You’re ten minutes into a STEM challenge when you hear it. “She won’t listen to my idea!” “But he keeps taking over!” “We’re doing it MY way!” And suddenly, you’re not facilitating an engineering challenge. You’re refereeing one. Conflict resolution in STEM is one of those skills we don’t always think about teaching ahead of…
STEM activities are supposed to be collaborative. Give students a challenge, put them into teams, hand out the materials, and watch them work together to solve the problem. At least, that’s how it goes in the lesson plan. In reality? One student grabs all the materials. Another insists their idea is the only idea. Someone…
The last few weeks of school are a special kind of chaos. Students are restless, routines are slipping, and keeping engagement high feels like a full-time job on top of your actual full-time job. But here’s the thing, this is actually the perfect time for STEM challenges. Low prep, high engagement, and genuinely fun? Yes,…
If you’re looking for one change that will make your STEM challenges more meaningful, this is it: build in time for reflection in STEM. It doesn’t take long, it doesn’t require extra materials, and the impact on student learning is real. Ask any upper elementary teacher what happens the moment a STEM challenge ends, and…
If you’ve ever watched a STEM challenge go sideways , one student taking over, another checking out completely, the whole group arguing about who gets to hold the tape, you already know the problem. It’s not the kids. It’s the structure. Or rather, the lack of it. When students don’t have clear STEM team roles…
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