Bartow County School System Offers New STEM Program

From Bartow Co. Schools: Ready, set, innovate! Twenty-six Bartow County educators recently resembled kids at Christmastime as they dove into boxes filled with some of the best science, technology, engineering, and mathematics gadgets. Each elementary and middle school in Bartow County received ten Sphero robots, three Apple iPad Mini tablet computers, and other tools needed to offer students a new and exciting opportunity called STEM Afternoons.

Starting in January, this free program will provide interested students STEM instruction one hour per week, after school, for up to sixteen weeks. Weekly topics include robotics, coding, and movie making! These same concepts in science and math will also be integrated into the regular school day to provide enrichment and acceleration in the classroom setting. Teaching and learning are evolving. Bartow County teachers are moving away from scripted lesson plans and worksheets, and excitedly reaching for more engaging instruments, like
Spheros. The Sphero Sprk+ connected play coding robot ball helps students learn programming skills; another area of expertise that will ultimately make them more marketable in the twenty- first century workplace. According to the United States Department of Commerce, over the last decade, employment in STEM occupations grew twenty-four percent, compared to four percent growth in non-STEM occupations.

“The STEM opportunities implemented in our schools will provide a dynamic method to teach math and science standards and cultivate an engaging and challenging academic culture. Students will learn in a manner that is aligned with college and career activities. The program will link them to future careers in the technological fields such as coding, robotics, and innovative problem solving,” said Matt Gibson, Executive Director of Federal Programs and Professional Learning.

Instructors are now in the process of attending a series of training workshops at Kennesaw State University. The STEM Innovation Academy has also been developed to support administrators and teachers beginning to implement advanced STEM practices in their school. Partnerships with Georgia Highlands College and a Cobb County STEM and Innovation Supervisor also helped propel this lofty idea into reality.

In the near future, the Bartow County School System hopes to incorporate more STEM elements, like the use of 3-D printers, into day-to-day activities at elementary, middle, and even high schools. This engaged approach will no doubt create critical thinkers who will succeed in this new information-based and highly technological society.

Image via Bartow County School System