Overview

Middle and High School Science STEM teachers often are confronted with content as presented by discipline-specific text books. Context and broader STEM applications are poorly organized in most traditional published curricula. The purpose of this workshop/course is to contextualize STEM content in the areas of energy production, transformation and efficiency. By using actual real world historical problems, engineering applications, and current issues, teachers will be able to relate content and theory to things that actually matter!

The workshop/course covers three basic areas in STEM: Theory, applications, and implications of electromagnetic interactions, refraction and reflection, and electrochemistry. Teachers will be introduced to a STEM context (historical narrative, engineering problem, current issue), be guided through a variety of experiences, explorations and discussions, and then encouraged to plan instruction for their own students.

For those taking this workshop/course for credit, find the syllabus here. ED 510 Syllabus

The workshop/course is divided into separate modules.

Module 1: Introduction to Electromagnetic Interactions

1.1) Introduction

1.2) Telephone Starter

1.3) Diving into the Exploration

1.4) How does the Telephone work?

1.5) Transition to the Telephone

1.6) The development of the Telephone

1.7) Making Sense of the Experience

1.8) Optional Exploration: The Phonograph

1.9) Optional Exploration:  Headphones

1.10) Concluding our Time Together

Module 2: Working Independently: Getting Started with a STEM Context

2.1 ) Overview of the Unit

2.2) Context: The Assassination of President Garfield

2.3) Assassination of Garfield: Summarized Version

2.4) OPTIONAL READ. The Assassination Story: Primary Sources

Working Independently: Understanding Transformers

3.1) Making a Transformer

3.2) Testing the Transformer

3.3) Transformer Theory

3.4) Applications of transformers.

3.5) Using a Multimeter

3.6) Step down transformers

3.7) Specialty Transformers

3.8) OPTIONAL EXPLORATION: The Joule Thief