3/24/22
One of the greatest stuck points for me as a first year teacher was figuring out how to answer the question 'What do I do when I'm done?'. You can only direct a child to go read their independent reading book so many times in a week.
During my third year of teaching, I dedicated myself to incorporating more STEAM into my classroom. Before that, my students maybe completed five or six STEM activities a year, but I had yet to make STEM a regular part of our week.
During that third year of teaching I won a national grant for robotics, and a national MakerSpace lesson plan competition. I unpacked the boxes full of supplies and put them out for students to explore. Needless to say, we were all hooked on STEAM. After that first day of exploration, I started small with a classroom STEAM corner. I put a table in the back of the room next to a bookcase filled with our STEAM supplies, and when students finished their work early, they could go over to the STEAM corner and quietly explore.
Over the years, I've diversified the STEAM experiences in my classroom. I built a classroom MakerSpace, put together STEAM bins, designed weekly STEAM challenges for students to tackle each Friday morning, and created a STEAM project of the month. Along with exploring in our MakerSpace, STEAM bins became another option for students who completed an assignment early. I purchased 20 plastic pencil cases and filled each with STEAM supplies. I put a label on the outside that told students the contents of the box and a label on the inside with a STEAM task. Students could choose to use the supplies to complete the task, or free build.
STEAM bins quickly became incredibly popular with my students. They were able to take a bin back to their desk or work with them at the small group table in the STEAM corner.
Why I Love STEAM Bins:
They allow for a smooth transition between activities. Students are fairly independent in their retrieval of the bins and the supplies inside can be cleaned up quickly and easily.
They foster student independence. I don't have to set up the activity, retrieve the bin, or provide directions for students to use them.
They allow for agency. Students get to choose which bin they work with, and how they use the supplies.
They are a great way to integrate the 4 C's into your classroom.
STEAM Bins & The 4 C's:
Creativity: Students have the freedom to create what they want.
Collaboration: Students can easily work together with the same supplies or alongside each other with different supplies, sharing ideas and strategies as they work.
Communication: Students can easily engage in conversation with others about their creation or the stuck points they face along the way and are often eager to share
Critical Thinking: STEAM naturally elicits critical thinking and problem solving. STEAM Bins are especially good at this because students are limited in the supplies they have access to.