to get an idea for his personality and make sure you catch him at CUE.

Mariana Garcia-Serrato

Mariana Garcia-Serrato is the blogger behind the site Teaching Above the Test, which discusses gamification, project-based learning, and genius hour. Garcia-Serrato is a firm believer in science education. She sees how it provides a strong foundation for students to develop future-ready skills that they can apply to any classroom in college and beyond.

Whitney Roth

Follow Whitney Roth on Twitter (@JustKeepSTEMing) for an idea of the engaging lessons she creates for her students. Her feed is full of bright pictures and excited students who are eager to learn something new. Roth is a Pennsylvania native who now works for the San Gabriel Unified School District near Los Angeles. In her current role as the TK-5th Grade STEM Teacher at McKinley Elementary School, Roth explores all kinds of robotics, coding, and 3D printing activities with her students.

David Platt

David Platt is a technology trainer at Covina High School in California. He has been part of the district for 16 years, where he has worked to integrate technology into the learning experience through multiple roles. You can learn more about Platt through his website, Organitech, where he explores the future of edtech as something that happens organically when people are creative, innovative, and driven. Platt is an experienced session leader, making his presentations engaging and memorable for those who attend.    

Judy Nguyen

Judy Nguyen is a teaching and learning consultant in Anaheim, California with more than 15 years of teaching experience. In her previous position, Nguyen helped Rosary High School adopt a 1:1 laptop program and worked with teachers to develop flipped and blended classrooms. Today, she helps teachers experiment with tech and guides them through lessons that incorporate 3D building and virtual/augmented reality.   

Katie McNamara

Katie McNamara brings her love of technology to the library. She is an AR/VR enthusiast who engages students in various projects to deepen their understanding of technology and how it can be used to make learning fun. McNamara is a Global Maker Day organizer and a Mackin Transform Your School Library Advocate. Bring questions about the role of libraries in tech-based learning. 

Shannon Tabaldo

Shannon Tabaldo is one-third of the bi-weekly podcast team behind My Tech Toolbelt, which works to recognize great teachers and the work they are doing with technology. Tabaldo is currently a professor at Loyola Marymount University and has more than 20 years of classroom technology experience in the junior high classroom. Follow her on Twitter to keep up with the latest ideas in edtech.

Darren Alcala

Darren Alcala is the District Technology Coach for the Cucamonga School District in California. In his role, Alcala coaches teachers on how to use technology and related skills in the classroom. Specifically, Alcala started the district’s Family Coding Night, which brings together students and parents to better understand the tech used in today’s schools. He also started the District Student Media Festival. Alcala is a returning presenter to Spring CUE so you can expect him to hone and improve his ideas for this year. 

Carrie Willis

We love finding Ozobot Certified Educators at conferences! Carrie Willis leads presentations on bringing robotics and creative coding to the classroom. Her Twitter feed is packed with photos of her latest projects and seminars. Willis is currently the STEAM coordinator at Valley Preparatory School in Redlands, California and has 18 years of teaching experience. Most recently, she was responsible for the design and implementation of her school’s STEAM lab addition.

Jesus Huerta

Jesus Huerta’s website has one clear graphic: Why I Teach. In every lesson, he puts together a big picture idea students can take with them beyond the classroom. For example, he currently has a blog post up about 3D printing and empathy. Students start by printing various trinkets and toys, but then move on to learn important, practical uses for the tool, like printing prosthetic limbs. Huerta believes in making technology accessible to all students. Listen to his ideas for blending technology with the classroom.

If you’re planning to attend Spring CUE 2020, find Ozobot among your other favorite STEAM vendors. We’d love to hear about the work you do and the creative ways you teach with Evo and Bit. See you there!

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Given these challenges, let’s look at the state of STEAM education in the Lone Star State.

A Brief History of Texas Education Since 2000

To understand the state of education in Texas in 2020, you need to know the challenges educators have faced over the past two decades. Michael Marder, Ph.D., executive director of the UTeach Science Program at The University of Texas at Austin, wrote about the rise and fall of Texas test scores in the past 20 years compared to states like California and Massachusetts. 

From 2000 through 2011, test scores were on a significant upward trajectory, but then they peaked and have been falling ever since. Marder reports that in 2011, the state cut the education budget by $5 billion over the next two years, while also eliminating several programs for bilingual students, special education spending, and support for struggling learners. This, paired with a new set of exams that left teachers and administrators confused, has pulled Texas back to where it was before the 21st century in terms of education rankings. 

The change in the testing style for Texas students is a sore spot for many teachers in the state. Former high school teacher Cynthia Ruiz says her students’ reading test scores plummeted in 2012 when the state switched from the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Teachers received little preparation for the exam, and Ruiz then had to switch her teaching style from one of building a love of reading and learning to “drill and kill.” She saw students who were once avid readers give up in class because they thought there was no way they could pass. 

“Not one college or employer looks at these scores, and we are spending millions of dollars on them,” she said. “And for what?”

In the past decade, few teachers have been able to recover their teaching style. This means that STEAM-based learning, which is often focused on projects and big-picture ideas, is perforce pushed to one side in favor of learning core material to maintain and improve test grades.

“To create a successful STEM community, it must include more than testing and the standardized, traditional modes of assessing knowledge,” writes Calvin Mackie, Ph.D., founder of STEM NOLA, a nonprofit K-12 STEM education provider in New Orleans. “There is a well-established culture of test prepping and test taking, however, I believe and some know that teachers and our students will benefit from bigger, broader, and more modern teaching methods like project-based learning or portfolio-based assessment.” 

Many schools in the state of Texas want to embrace STEAM education and project-based learning, but few teachers have the time and resources to add additional lessons when their main focus is STAAR testing.

State Funding Cuts Creates Rampant Inequality

The $5 billion in education budget cuts that Marder mentioned has been felt across Texas. Schools that wanted to explore STEAM curriculums now can’t afford them. This leads the districts to provide funding, which creates an inequitable experience for students. 

Tanya Reyna is one student who experienced this inequality firsthand. She grew up in one of the poorest regions of Texas and learned how much she had missed out on during her first few weeks of college. She even questioned whether her college acceptance was a mistake. Reyna, who went on to study at Columbia University, points to how districts are funded to show the rampant inequality across the state.

“School districts in Texas receive the majority of their funding through property taxes,” she writes. “Unsurprisingly, regions that suffer from poverty tend to have lower home values; whereas the opposite holds true for high-income regions.” 

The result is that lower-income schools receive less funding, forcing students like Reyna to work twice as hard to reach the same place in their education as their more affluent peers.  

When the state fails to provide for its students and local school districts can’t get funding from property taxes, community members have to fill the gaps. Sabina Bharwani, CEO of computer science enrichment program Hello World says her company’s partnership with the coupon site RetailMeNot allowed elementary and middle school students in Austin learn from professional engineers. 

