Welcome back!
This week, we’re talking about how we structure our lessons, and why we build them in the way that we do.
We’re obviously very intentional about how we structure our lessons. Our founder’s research is heavily focused on how to get the best results from early childhood STEAM education, so we know that data supports not only our subject matter, but how we present it, and how we assess.
So, without further ado, what’s in our lessons?
Children don’t do science, they become scientists.
Get in the role. We’ve talked about introducing some drama (and we don’t mean in the Real Housewives way) to your lessons, and that’s because it’s crucial. Our lessons always begin by assuming the role of a scientist. This means that we usher in the assumption of a scientific identity. The clearest way to do this is to put on a lab coat and goggles, but it can be as simple as putting on a badge or hat. The child isn’t just doing science, they become a scientist.
Introduce the situation. We’re doing science now, so it’s time to talk about the problem that we’re investigating. Our lessons revolve around the problems that a robot has, and how our other story characters and the students can help him. This introduction helps our students understand what’s at stake in the lesson, and the story-based framing helps them approach the lesson with a “How can I help?” mindset, rather than a “What’s the right answer?” mindset. Even as adults, we often focus too much on the latter, when striving for the former would yield better results.
Time for research. Or, more commonly, the experiments. We’ve set out the problem, and now we’re doing research about how to solve our friend’s predicament. Our lessons are structured to be valuable to a variety of ages, but the most important part is that we challenge our learners to grow new skills and abilities, not necessarily rush to the right answer. Imagine that: the process of trying to help is more important than getting to the right answer quickly!
Scientist’s report! All of our science skills are applicable to other areas of life, but none more so than communication. This is where the child communicates their findings, and hopefully they’ve found the solution to the problem that we posed in step #2. With any luck, they’ve helped their story-friend.
Perhaps as important, the teacher or parent should communicate to the student how they succeeded. Children are naturally empathetic, so it’s important that they understand how they’ve helped solve the problem posed by the story. This not only helps them understand what they’ve done, but helps grow enthusiasm for future lessons. Who doesn’t want to be helpful?!Close curtain. The flip side of assuming the dramatic role of science means that the show must come to an end. It’s time to take off the lab coat 🥼 (or whatever you’re using) and go back to being a normal kid again. Being a scientist can be exhausting.
That’s all for this week! As always, please share with anyone else that you think might find our insights valuable — it’s how we grow and create a new generation of scientists.
Next week, we’ll be talking about why it’s important to conquer math anxiety as adults, and the beneficial outcomes it can have.