Professional Development
The STEM Connection provides professional development to empower educators and youth workers by sharing STEM content knowledge, developing STEM practices, and building confidence to provide more meaningful STEM experiences for children.
Due to Covid-19, our current Professional Development opportunities have shifted to virtual opportunities.
2021 STEM Webinars
The STEM Connection provides professional development to empower educators, youth workers, and caregivers by sharing STEM content knowledge, developing STEM practices, and building confidence to provide more meaningful STEM experiences for children. 2020 has posed new challenges and opportunities and The STEM Connection is working to provide timely and relevant information to address the concerns of educators, youth workers, and families as they navigate in-person, virtual, and blended learning experiences. A PGP and CYC certificate is available upon participation in a webinar. Webinar opportunities for the 2020-2021 school year are listed below.
STEM & PBL Connect for Success Webinar
January 21, 2021 – 4:00 pm
STEM and Project-Based Learning have a lot in common and can be used together very successfully. Join us to learn how STEM, Project-Based Learning, and the engineering design process are aligned and can be used together, and how to implement Project-Based Learning opportunities through hands-on STEM experiences for youth. Click here to register.
STEM & Differentiation Webinar
February 18, 2021, 4:00 pm
Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Join us to learn more about how to differentiate STEM lessons and activities to meet the varying needs of students. We will also spend time discussing how to differentiate and modify lessons to work in both formal and informal educational environments. Click here to register.
Creating a Family STEM Kit Webinar
March 18, 2021, 4:00 pm
Join us to learn how to create STEM activity kits that can be sent home with students to keep the learning going while students are away from a formal classroom setting. We will share what we’ve learned while creating such kits and tips for eliminating as many barriers as possible to create a kit that is engaging and fun for everyone in the family. Click here to register.
Using Unplugged Coding Activities to Teach Computer Science Webinar
April 8, 2020 – 4:00 pm
The Indiana Strategic Plan for Computer Science Education in Indiana states “After June 30, 2021, every school in Indiana will include computer science in the school’s curriculum for students in kindergarten through grade 12.” Not all computer science education needs to be taught using electronic devices. Join us to learn more about how to get a jumpstart on implementing computer science educational opportunities through the use of hands-on unplugged coding activities. Click here to register.
PD Workshop Offerings for 2021 Include:
STEM for Today and Tomorrow
STEM and Nature – The Perfect Match
STEM and PBL Connect for Success
Engaging Students (Youth) with the Engineering Design Process
STEM Quick Wins
Best Practices for Outdoor Learning
Brilliant Books: Using Children’s Literature to Positively Impact Youth
How to Host a Family STEM Event
Developing a STEM School Identity
STEM by the Numbers
Connecting STEM and Social-Emotional Learning
Using Unplugged Coding to Teach Computer Science
The training has excellent content and well-paced. Angela tailored the presentation to our needs and provided our teaching artists with useful materials that prompt further thinking on how to integrate the Arts in teaching STEM concepts. – Ploi Pagdalian, Senior Director of Programs, Arts for Learning
Pike Township has partnered with The STEM Connection for summer programming, field trips, after-school clubs, STEM kit distribution, and professional development. They continue to be thoughtful in meeting the needs of our students, teachers, and our community by offering rich, engaging opportunities in all that they do. All staff is knowledgeable in STEM teaching and learning and goes above and beyond to make STEM education equitable. – Erin Naylor, District STEM Coach at MSD Pike Township
The team at The STEM Connection immediately engaged all staff members in meaningful dialogue and activities that effectively created a sense of ownership in STEM education for all students. Through a series of realistic examples, our staff felt supported and encouraged to explore after the professional development experience. – Eric Schommer, Principal, St. Monica Catholic School
“The Webinar helped me become less anxious about practicing safe teaching and creating the correct environment for educating during Covid.”. – Webinar participant