They visited corporate campuses and laboratories, and were exposed to ideas and concepts the schools otherwise couldn’t afford. Each Harmony Public School campus that Hello World worked with was a Title 1 school made up of predominantly underserved or low-income students. In addition, RetailMeNot “donated significant funds for computer science education” to over 500 students in these schools.

The city of Austin has seen tremendous growth over the past decade, bringing many new companies and creating a tech bubble within Texas. Many of these companies step in to support STEAM education within the city. However, programs that benefit Austin can’t help students in the rest of Texas. 

“One of the challenges in West Texas is proximity to higher education,” says Kelty Garbee, Ph.D., director of programs at Educate Texas. “Another is having enough people to form a critical mass to get the attention of a funder or a higher education or workforce partner.” Rural school districts need to band together to apply for funding and form their own, community-based STEAM programs.

To be sure, many rural community members do lobby for funding for their local schools. For example, the Texas Farm Bureau reported that farmers could nominate their local public schools for grants up to $25,000 as part of the Grow Rural Education program. The local farmers nominate a school, and then administrators and teachers design a STEAM program and apply for the grant.

STEAM Education Means Providing Future-Ready Skills

The problem with separating STEAM education from core learning is that it reduces STEAM learning to building robots and developing apps when the reality is that this type of learning covers so much more. 

Jason Treadway, Ph.D., director of the STEM Institute at Dallas County Community College District, emphasizes that the vast majority of jobs require “middle skills” or tools like problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication. At Ozobot, we call them “future-ready skills.” Treadway says it’s important for business owners, parents, and the general public to know that STEAM-learning isn’t just about environmental protection and bottle rockets, but honing the soft skills needed to make a programmed app or robot a success. 

Other educators have offered similar thoughts when discussing the future of STEAM education in Texas. 

“Whether a student goes on to become a novelist or neurosurgeon, those foundational skills will make the future they choose a brighter one,” writes Fatih Ay, CEO of Harmony Public Schools. “And it will make Texas’ future brighter as well, because we as Texans will be able to look at each new generation of young leaders and know that we were able to provide them an education that was second to none.”

The challenge is that skills like teamwork and leadership are harder to test for than multiplication tables. They are also harder to teach than other lessons that rely on rote memorization. 

“What STEAM affords us is the opportunity for students to be very hands-on in their learning,” explains Lynn Ojeda, principal at Plano ISD Academy High School. “When we value creativity, innovation, and ideation, STEAM allows you to live in those places in your brain. STEAM allows you to think outside of the box. STEAM is a framework for how to move through a project.” 

Texas schools need supplies for STEAM learning, but they also need the time and space away from standardized test prep to teach it.

Local Business Professionals are Lobbying for STEAM Education

The future of Texas STEAM education is a key topic of discussion not just for politicians and parents, but also for business leaders trying to plan for their future workforce. 

“Texas is very rich when it comes to dominant industry clusters,” Alfreda Norman, senior vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas told a group of business leaders on a panel hosted by the Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) and the Toyota USA Foundation. “The job and talent pipeline needs to be geared so that workers are going into these clusters. STEM education is important to this job pipeline and growth.” 

Educate Texas, an arm of the CFT, works to “bring together state agencies and school districts” through funding and grant programs. Its goal is to bridge the gap that leaves some districts impoverished when state funding is pulled. 

Many organizations and professionals are stepping in to offer their STEAM insight. For example, the e-learning platform Nepris has a Texas-based site, Texas STEM Connections, where educators can request instruction from professionals statewide. Professionals sign up with the organization and specify where they are and what they do for a living. Then, educators request a virtual lesson from them.

There’s also the Texas STEM Coalition which provides resources for schools to earn STEM certification, hosts conferences for teachers, and works to offer resources for struggling schools. The nonprofit works with any K-12 school that wants to improve its STEM education.

Still, Texas students aren’t getting the STEAM education they need to enter today’s workforce — and even fewer are getting an education that they can take with them to college. 

Alejandra Matos at the Houston Chronicle reported on the discrepancies between Texas school grades and student readiness. The state had set a goal in 2015: “By 2030, 60 percent of Texas high school graduates would earn an industry certificate or a post-secondary degree within six years.” This would be a substantial increase from the 29 percent of students who accomplished that in 2009.

Schools that are preparing students for college or to enter their professional careers are graded well by the state, but aren’t delivering prepared students. At several A and B-rated schools, the majority of students graduate with lower than expected SAT and ACT scores. STEAM education is meant to prepare students for the workforce, whether they enter it after high school or after college. However, the data proves that most students aren’t getting that. 

This data is important for legislatures and the Board of Education to note, as the test scores grade students on national results (with the SAT and ACT), not the Texas-developed STAAR tests. 

The state of Texas has a long way to go to provide STEAM education equitably to its students, but there is hope. As the demand for investment in STEAM learning grows louder from business leaders and administrators, the state government may follow in the footsteps of California, New York, and New Jersey to give teachers the resources they need. 

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In particular, the educators in Seattle Public Schools, King County, and the surrounding areas do an exceptional job of engaging students in STEAM concepts. Learning has become a community effort, with local businesses, professional groups, and alumni stepping in to involve students in learning opportunities. 

Here are 10 inspiring teachers, clubs, and groups making a difference in Seattle schools when it comes to engaging students in STEAM subjects.

1. Issaquah Students Compete in Top Robotics Competitions

Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region have developed a reputation as a hotbed for competitive robotics. In 2019, GeekWire profiled the Issaquah Robotics Society, formed by students at Issaquah High School. Student and co-president Aedan Henry explained why robotics has become one of the most popular clubs at his school — boasting more than 60 members. 

“Robotics sucks you in,” Henry writes. “It sparks new ideas that become all-encompassing. We talk about it constantly. Robotics dominates thoughts and conversations because it’s more interesting and more inspiring than much of traditional high school.” 

Henry went on to say that he feels independent and professional in his ability to work with others to create robots that solve problems and challenges. 

2. Amazon and FIRST Provide Resources to Elementary Schools

Administrators at Seattle Public Schools and other community leaders want to inspire elementary students to discover and pursue an interest in robotics. Through a partnership with Amazon and FIRST Washington (which provides mentor-based science and technology programs), young students learn about robots and how to build them.

“We tell them, and it’s true, that they are going to be our future scientists, engineers, and mathematicians,” Brenda Ball Cuthbertson, principal at John Muir Elementary, said about the program. “They are going to be the ones that are going to create the things that we can’t even imagine, and they are getting started on that today.”

By engaging students with robotics at a young age, educators hope to instill a passion that will continue to grow in middle and high school, rather than have students fear complex math and technology.

3. Local Teachers Work to Develop Their Own Curricula

Seattle Public Schools set the bar for students in the surrounding areas and throughout Washington, and some teachers in neighboring districts are getting creative with the resources they have. 

Opstad Elementary School coding teacher Chris Harting was recently honored by Symetra and the Seattle Seahawks as a “Hero in the Classroom.” He was nominated by a parent for the award because of the fun and engaging way he brings coding to the classroom. 

