STEM Learning Is Happening at Newtown Friends School

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) has become a buzzword, but that does not negate its continued relevance in the world of K-12 education. Newtown Friends School (NFS) has thoughtfully considered how the school incorporates STEM learning throughout its program. In science classes, elective courses, after-school clubs, and field trips, there are many opportunities for students to learn across the STEM arenas.

Two weeks ago, 15 girls in grades sixth, seventh, and eighth attended the #girlSTEM conference organized by the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, hosted by Delaware Valley University. They were among 800 other middle school and junior high girls, from 25 different public and private schools in Bucks County, who were able to take workshops over the course of the day led by female professionals who all work in STEM fields. Eighth grader Kate Lyden followed her interests in sports and science to a session titled, “Sport Science: How STEM is the Secret to Athletic Performance!” where she learned about how engineers are designing products to help athletes as they compete and recover from injuries. Seventh grader Zelie Chowaiki had the opportunity to learn about engineering and entrepreneurship from a current Rowan University student who is founder and CEO of the company called, Think Like a Girl: Engineering Kits. Eighth grader Isabel Coulter-Daly enjoyed a workshop led by women who work at Fox Chase Cancer Center, where she learned about how fruit flies are being used in cancer research. The #girlSTEM conference provided a highly engaging window for our girls to the many potential career paths they can pursue in STEM fields.

In NFS’s classrooms, students investigate a wide variety of STEM topics and related skills. Science teachers have been implementing the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) since last year, beginning with third through eighth grades. This year, the roll-out was completed with kindergarten through second grade. Teddi Matisoff, K–5th grade Science teacher, recently led the fourth grade students in a project where they designed a solar oven with the goal of preparing them to address future real-world challenges. A recent robotics unit in Upper School Science teacher, Jay Mahoney’s eighth grade science class challenged students to program Lego Mindstorms robots using the EV3 programming language. Using measurement, geometry and simple algebra along the way (the M of STEM), students conducted several problem-based assessments where they programmed their robot to move through a course on the classroom floor. Mahoney reflected on the unit, “The students learn how to fail often in order to succeed, as they test their robot and then make adjustments by making revisions to what they have programed.”

This spring, NFS offered a Tech Design elective class for seventh and eighth grade students. Tom Carroll, the school’s Director of Technology Services and teacher of this elective course, describes the course as a chance for students to have fun as they learn how to use a variety of forms of technology. They used SketchUp design software to create 3-D designs that they then printed on a 3-D printer. They compared PowerPoint, Keynote and Google slides software to help the music teacher update song lyrics that she displays during all-school assemblies. Finally, the students learned how to build and program Lego WeDo robots, skills they subsequently taught to 3rd graders.

Newtown Friends School prepares its students to be able to creatively address real-world challenges, and the school’s emphasis on STEM learning is one important piece towards this goal.

Newtown Friends School is a Pre-K through eighth grade coed day school located in Bucks County. Rooted in Quaker values, NFS was founded in 1948 by Newtown Friends Meeting and provides a dynamic, student-centered curriculum.

For more information, contact: Rebecca Niszczak, Director of Admissions

rniszczak@newtownfriends.org, (215) 968-2225 Ext. 102

www.newtownfriends.org