By now, you’ve probably heard about the new fischertechnik STEM Lab program for middle and high schools. Maybe you’ve seen one of the ads that have been appearing in educational magazines, the numerous discussions on various blogs and websites (including this one), or perhaps you simply saw it listed on the Studica site. Either way, the question that most commonly comes up is “so, how extensive is the curriculum, how much class time does it cover, and what standards does it actually address?” While we will be addressing all aspects of the STEM Lab in our upcoming webinar on February 13th (register now), let me provide you with a  brief overview of just how this curriculum is set up.

As you may know, the curriculum for the STEM Lab program was created by Tom White, noted educator and STEM expert. Tom designed the program so that all the necessary tools—both parts and instructional materials—were included in one place so that schools could quickly, and relatively easily, begin to offer a dedicated, project-based STEM education experience right out of the box. The curriculum is designed to cover day by day activities for a regular class period dedicated to this program. In the case of the Middle Schools set, the curriculum is designed to cover a six month period of classroom activities, and in the case of the High School set, the curriculum will actually cover closer to a complete year of activities. And that is just if you choose to follow the day by day plan as it is laid out. You also have the room to add activities if you wish, or try to address some things in a more compact time period.

Both the Middle School and High School curriculum are broken down into a series of project themes, where different skills and subjects are addressed, each area being more complex than the one before. Each day of activities in these sub-projects provides building blocks of learning which the students will use in completing a large scale project at the end which requires them to see the big picture and how everything fits together.

Each project theme clearly spells out—for both students and teachers—the purpose of the specific project, the concepts to be addressed, and an outline of exactly what will be covered as the project is addressed. Students are asked an essential question, which will require them to understand all the parts of the project to answer properly. They are given a real-world scenario, which helps to clearly provide an answer to the eternal question, “where will I ever use this?”. They are then provided with a daily plan, which provides not only the expectations for the project, but also a guideline of what they will need to accomplish each step of the way. The standards for each project theme area are also detailed—and keep in mind, these standards are the new common core standards which are taking effect right now. These standards are again specific to each project, and include Math Standards, Standards for Technological Literacy, ISTE Technology Foundation Standards, and also the Reading and Writing Standards for Literacy in History, Social Studies, Science and technical Subjects. Assessment guidelines and rubrics are included as well.

We’re very proud of the fischertechnik STEM Lab program, because we believe this is a product that finally offers a truly comprehensive, easy to implement, and affordable solution for all schools which need to address this vital area of education. STEM curriculum is a great benefit.  Once again, we hope you’ll attend our upcoming webinar on February 13^th. Slots are filling up quickly, so we encourage you to register now.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, or you’d like to receive more information on the fischertechnik STEM Lab Program, please email us at [email protected]

Author: Lance Zurek