Even though Opstad has only had a coding program for a few years, Harting has built a strong curriculum that makes students excited about the material. Plus, the nominating parent says, Harting always works to make his kids laugh and enjoy their lessons.

4. Redfin Employees Volunteer During Hour of Code

Students in Seattle can benefit from the large technology sector that has formed over the past few decades. Many STEAM professionals have shown their willingness to share their knowledge and stories with local students. 

For example, in 2018, groups of Redfin engineers visited Seattle area middle schools that were participating in the Hour of Code. They talked about their careers and the paths they took to reach them. The engineers also led “unplugged” activities that honed student coding skills but didn’t require technology. 

“I really liked the feeling of having inspired some children in getting more interested in computer science,” said Alvin Tran, a senior software developer at Redfin. He also appreciated the team bonding that came with hanging out with his peers and coworkers to help the kids.  

5. High School Students Lobby for Computer Science Resources

While teachers and parents work to provide STEAM resources, some of the area’s students are starting to speak up and advocate for themselves. In an article for the Seattle Times, Hallie Chen, an Issaquah high School student and part of Education Lab’s Student Voices program, lobbied in favor of teaching computer science to more students in the area. 

Chen shared her struggles to understand computer science processes. “Instead of plugging numbers into an equation Isaac Newton discovered 300 years ago, computer science makes me the Newton: I have to think actively and work through the process, each and every time,” she wrote. “Though it felt tedious at first, the biggest reward was computational thinking, or the process of breaking down problems into segments to first solve individually, one at a time.” 

Even if Chen doesn’t enter a programming career, that ability to solve complex problems and strategically approach challenges will benefit her and prepare her for any future endeavor.

6. College Mentors Help Engage Young Students

College students in Seattle and Puget Sound understand the value of computer science and are eager to pass on their knowledge to younger students. 

For example, when Sofia Schwartz, was a student at the University of Puget Sound, she led the Beta Coders along with a few of her peers. This was a club dedicated to reaching younger students and making programming seem accessible, therefore promoting diversity in the field. The Beta Coders mentored students at Lincoln High School in Tacoma and helped students in computer science classes up to three times a week. 

“I was never exposed to computer science until the end of my freshman year of college,” said Schwartz, now a software engineer at Accenture. “I wanted to be able to expose people [to it] at a younger level.”

7. Educators Connect STEAM Concepts to Real-World Issues

STEAM education works to build connections with the material that will stick with students, and you can see how Seattle Public Schools are committed to this concept through their new math proposal. If the plan is approved, teachers will change how they teach math to present concepts through a social justice lens. 

“I can learn about the radius of a circle and do typical classroom activities where I’m finding the circumference of a jar,” explains educator and attorney Colin Seale, founder of professional development provider ThinkLaw. “Or, my teachers can use the concept of a radius to have me think about my proximity to a grocery store where healthy food options are available to help me understand the concept of food deserts.” 

This process taps into the students’ natural curiosity about the world and sense of justice in a way that makes the lessons stick. It can also validate their own very real problems outside of the classroom. 

8. NOVA Students Apply Civics Knowledge to Climate Protests

As students tie their STEAM lessons to practical, real-world experiences, many are stepping up to fight for change. In September 2019, more than 2,000 people protested the climate crisis at the Washington statehouse, many of whom were students who left school that day as a form of protest. While most schools issued unexcused absences to these students, one school in Olympia supported it.

Administrators at NOVA Middle School were impressed when more than 85 percent of the student body signed a letter supporting the climate strike and calling for an early release day. They agreed to let the students participate with the supervision of parent and teacher chaperones. Teachers used the events happening in their backyard to have a broader, STEAM-focused discussion on climate change while allowing students to follow their passions and learn from the leaders around them.   

9. The GEMS Club Engages Girls in STEAM Concepts

Another way community leaders are engaging students in STEM concepts is with the GEMS program by the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) of Seattle. GEMS stands for Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science. It is a free club available to 7th and 8th-grade students that meets twice per month at two different locations in the area (South Shore PK-8 in South Seattle and Fred Hutch in South Lake Union). 

There is a different theme each month that covers a different STEAM topic. Over this school year, participants will get to participate in fun projects related to DNA, astrophysics, forensic science, oceanography, and much more. 

10. King County Libraries Support Students and Teachers

Alongside Seattle schools, the King County Library System has focused closely on providing free or affordable STEAM resources for local students. In particular, the Bellevue Library is home to the ideaX Makerspace which hosts a variety of workshops and events throughout the year. Teachers and residents can also reserve makerspace equipment to work on specific projects or guide students through the learning process. 

KCLS received recognition for their STEAM efforts from Boeing, which awarded the system $80,000 in a grant to expand their technology programs to low-income and underserved families. The ideaX programs launched by the library reached more than 12,000 students in 2018.     

Each of the teachers and groups mentioned in this list engage students in different ways. Some teachers make learning fun so students will keep wanting to know more. Other educators tie lesson plans to issues outside of school, to add context for why the lesson is meaningful. All of these lessons give students future-ready skills and entice them to continue exploring STEAM concepts long after they leave the classroom. 

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One of the main features that has caught on recently is gamification. More educators are using technology to discuss concepts through games, rewarding students with points and badges. 

How does gamification work in the classroom? What subjects can it be applied to? It’s time to answer those questions so you can gamify your lessons effectively. 

What is Gamification in a Classroom Setting?

Gamification is the process of bringing elements of gaming to your lesson plans. It doesn’t mean replacing your lessons with games, but rather adding certain attributes (like point systems and badges) to make the content more engaging, explains the team at Kids Academy.

While gamification has become increasingly popular as students grow connected to their smartphones and gaming apps, there are other factors at play. Laura Ascione, managing editor at eSchool Media, looked at some of the factors driving game-based learning in the classroom. A few of the reasons the trend has caught on include:

• There are high levels of demand from educators who are curious about this option.
• Gamification is already taking hold in corporate training.
• Many of these apps are easy to use and compatible with existing technology in the classroom.

Essentially, teachers who want to try gamification can find a few free tools and resources to see what their students think. If the class responds positively, the demand for more will grow.

In fact, schools have technically used gamification for years in the form of test scores and grades, writes Laura Lynch at WordPress learning management system LearnDash. “When you think about it, grades are similar to leveling up in a course, or achieving a high score on a leaderboard. The main reason we don’t think of grades as gamification is because they’re not fun. Grades aren’t a game. They’re final.”

However, when done well, gamification can reduce the stress of test scores and make learning fun. The best teachers present games that reinforce the lessons and apply them in ways that make those lessons stick.

Why Should You Invest in Gamification?

There are many reasons to consider investing in gamification in your classroom, whether you teach lower-level elementary students or prepare advanced high schoolers for college.

