STEM LAND
The vision behind the STEM is learning based on concepts, practical observation & abstraction with the help of teaching kits & technology. In short “Mediocrity to Excellence. It empowers students to use their creativity to solve problems, ask questions and continually learn. The children have boiled down learning rules at STEM Land as – learn something new, learn something old, learn something now. This translates to.
- Old – Fill up the concept gaps in the math which haven’t learnt in last term or year or before.
- Now – Learn concepts or idea which supposed to learn in this term.
- New – Learn something new. It may be curricular or extracurricular.
Activities in STEM land:
We team of six teachers (Sanjeev, Bala, Naveen, Sundaraman and Vaidegi, Ranjini) all Electrical Engineers work with children from 6th – 9th grades. We have started teaching mathematics with the programming tools called Scratch & Geogebra.
Scratch & Geogebra:
We have started teaching the mathematics with the programming tools called Scratch & Geogebra. In Scratch, Students have coded many programs which demonstrate the mathematics concepts like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, circle, triangle, fraction, percentage, Pythagoras theorem, square & square root, cube & cube root & algebra. In Geogebra circle, triangle, cone, fraction, percentage, data handling & Pythagoras theorem. Since they had coded the same concept in different tools they got the granularity and became capable of connecting it with many things in real life.
Measurement Equipment:
They had used distance meter to measure the distance to get the sense of meter(m)& kilometer(km), Heart rate monitor to understand the functioning of heart, using temperature monitor they have learnt difference between Celsius & Kelvin, Speed gun and so on.
Montessori & Jodo Gyan Materials:
These materials used to demonstrate the Division, Fraction, Degree, square & cube also gives a sense of numbers (Integers, decimal).
Assessments:
Assessments are conducted every week for the students to notice their own growth (where they can discuss the answer without copy).
Mind storm:
Children had learnt a lot with these Mind storm robots. Nearly they had built 4 different kinds of robots (also programed it) and one is in progress.
Electronics:
Almost all the children of 7th, 8th and 50% of 9th and 6th know how to solder. They have built power supply, Battery model with lemon and water, Seven segment display of STEM land using battery power (and later the battery has replaced with solar panel by students) ,Generators & solder more than 50 soldering kits like kitchen timer, claping circuit, FM receiver and so on. Few of them know how to use resistor & capacitors.
Hardware Programming:
Some of the students from 8th grade knows how to program Arduino, makey makey and Aravind’s kupta toys. A student worked in Solar panel and made seven segment display to display the STEM land name. Around 25 students are able to do soldering and have built some Electronics & Electrical circuits (example Kitchen timer, Clapping circuits, FM transmitter and so on)
One student from 7th grade has built a power supply which gives 9V, 8V, 6V and 5V volts as output. A group of students from 9th grade made power bank to charge the mobile phone.
Software Programming:
Alice & blender are 3D programming. Students have created many 3D videos using Alice. Some of them narrated their own stories too. A student used Alice to demonstrate the (a+b)^3 formula. Blender tool used to create a 3D image for 3D printer.
Games & Puzzles:
STEM land challenges the students in every aspects of their learning (whether it is related to their curricular or extracurricular activities or games & puzzles). Game and puzzles helps them to see patterns. More than 15 students can solve rubik’s cube and 6 can solve within a minute.
Collaboration:
Stem land is the place for collaboration. Students from different school (Isai Ambalam, TLC, Government school of Edaiyanchavadi) come and work together and learn from each other.
Articles on STEMLAND:
There are two articles on STEMLAND from ‘The Hindu’ and ‘Auroville Today’.
Output:
The outputs of the STEM land are,
- It creates a place to learn many things from many areas.
- Also it set up the place where people learning from each other regardless of age.
- It makes people (children or adult) responsible for their.
Outcomes:
- Continual learning.
- Self-directed learning