Applied STEM Teaching Labs

This capstone unit brings together hands-on STEM challenges, maker activities, and community/digital resources to prepare teacher candidates to plan, implement, and assess engaging STEM learning experiences. Learners apply collaborative classroom structures, low-cost materials design, and formative/peer-assessment strategies while linking to external resources (universities, nonprofits, citizen science, and maker tools).

Learning Objectives

• Analyze a range of student-centered assessment strategies (including peer- and self-assessment) and select or adapt at least two methods to measure learning outcomes during hands-on STEM challenges.
• Design and sequence three standards-aligned, hands-on STEM learning experiences (e.g., tallest tower, egg drop, catapult) that use low-cost or recycled materials, include clear success criteria, and map to learning objectives.
• Integrate digital and community resources (e.g., Tinkercad/3D printing, digital editing suites, remote-control platforms, university/nonprofit sites, and citizen-science projects) into lesson plans and resource inventories, demonstrating implementation steps and student supports.
• Evaluate collaborative roles, classroom management approaches, and competition structures by facilitating a simulated project or challenge, collecting formative data on engagement and learning, and proposing two evidence-based adjustments to improve equity and outcomes.