Kids Like Playing Games

Teachers tend to give up crafts and games as students leave their early years of learning. Fifth grade teacher Emily Dixon, the 2018-19 Bryan County teacher of the year in Georgia, says teachers switch to worksheets and note-taking as if students grow out of playing games and learning in a fun way. 

“When kids are bored, that’s when we see disengagement. I realized that I needed to give my students a reason to care. We have to humanize school. We have to make kids believe that they are doing something for a reason, for a purpose.”

Games Reinforce Lessons and Promote Problem-Solving

Another reason gamification is popular is because it provides hands-on outlets for students. Game-based projects are meant to turn students into problem-solvers, honing future-ready skills they can use in any subject or situations, writes Aleksandr Hovhannisyan at Classcraft. 

“Regardless of what you’re teaching, the key is to get students thinking and answering questions, not just reading and memorizing,” he says. Instead of students trying to remember abstract concepts they learned in a lesson, they’re able to apply those ideas in games, which boosts both comprehension and retention.

“Gamifying your classroom can be as simple or as complex as you choose to make it,” says elementary teacher Amanda Moore. She gamified her classroom to create an engaging way to deliver online lessons related to reading and math. This turned traditional learning into a motivating challenge, with characters and a storyline. Students earned points for their work and teamed up in groups to defeat villains or level up. Moore says that she had researched gamification, but had never expected to see the engagement in the classroom and the results that she did.

How to Bring Gamification to Your Classroom

While gamification is popular with students and many teachers, there are some pitfalls to this form of learning. Follow our guide for starting with gamification so you can avoid these common issues.

Look for Easy Ways to Bring Games to Your Learning Environment

You don’t need to invest in apps and other expensive learning materials to create a gamified classroom, emphasizes former math teacher Joseph McAllister, now learning environment advisor at technology solutions provider CDW-G. “Teachers can create digital breakouts using several Google functions, including sites, forms, drawing, and slides,” he explains as one example.

Jennifer Prescott, a middle school French and Spanish teacher, chose a superhero theme for the gamification of her class. Students created avatars using basic vocabulary and gained experience points by completing grammar quests. These avatars were created with colored pencils and markers.

“Students were engaged and working at their own pace,” she says. “The project lent itself to extension activities and allowed student agency in directing the project.” They could choose which lessons to focus on and solve them on their own time.   

McAllister adds that teachers benefit from gamification by receiving instant feedback on what students understand and where they get stuck, which indicates those lessons on which they need to spend more time. 

Develop Rewards Based on Your Lesson Plans

It is possible for students to become so focused on the game and point system that they don’t pay attention to the lesson, warns the team at early learning curriculum software provider, Waterford. To counter this, they encourage teachers to come up with rewards that are directly tied to the lesson. 

For example, students that win a science-based challenge can help you complete a hands-on experiment in front of the rest of the class. Alternatively, as students reach certain levels, they can participate in various activities like shooting off a bottle rocket with soda and mentos or making slime.

The fact that gamification is associated with rewards, using badges and points, can actually be counterproductive. “Obviously we can’t treat students like Starbucks customers,” says Matthew Farber., Ed.D., former high school teacher, now assistant professor at UNC Colorado. “The journey is to build mastery. The better way to gamify is to put students in an inquiry-based or project-based learning experience. Or give them a task in a narrative frame.” 

This adds meaning to the gamification process. Instead of distracting students or giving the smartest kids the most badges, teachers can develop lessons that build on each other and help students challenge themselves to grow.   

Secondary school teacher Jess Houser says she gamifies student writing projects. Students start out as novices and work up to legends (modeled on the action role-playing video game Skyrim) by gaining experience through writing activities. This encourages students to write more, but in a directed way where they are learning new concepts and putting ideas into practice that are in line with the school curriculum.

All of the rewards and upgrades she uses are tied to the lessons and the core goal of writing better.

Don’t Overwhelm Students With New Tools and Ideas

Pace yourself as you teach your students. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the technology and learning options available to you. Upper elementary teacher Tammy DeShaw suggests introducing a new tool or a new concept to your students, but not both at the same time. This is because your students will be focusing on the technology and the game, not the learning material.   

Additionally, you don’t have to gamify your whole curriculum. Start with a few lessons that are relevant and see how they work. 

“Don’t overuse rewards and don’t try to gamify anything and everything that happens in your classroom,” advises edtech writer Livia Mihai. “If all your energy goes into gamification, there’s not much left for other learning activities, which are still important in the development of children.”

You may find that some lessons are better learned through group projects, worksheets, or simple presentations.

Additional Resources for Gamifying Your Classroom

There are dozens of teachers willing to share their stories of what worked and what didn’t. Plus there are additional resources on the web that you can turn to.

In an article for ASCD In-Service, MacKenzie Masten points to several resources you can turn to for help with gamifying your lessons. She sorts them by category so you can see which ones are free to use.  

Chris Mumford at Hey Teach!, a publication for educators issues by Western Governors University, shares an infographic teachers can use to introduce gamification to their classrooms. It follows many of the same principles discussed above: Start simple, develop a storyline for students to follow, track points for rewards, and share your enthusiasm with students. If you’re having fun with your students, then your students will have fun with you.

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For attendees looking to specifically learn more about STEAM, coding, and robotics, the convention will have plenty of learning opportunities for them to take advantage of. Here are some of the sessions we’re looking forward to attending and the speakers we’re excited to hear.

10 Anticipated Sessions in the STEAM Track

There continues to be an increasing emphasis on implementing STEAM, robotics, and coding activities in classrooms in order to generate interest among students for these increasingly important subjects. For teachers, this means finding creative strategies to incorporate these learning tracks into their curriculums.

The sessions at the TCEA Convention will provide teachers with ideas and insights for doing just that, while also allowing them to brush up on their skills and learn new ones.

Building and Sustaining an After-School STEM Program

Monday, February 3 from 9:45 a.m. to 10:35 a.m.

Room 12B

Many schools are starting clubs that immerse students in a wide range of activities and real-world projects in STEM subjects. No matter how enthusiastic teachers and students are about the STEM club, building one and sustaining participation can be challenging. Samuel Saenz, science department chair at Houston Community College, will present a 3-step process, “Hook, Line and Sinker,” that aims to help participants build the program in their schools.

Humanities + Animation + Electronics = Humanitronics

Monday, February 3 from 11 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

Room 15

The practice of using animatronics in the classroom, where students program mechanical puppets to demonstrate learning, is a growing trend in many schools. For attendees who aren’t sure how animatronics will fit into their lessons, this session with Trinity Valley School’s computer science teacher Abbie Cornelius and director of computer science Ginger Alford, Ph.D. will answer a lot of questions.

Need to Teach Coding and Can’t Code? No Problem!

Monday, February 3 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:20 p.m.

Room 12B

School districts are starting to require that teachers include coding in their curriculums. But what about the teachers that don’t know how to code? This session by Jesus Blouvan with Topeka Public Schools will introduce attendees to coding and start them on their path to incorporating it into their curriculums. 

