From the Vermont Standard By Katy Savage, Standard Staff
A new STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) lab is opening at Woodstock Elementary School — and it’s the first of its kind in this area.
Students will learn basic construction and engineering skills, using tools like a new 3-D printer to design products, robotics and even less expensive ones, like hammers and nails.
“Kids are natural engineers and we want to build on that drive,” said Principal Karen White, adding that students will solve real problems that are important to them and figure out solutions. “It just makes it so real for kids.”
The emphasis at WES through the lab will be on hands-on learning.
“This is not about more screen time and doing more stuff on computers,” said White.
The lab is headed by Marcia Gauvin, who was hired to create and develop the STEM curriculum. She comes from St. Johnsbury where she was a middle school science teacher for five years.
“I’m building a bicycle as (I) ride it,” Gauvin said. “It’s an amazingly exciting initiative because it’s so innovative. When I saw the position advertised…I said, ‘that is exactly what an elementary school should be doing.’” Most STEM labs are geared toward high school students. A group of teachers at Woodstock Elementary School recently traveled to Connecticut to visit an elementary school STEM lab there to get an idea of how to design one at WES. A key piece of the lab is extending engineering learning opportunities for children.
The STEM lab is for every student in grades K-6. Students go to the lab for a 40-minute class called “Elements of Engineering.”
Kindergartners recently hammered nails into tree stumps that Gauvin brought to the school from her own house.
The nails were positioned on the logs in curves and lines — important shapes to know for later learning how to write.
Gauvin will integrate her programs with what science and math teachers are doing at the school and the lab will mesh with the Next Generation Science Standards — national standards that emphasize investigation and problem-solving skills.
“I’m hoping as many teachers as possible can utilize the lab,” Gauvin said.
Gauvin has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Maine, Orono.
She worked in research centers, got a master’s degree in English at the University of Maine, Orono, and then became a technical writer until she got a second master’s degree in education.
“I wanted to go to school for the rest of my life,” she said.
White hopes the lab will give those students who don’t feel enthusiastic about school something to look forward to. She expects students will be highly engaged as it adheres to different learning styles.
“I think they’re just going to be on fire with it. I think that they’re going to grow exponentially in their ability to persevere with problems, problem solve and work with others,” White said. She hopes teachers will use it with their classes.
As of Monday the lab had yet to be set up. There will be a grand opening of the lab during Curriculum Night for Parents scheduled for Sept. 15 from 6-7:30 p.m.
