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Elora PS’s immersive STEM program combines in-class skill building with hands-on learning

November 1, 2017

ELORA, Ontario – Grade 7 students at Elora Public School are immersing themselves in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education.

It’s all part of a unique program that combines classroom instruction and skill building with hands-on workshops.

The program features five different areas: robotics, 3D design and printing, shop, video production/green screen, and an integrated tech challenge.

Each class goes through four weeks of in-class instruction, learning technical skills while they build their knowledge base. From there, students spend two weeks participating in hands-on workshops, applying what they’ve learned and working in groups to complete STEM-based projects.

In the 3D printing module, students honed their skills by designing and printing a Lego piece to precise specifications. Their final piece had to snap on to an existing Lego block – if it didn’t fit, they would tweak their designs and try again. The next phase sees students designing and printing everyday classroom objects for teachers in the school, such as doorstops, washroom passes and a cable organizer for a desk. Another component of the module connects the work they’re doing in the classroom with real-world business realities – once they’ve received the request for a product, they must cost out everything, from the filament role, pre-prints and the final print as well as an hourly wage. Throughout the process, students journal their progress and reflect on what they’ve learned.

In the robotics workshop, students work in groups to build a robot that can complete a series of challenges. All students start with the same base and kit, but they decide what type of robotic arm they want to use, design and build it, then test their robot on a course.  As they work through their design, students journal their progress and send their teacher photos and videos of their work through Google Classroom.

In the Integrated Tech Challenge, students are tasked with making a container that could transport medical materials and keep them cool. All containers must be made out of recycled materials. After coming up with design sketches and building their container, students must market their product by creating a brochure using Google Draw.

In video production, students learn to use green screen and movie-making technology to create a promotional video for the STEM program. And in the shop, students build wood toolboxes, a combination pencil and iPad holder, and picture frames that house photos the students created using the green screen.

It all adds up to an incredible, immersive program that focuses on STEM learning and real-life application from start to finish.

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