Robots Are Better Than Cupcakes: Creating a Girls STEM Club

Monday, February 3 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Palazzo Poster 8

It’s no secret that there is a lack of women in STEM jobs. Reversing this trend starts in the schools where educators can encourage girls to become interested in those subjects. Creating a girls-only STEM club is one way to get them involved and boost their confidence. Dr. Stephanie Hendrith, assistant professor for the elementary science and instructional technology at Murray State University, shares tips and suggestions from personal experience on how to start a club. 

Robotics in Small Town, U.S.A.

Tuesday, February 4 from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Room 12B

Building a robotics program in a small school can be especially challenging because of a lack of funding, personnel, and resources. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Dekalb Independent School District technology teacher, Lacey Mullins, and first grade teacher Tracy Triplett explain how they make their robotics program work from elementary through middle and high school grades.

Make It Theirs: Design an Esports Club Your Youth Will Love and Learn From

Tuesday, February 4 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Palazzo Breakout Zone 1

Using Esports, competitions via video games, in classrooms is a concept that can be especially beneficial for STEM teachers. They can apply STEM skills to video gaming to encourage student engagement in activities related to these subjects. Kevin Brown, Esports program specialist for the North America Scholastic Esports Federation, shares tips and resources to help educators leverage gaming in the classroom.  

STEAMING Strong in Dual Language

Tuesday, February 4 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Room 7

Reaching dual language learners can be a challenge. Incorporating STEAM activities in the classroom can help teachers engage those students and enrich their learning to boost academic performance. Teachers Cynthia Barron, Claudia Gutierrez, and Ginger Aleman from Wedgeworth Elementary, a school with a strong bilingual program, will share some practical activities that attendees can mirror to incorporate STEAM activities for their DLLs.

I Felt What He Felt: Learning Empathy Across The Curriculum With Robots

Wednesday, February 5 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Palazzo Breakout Zone 2

In this session, Amanda Trowbridge, a librarian in the Irving Independent School District, and Audrey Wilson-Youngblood, a librarian in the Keller Independent School District, explore whether machines have the capability to teach students empathy. They will lead hands-on demonstrations using robotics products to show attendees how they can be used in this capacity in the classroom.

Inspiring PreK-6 Youth to “Find Their Inner STEMologist” Using Tools Like Osmo, SnapCircuits & More

Wednesday, February 5 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Palazzo Poster 10

There are so many STEM tool options for teachers who want to incorporate these activities in their classrooms that it can be difficult to know where to start. Rachna Mathur, founder of STEMology Club, whose mission is to help kids discover their “Inner STEMologoist,” will present a hands-on display of tools such as Osmo, SnapCircuits, Sphero, and Scratch Jr. for attendees to explore and learn ways to incorporate them into their curriculums. 

Want Student Achievement to Soar? Code Drones In The Classroom

Thursday, February 6 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Room 4C

Using drones in the classroom may seem far-fetched, but it is a new reality that can expand learning opportunities for students. Julie Redden, technology department chair for Deer Park High School, and Antonio Bernabe, computer science and robotics teacher at the same school, will teach attendees how to code drones and integrate them into middle and high school technology and computer science curriculums.

5 Must-See Presenters For “STEAM-spiration”

In addition to educational sessions, attendees will have the opportunity to listen to featured presenters as they tell their stories to inspire educators. Conference-goers who want to learn more about tech in the classroom won’t want to miss the presentations from these advocates and enthusiasts.

Jamie Donally

Jamie Donally is a math teacher turned instructional technology expert. In that role, she provides staff development and training on innovative classroom technology. As part of her love of building connections, she launched the Global Maker Day event which brings together teachers and classrooms through YouTube Live so they can share their technology projects, learn about new technologies, and participate in creative challenges. She also launched the #ARVRinEDU online community that offers resources and insights for implementing technology in the classroom.

Michael Cohen

Known as the Tech Rabbi, Michael Cohen describes himself as a “designer and technologist turned educator.” Cohen serves as the director of innovation for Yeshiva University of Los Angeles Boys School where he manages and teaches at the Schlesinger STEAM and Entrepreneurship Center. He is also a national speaker, author, and “creative instigator,” working with schools and educators to create opportunities for students to use technology and digital skills in order to ask questions and solve problems. He believes this develops and enhances their creative confidence.

Eric Curts

Veteran educator Eric Curts runs Control Alt Achieve, a blog where he shares information and insights on using technology to transform education. He is an authorized Google Education Trainer and Innovator who provides Google Apps training to schools and organizations. In his current role as Technology Integration Specialist for Stark/Portage Area Computer Consortium in Canton, Ohio, he oversees Google Apps for Education implementation, training, and support in addition to other technology integration initiatives. 

Leslie Fisher

Leslie Fisher is a K-12 education technology speaker and professional development consultant who specializes in presenting emerging and practical technology solutions to educators. She found her niche in this role after working for Apple Computer for five years as a K-12 senior systems engineer. From there, she founded Fisher Technologies Inc. and has since been traveling the world helping educators with their technology implementations and decision making.

Liv Van Ledtje

Liv Van Ledtje is an 11-year-old superstar who knows and loves sharks, education, and science,  and plans to use those passions to become an ichthyologist. She is an ambassador for the Gills Club, which promotes girls in science through inquiry-based experiences that encourage activism for sharks and ocean life. She is a girl on a mission to promote digital citizenship for kids, and her work has been featured at conferences around the world.

These technology-focused sessions and presenters, along with many others, will no doubt inspire attendees to build stronger STEAM programs and promote coding and robotics in their districts and schools. The conference will also be a great opportunity for attendees to connect with each other and share their challenges and successes in the classroom. 

Last but not least, the Ozobot Dome returns for TCEA 2020. This year, we’ll be hosting hands-on training sessions in our 2 Ways to Code in one half of the booth, and leading smart class sessions with our new STEAM platform, Ozobot Classroom, in the other. 

Ozobot Classroom (patent pending) will make it easy to integrate coding and computer science with Ozobot’s robots into lessons for any subject and any grade level—with features that include an interactive educator dashboard, single-click class setup, a Core Coding Curriculum and interdisciplinary lessons, and live lesson insights. For the first time, educators can get powerful real-time insights into student progress and engagement for both online and offline activities. 

After being unveiled and voted Best of Show at ISTE 2019, Ozobot Classroom for Chrome will launch this month and be available to K-12 educators at no cost. Once teachers create an account at ozobot.com/classroom, they will be guided through interactive training in Ozobot’s 2 Ways to Code: on-screen with OzoBlockly visual programming and screen-free with Color Codes. From there, educators can manage students and Ozobots, assign standards-aligned lessons, and receive live insights into online and offline student activity to inform teaching strategies, maximize participation in coding and CS, and improve retention across all subjects. 

Come experience Ozobot Classroom with our staff and Ozobot Certified Educators, and you could win an Ozobot t-shirt for participating. Plus, you’ll be entered to win an Ozobot Evo Classroom Kit! This Kit is new-and-improved for 2020, with a super-cool charging base that lets you store and charge Evos all in one place, plus one full-access Ozobot Classroom license code and Ozobot Classroom Communicator, which provides boosted Bluetooth to up to 18 robots. 

The Ozobot team is looking forward to making new friends, learning new things, and sharing our work with attendees. We’ll be in booth number 2351 in the exhibition hall.

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Cognitive flexibility is a crucial skill for students to develop as it enables them to adapt to new information, shift their thinking, and solve problems creatively. In this blog, we’ll explore effective strategies to enhance cognitive flexibility in the classroom and help students thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Encourage Perspective-Taking

Helping students see the world through different lenses is essential for developing cognitive flexibility. Implement activities that require students to step outside their own viewpoints and consider alternative perspectives. Organize structured debates where students must defend positions they might not personally hold. Create role-playing scenarios that challenge them to embody different characters with unique motivations. Use diverse literature and storytelling to expose students to varied cultural perspectives and life experiences. When students practice viewing situations from multiple angles, they strengthen neural pathways that support flexible thinking and develop greater empathy for others.

Incorporate Open-Ended Problems & Puzzles

Unlike standardized tests with single correct answers, real life rarely offers straightforward solutions. Present students with complex, open-ended challenges that mirror authentic problems. Introduce design thinking projects where students identify real community issues and develop multiple potential solutions. Incorporate logic puzzles that can be solved through various approaches. STEM-based activities, such as engineering challenges with limited materials, force students to reconsider assumptions and try alternative methods when initial attempts fail. These experiences teach students that problems can have multiple valid solutions, training them to adapt their thinking processes based on changing conditions.

Promote a Growth Mindset

The language we use around learning significantly impacts how students respond to challenges. Create a classroom culture where mistakes are normalized and viewed as valuable parts of the learning process. Explicitly teach students about neuroplasticity and how the brain physically changes when we learn new things. Model resilience by sharing your own mistakes and how you learned from them. Implement reflection routines that ask students to identify what worked, what didn’t, and what they’ll try differently next time. When students understand that intelligence isn’t fixed but can be developed through effort and strategy, they become more willing to take risks and approach problems with greater flexibility.

Use Cross-Disciplinary Learning

Traditional education often compartmentalizes knowledge, but real-world problems rarely respect subject boundaries. Design integrated lessons that naturally blend multiple disciplines, such as creating geometric art that applies mathematical principles, writing historical fiction that requires both historical research and creative writing skills, or developing science experiments that incorporate data analysis and communication skills. Project-based learning that spans subject areas helps students recognize patterns across disciplines and transfer knowledge from one context to another. This interdisciplinary approach builds neural connections that support more flexible thinking strategies and encourages students to draw from diverse knowledge bases when solving problems.

Foster Flexible Thinking Through Coding & Robotics

Educational robotics platforms like Ozobots provide ideal environments for developing cognitive flexibility. When students program robots, they engage in a continuous cycle of hypothesis testing: writing code, observing results, identifying errors, and adjusting their approach. This iterative process naturally builds perseverance and adaptability. Debugging code requires students to think logically while considering multiple potential causes for unexpected behaviors. Group robotics challenges further enhance flexibility as students must negotiate different approaches and integrate diverse ideas. The concrete, visual nature of robotics makes abstract computational thinking concepts tangible and provides immediate feedback that helps students develop more flexible problem-solving strategies they can apply across contexts.

Teach Strategy Switching

Explicitly teach students to recognize when a particular approach isn’t working and how to pivot to alternative strategies. Present problems that intentionally lead to dead ends, requiring students to backtrack and try new methods. Introduce students to various thinking frameworks (like De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats) that provide structured ways to shift perspectives. Create classroom routines where students share not only their solutions but also the different strategies they considered along the way. By making strategy switching a conscious and valued part of problem-solving, students develop metacognitive awareness that supports flexible thinking in all areas of learning.

Embrace Productive Ambiguity

While clarity is important in education, students also need practice working through uncertainty. Design learning experiences with intentionally ambiguous elements where students must define parameters themselves or work with incomplete information. Implement inquiry-based science investigations where students develop their own research questions. Assign creative projects with broad guidelines rather than highly specific rubrics. Teaching students to navigate ambiguity prepares them for real-world scenarios where problems aren’t clearly defined and solutions must evolve as new information emerges. The ability to remain effective amid uncertainty is a hallmark of cognitive flexibility.

Cultivate Diverse Thinking Environments

The physical and social environment significantly impacts cognitive processes. Create learning spaces that offer variety—quiet zones for reflection, collaborative areas for group problem-solving, and active spaces for movement-based learning. Vary your instructional approaches regularly, alternating between visual presentations, hands-on activities, discussions, and independent exploration. Form diverse student groups that bring together different thinking styles and strengths. This environmental variety prevents students from becoming too comfortable with single ways of learning and processing information, naturally encouraging more adaptable thinking patterns.

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Do you have students in your classroom you can’t pull away from a task? While other students move easily between subjects, some stay rigidly focused on one idea, assignment, or problem. This reflects their level of cognitive flexibility. Everyone has different abilities, but teachers can create a classroom in which all students can improve their cognitive flexibility.

What is Cognitive Flexibility?

Simply put, cognitive flexibility reflects how we approach new challenges, tasks, and problems each day — and the healthy mindset with which we overcome obstacles. “Flexible thinking allows us to come up with ways to tackle problems,” says education writer Peg Rosen. “Being able to see things in different ways helps us develop different strategies.” 

She uses the example of a deck of playing cards to explain cognitive flexibility. A child can sort the cards in a few ways: by color, number, or suit. The ability to see the different ways of doing things and understanding when certain options are best displays cognitive flexibility. 

We use cognitive flexibility daily, even if mostly on a micro level. The team at CogniFit provide some examples of how cognitive shifting can help in various life situations. These include:

• The ability to adapt quickly to new situations. 
• The patience to tolerate changes and accept them as the new normal.
• The ability to see things from multiple points of view and understand where people are coming from. 
• The mental strength to move from one activity to another instead of focusing intently on one task or challenge.

A new situation might be something small — like a milk carton spilling at lunch — but it requires students to think about how they should handle the situation and move on. Will they clean up the milk and ask for a cup of water, or will they be upset over the lost milk for the rest of the day?

“Students who exhibit strength in cognitive flexibility and can handle transitions easily, can shift between subjects and tasks in stride, and may have success in tasks that require them to apply learning in one arena to problem solving in another context,” the team at C8 Sciences writes. 

Cognitive flexibility is part of our nature, but it can also be learned. More importantly, it can also be taught to students who are very rigid in their thinking and in their views of the world. 

What Holds People Back from Flexible Thinking?

While most people think they practice cognitive flexibility, many actually experience several blocks or problems which they don’t recognize. Physician and psychiatrist Daniel G. Amen, author of “Change Your Brain, Change Your Grades,” says that the area of the brain known as the anterior cingulate gyrus is often overactive in people who have low cognitive flexibility. Simply put, the ACG is the part of the brain used for shifting attention. 

“When the ACG works well, it allows us to focus on something, let go, and then shift to focus on something else,” Amen writes. “However, when it is overactive, there is a tendency for people to get stuck.” 

In practice, “getting stuck” means becoming more argumentative, worrying, automatically saying “no” to things, and getting upset when something doesn’t go their way. The person might not realize they are stuck, but their brain is sending all kinds of warning bells about a topic or situation. 

Saga Briggs, who researches and writes about cognitive models of writing pedagogy, explained several factors that can challenge our cognitive flexibility and limit the ways we think about problems. These include:

• Confirmation bias. We shape the information given to us to match our world view, or seek out information that we agree with.
• Information bottleneck. There is so much to process that we can’t clearly look at the information in front of us, so we are indecisive or make a poor decision. 
• Reinforcement. We follow the same steps and make the same decisions as in the past because they are familiar and comfortable. 

As you can see, many of our cognitive flexibility blocks are subconscious or unintentional. Few people actively seek out to live a life full of confirmation bias. However, knowing these challenges to your cognitive flexibility exist can help you overcome them. 

As a teacher, you likely see students struggle with cognitive flexibility, no matter what grade you teach. Educator Jennifer Warren saw this with her senior English class. She assigned students to one of two sides and asked them to create a marketing campaign in favor of their side. After twenty minutes, the students were asked to switch and defend the other idea — the one they first disagreed with. 

Even her advanced students thought it was considerably harder and more frustrating to have to think in a different way to defend a side that they had previously spent 20 minutes building arguments against. 

Having these “mind blocks” doesn’t make you less intelligent; it just means that you haven’t learned how to approach problems differently. We all have our own unique mental blocks that hold us back sometimes. 

Explaining Cognitive Flexibility to Students and Parents

As you start to explore concepts of cognitive flexibility and bring them into the classroom, it may be difficult to discuss this life skill with your students or their parents.

Start by explaining that humans aren’t the only ones that exhibit cognitive flexibility. Science writer Peter Hess says chimpanzees, who eat tortoises, use different strategies to crack open shells. One is to bang them against a tree, which is similar to the way they open coconuts. In other words, a similar solution is applied to a new situation. They also share the food with others or store it for later, showing proof of significant social circles and future planning. 

Teachers can share this example as a way to show cognitive flexibility outside of the classroom — and even the human world.  

The next step is to be clear that challenges with cognitive flexibility are natural in many students, and issues at a young age will likely change over time. 

“Understand that such occasional fuss is developmentally normal, may be willful, and flexibility develops with age and things change,” writes psychiatrist Mani Pavuluri, director of the Brain and Wellness Institute. She uses examples from her own childhood: a cousin spreading butter the wrong way, her dad holding a pencil differently than she was taught, etc.

Developmental cognitive flexibility can be delayed, but it can also be taught and developed at home and in the classroom.    

The final step is to show how you are taking steps to help students with low cognitive flexibility, while encouraging them to grow their skills at the same time. 

For example, the Canadian site LD@school, part of the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario, has a module to help teachers understand how to work with students with low cognitive flexibility. They recommend maintaining a structured classroom schedule and minimizing change so as not to overwhelm students. They also encourage teachers to warn students about changes and provide ample time to move from one task to another.

In any given class, you will have students who get excited about new challenges and topics alongside those who struggle to cope with these changes.

Engaging Cognitive Flexibility Classroom Activities 

You may be surprised which of your students fixate on problems and are less willing to accept change. As an educator, you need to give students opportunities to practice their cognitive flexibility in a safe and structured environment.

“Students need explicit instruction and opportunities to practice the flexible thinking that will make the most of their brains’ fertile adolescent development stage,” writes neurologist and educator Judy Willis. She explains that the young brain is more open to exploration, passion, and interest than older brains. Teachers who foster cognitive flexibility early on can prepare students to think creatively and overcome mental roadblocks in the future.

Fortunately, cognitive flexibility can actually be a fun future-ready skill to develop in the classroom.

Show Creative Examples of Cognitive Rigidity

While the concept of cognitive flexibility can be difficult for students to grasp, teachers can use fun ways to explain the concepts of “getting stuck” or focusing on the wrong information. 

For example, the Research Institute for Learning and Development shared some humorous examples of students misreading directions because they only focused on one word or one particular meaning of the word. When asked to draw a plant cell, for instance, a student drew a flower sitting in jail — focusing on the criminal definition of the word “cell” instead of the biological one.

While shared in fun, these images can start a valuable discussion about how someone might take an assignment literally, in the manner of Amelia Bedelia, or have trouble thinking about ideas in different ways.  

Challenge Students to Play Games Differently

Blogger Nicole Day, founder of the blog Raising An Extraordinary Person, encourages parents (and teachers) to create new rules for games. It demonstrates using the same materials to do something different. For example, in the game of Chutes and Ladders, you can reverse the rules where you slide down the ladders and go up the chutes. 

In the classroom, teachers can ask students to create board games and then share them with their peers to play the games in a different way. This is another fun and engaging way to challenge cognitive flexibility.    

Play Word Games and Tell Jokes With Students

There is actually a psychological strategy to introducing fun games and humorous examples of cognitive flexibility as an engaging way to broach a complex subject. 

Michelle Liew at Learning Mind says being humorous and having a quick wit is a great way to develop cognitive flexibility. Students can learn about wordplay and how one word can have multiple meanings. They can be taught to see a situation, such as misusing a word, as something other than an error.

These activities will also release serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins in the brain, making students feel happy and dispelling fears and anxiety around change. 

Introduce Fun Surprises During the Day

Using positive surprises in the classroom can support and encourage cognitive flexibility too, writes Meghan Fitzgerald at early childhood education platform, Tinkergarten. 

An unexpected afternoon of playing learning games or outdoor period for students can teach them that changes and surprises can be good. Not all change is something to be afraid of. As students learn this, they will better be able to cope with neutral changes or even negative changes in their lives.

Teacher Sarah Rudell Beach at Left Brain Buddha has developed games for cognitive flexibility at every learning level. Younger learners can practice sorting (similar to the playing card example used earlier), while teens can start journaling and volunteering to collect their thoughts and face new situations. Beach even recommends Minecraft as a tool because kids have to think creatively, use materials provided to them, and place themselves in a fantasy world. There’s something for every learner.

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One method of teaching that has become popular is the flipped or inverted classroom in which students do homework during class and then watch videos with the course material at home. The concept is so much more involved, especially for teachers who want to teach it well. Here is why you should consider flipped learning in your classroom. 

What is a Flipped Classroom?

The reverse classroom gets its name from the idea that students do homework in class and learn class materials at home — and it’s not exactly new. 

Teachers have long been sending reading and other learning materials home, to be discussed or applied to activities the next day, says Jaclyn Day at student loan servicer Nelnet. The only thing that has changed is the digital element, where entire lectures can be viewed at home via video. Digital learning has significantly accelerated the use of inverted learning. 

Additionally, having a flipped classroom means that the in-class homework assignments move from worksheets and essays into more engaging discussions and projects.

“Merely flipping your homework and lecture doesn’t mean you’re unlocking all the benefits of flipped learning,” Elizabeth Trach writes at Schoology. “True flipped learning is about opening up class time and transforming it into hands-on, differentiated, and even personalized learning experiences.” 

Trach explains that this is the main difference between a flipped classroom and actual flipped learning. With flipped learning, students interact when completing activities. Time that would be used for a lecture is instead allocated to projects and reinforcement tasks. 

As a whole, students have embraced flipped learning, and many teachers have as well. The blogging team at video platform Panopto shared some interesting insights on the successes of flipped classrooms. For example, in a survey of 200 teachers, 85 percent said they saw an increase in grades, and 95 percent of students said they preferred the video learning. 

“Students are always on the go, and increasingly using tablets and smartphones in order to access learning materials,” explains the Panopto team. By making the learning materials accessible online, kids can learn on the bus ride home or during a study hall period.

How do Students Benefit from a Flipped Classroom?

There are several learning benefits to a flipped classroom, and you can use this teaching style to foster future-ready skills like teamwork, critical thinking, and leadership. 

Students Can Practice Autonomous Learning 

Instead of tracking students to make sure they understand the material, your students will decide when they are ready to move forward. 

Deb Brough, a middle school math teacher who uses the flipped classroom method, praises video learning because students can pause and rewind content when they don’t understand what is being explained. “Having to know when they need to go back over a certain concept they did not fully grasp the first time allows the opportunity for students to take responsibility for their own education,” she says. 

Students Become Teachers and Leaders

Students who understand the concepts can help their peers, which also reinforces the material they learned earlier.

“Flipped classrooms allows class time be used to master skills through collaborative projects and discussions,” writes edtech professional Michael Acedo. “This encourages students to teach and learn concepts from each other with the guidance of their teachers.” 

Some students are more open to learning from their friends than a teacher. Getting explanations from peers may not carry the same perceived pressure as when the instruction comes from a teacher.

Teachers Can Correct Problems Before They Become Bad Habits

A flipped classroom allows teachers to provide targeted feedback to students, for both individual and group assignments, writes Berlin Fang, director of instructional design at Abilene Christian University. 

Instead of sending students home with several tasks to work through, teachers can observe their students in class — and prevent problems as they arise. In other words, instead of doing all 30 math problems wrong, a teacher can intervene after only a few. This process prevents students from wasting time, or struggling with the material to the point where they give up. 

How to Effectively Create a Flipped Classroom

Without the right care, your flipped classroom could be boring for students or actually hinder their learning. This is why it takes time and commitment to create a good learning experience and turn students into engaged learners. Follow these tips to create a successful flipped classroom. 

Create Engaging and Optional Video Content

You don’t want to assign the same boring lectures that your students don’t listen to in a traditional classroom. Try to keep the content succinct, or at least break the videos into different topics or lessons. “Anything longer than 15-18 minutes will inevitably lose the interest and focus of the learner – hence why all TED speakers are limited to 18 minutes,” writes education industry professional Dessy Ohanians. 

These shorter videos also allow you to use the extra homework time to assign questions asking what the video was about — reinforcing the video message. 

“Piling on mandatory video content for students to review outside the classroom in addition to regular homework can be overwhelming,” writes Scott Nadzan, co-creator of video content management system Ensemble Video. “However, supplementary content that complements lessons and helps further understanding of key concepts –– but is not required –– can be more appealing to and beneficial for students.” 

One learning option you can consider is making the videos optional, which some teachers have had success with. Nadzan shares the story of one science teacher who received significant positive feedback for his optional learning videos. Students watched them because they were interesting. This makes learning something that is fun, not just required by parents and teachers.

Get Creative With the Classroom Environment

Students don’t have to work on only one activity in class. You can keep the learning going in a variety of ways with multiple media and learning styles. 

Education consultant, Catlin Tucker, says she took her classroom to the next level by creating stations that brought video education back into the room. Each station either had a short video tutorial, a warm-up or reinforcement message, or an activity to complete based on the information. In this way, Tucker was able to make sure her students were being exposed to the content while helping them with activities. 

Tucker’s method isn’t the only one you can follow to create a flipped classroom. Rohan Thakare at eLearning Industry looks at eight different learning styles within a flipped classroom. These include the widely-used rotation model, in addition to discussion-oriented and demonstration-oriented formats.  

Walk Around the Classroom and Talk With Students

This is a big change for you as an instructor as well as the students — especially if you are very comfortable with the lecture experience. 

“You will go from someone in front of the classroom to someone who can move about and interact with students in a one-on-one or a smaller group setting,” writes Lee Watanabe-Crockett, founder of Wabisabi Learning. “You’ve let your alter-ego do the lecturing while you do the inquiry and dialogue.” 

Walking around the class and talking to students might not come naturally at first, but over time you should feel more comfortable working as a discussion guide rather than a straight lecturer.

Give Yourself a Year to Develop Flipped Materials

Even if you are incredibly eager to develop a flipped classroom, you might not be able to launch the format just yet. Developing a flipped classroom takes time and significant resources. 

“The best way to manage time in preparing for a flipped course is to make sure you start early, so you have plenty of time to manage,” writes Robert Talbert, a mathematics professor at Grand Valley State University. “I recommend starting one calendar year out from the start of the class you intend to flip.” 

He provides a step-by-step explanation of how to do this, starting with simple classroom activities in the fall. By the time you reach the spring term, you’ll have gradually released responsibility to your students and can flip at least part of the course. Summer is the time to work on the fully-flipped class, Talbert says. 

Easing into the flipped classroom slowly can also help you gain feedback from students. Professor Simone Deparis was given the 2018 Credit Suisse Award for Best Teaching because of his flipped classroom. He introduced the concept to his first-year linear algebra class for a third of the course. At the end of the trial, the students didn’t want to switch back to traditional learning methods. 

Deparis says he has plans to extend the trial in the next year to cover most of the course, and hundreds of students have signed up for the class. 

Resources for Implementing a Flipped Classroom

If you’re ready to start developing your flipped classroom materials, but aren’t sure where to start, turn to the teachers who have come before you. 

Elementary art teacher Nic Hahn created video and education pack for arts teachers who want to test out the flipped classroom. Her video covers the basics of a flipped classroom, several resources (like planning sheets and tips) to implement it, and additional links to learn more. This is a great place to start to see how other teachers handle this type of teaching.  

Another resource is a guide by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, a global nonprofit that helps educators. They recommend more than a dozen free or affordable resources. This should make it easier for you to create and organize content, and send it out to your students to access however they need. 

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