Before Jumping In...
Note: Before we jumped into our STEAM Glow Games, we spent time learning how to play all the games and learning how to reflect and self-assess. To see how we practiced this, click on the "Intro to Games" button. On this link I also included links to all the games that were used in our STEAM Glow Games.
STEAM Glow Games in Action
Over the winter break, I was trying to think ahead for some of the content to cover for my STEAM classes. As I was reflecting on what I have already covered, I began to feel as though I might not have hit on some of the deeper meanings of STEAM. We have done a lot of building, creating, engineering, and designing, but I didn't feel like I had really hit on what each letter of STEAM means in the bigger picture of things beyond our classroom and school.
Why do we have STEAM class? Who are people in STEAM careers? What are some possible STEAM careers? How do we take what we know about STEAM and apply it to our life outside of school? What are the 6Cs and how does that fit with STEAM? How does our mindset affect our attitude and our work in STEAM? These were some of my driving questions I wanted students to think more about and have a deeper understanding about as it relates to themselves and the world.
Why do we have STEAM class? Who are people in STEAM careers? What are some possible STEAM careers? How do we take what we know about STEAM and apply it to our life outside of school? What are the 6Cs and how does that fit with STEAM? How does our mindset affect our attitude and our work in STEAM? These were some of my driving questions I wanted students to think more about and have a deeper understanding about as it relates to themselves and the world.
Why the Glow Games?
I knew this was going to be a challenge for students to tackle and I also knew that there would be students who would not find this "fun" compared to other activities we have done in class. I am not one to let fun guide my instruction, but rather help students find joy and fun in whatever they are doing. I figured that this would be an opportunity to insert one of my favorite classroom transformations - a glow room! And why not teach them something other than just the content along the way? Hello games!
One thing I have noticed this year is that my students have a difficult time working in groups collaboratively, so we have done a lot of collaborative work and learning how to talk to talk to one another constructively. I also learned through talking with my students, that many of them did not know how to play many games or spend time playing games at home. I feel that games are a great way for students to communicate with one another while working towards a common goal. So if students are working towards a common goal of learning, playing games as part of the learning process. According to Hope King, using games appropriately in the classroom is a great way to engage students in powerful learning and applications. On her blog she has stated two rules to keep in mind when using games for student engagement and learning:
One thing I have noticed this year is that my students have a difficult time working in groups collaboratively, so we have done a lot of collaborative work and learning how to talk to talk to one another constructively. I also learned through talking with my students, that many of them did not know how to play many games or spend time playing games at home. I feel that games are a great way for students to communicate with one another while working towards a common goal. So if students are working towards a common goal of learning, playing games as part of the learning process. According to Hope King, using games appropriately in the classroom is a great way to engage students in powerful learning and applications. On her blog she has stated two rules to keep in mind when using games for student engagement and learning:
1) No turns/no outs: When preparing a game, make sure that every single student is accountable to answer every single question independently. This ensures that each student is not having the fun until they put in the work.
When students are given the opportunity to get "out", they often will do this when they are tired of working or would rather just sit. We need to make sure that every student is always a part of the game, and that they are accountable for their learning.
2) Next level gaming: We need to make sure that games don't simply focus on memorization, but rather that they emphasize the application of a skill. Don't just get stuck on memorizing terminology, but give opportunities for the students to be able to use the terms to create and analyze.
Using these two items as guides for incorporating my games in with the content, I decided to use task cards to guide the table conversation. Students would take turns reading a task card to the group, all group members would write their answers in their answer books, then share their answers with the group before taking a turn playing a game (or part of a game). Some of the questions I put together in the book were questions they should know from our previous classwork, but most were application or opinion questions. I wanted them to think about what they already know and use information I provided to do some problem solving and analysis. I know that is a hefty task to ask of fourth graders, but I know they could do it with perseverance, grit, and teamwork. I always tell my students that we do hard things, and by doing hard things our brain grows. If we always do easy things, we are not challenging ourselves to do difficult things and grow as a learner.
Below I have links to two different resources - the Student Booklet and the Teacher Resources. The Student Booklet is what I copied and stapled together for students. This not only had their answer recording sheets and reflection page, but also a page of information that they might find helpful in answering some of the task card questions. The Teacher Resources has all of the task card questions, game direction sheets, and additional information I used to set up and run the STEAM Glow Games.
Below I have links to two different resources - the Student Booklet and the Teacher Resources. The Student Booklet is what I copied and stapled together for students. This not only had their answer recording sheets and reflection page, but also a page of information that they might find helpful in answering some of the task card questions. The Teacher Resources has all of the task card questions, game direction sheets, and additional information I used to set up and run the STEAM Glow Games.
We truly had a blast while working through our STEAM Glow Games. I tried to capture some video while students were working through stations because I wanted to be able to show them later the amazing things they accomplished through these games.
Student Reflection
At the end of each learning station, I asked students to reflect on their experience at the station and how it fit in with the 6C Learner Profile that our district has adopted (based off the book, Becoming Brilliant by Roberta Michnick Golinkoff PhD and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek PhD). I selected a "C" for each game and used that as the focus for my question in addition to a content question. I also included a question at the end (as my district is focusing on cultural responsive teaching) to learn more about my students as individuals and how their unique identity contributes to our class culture. These questions have led students to not only answer them on their recording sheet, but come up and verbally share their responses with me because they feel valued and excited about what they are doing.
Below is the 6C Learner Profile Matrix we use to measure growth. I have highlighted the levels for each "C" that I feel students should reach if they are an active learning participant in the STEAM Glow Games. For the Glow Games, I asked students to self assess as part of their reflection page in their booklet and then I put their information into a spreadsheet for my own data tracking. Instead of me assessing them (our STEAM class is not graded, but rather as participation), I was curious what the students would "grade" themselves as if given the opportunity.
Below is the 6C Learner Profile Matrix we use to measure growth. I have highlighted the levels for each "C" that I feel students should reach if they are an active learning participant in the STEAM Glow Games. For the Glow Games, I asked students to self assess as part of their reflection page in their booklet and then I put their information into a spreadsheet for my own data tracking. Instead of me assessing them (our STEAM class is not graded, but rather as participation), I was curious what the students would "grade" themselves as if given the opportunity.
Classroom Set Up
I set the room up similarly to that of when we were just practicing how to play the games. I felt that the consistency would help keep order in how games were set up, how they reset the stations, and how to rotate from one station to another. Each station had a container that had pencils, game directions, the game (if it fit), and the task cards. Students carried their booklets with them from station to station.
Stations
So, here is the breakdown of the stations I created and how they were implemented. I created a presentation that I used to guide students through our class time during the STEAM Glow Games. I wanted to make sure everyone knew why we were learning more about STEAM, my expectations, and how the class time was going to be used. I embedded the timers into the presentation and projected them so students could always see how much time had elapsed.
I only see my students for one hour a week, so I spread our STEAM Glow Games out over the course of four weeks. Each week students rotated through two stations. I included brain breaks right before our rotation to a new station so they would have time to get up, get some wiggles out, and potentially dance out any frustrations they might have encountered.
I only see my students for one hour a week, so I spread our STEAM Glow Games out over the course of four weeks. Each week students rotated through two stations. I included brain breaks right before our rotation to a new station so they would have time to get up, get some wiggles out, and potentially dance out any frustrations they might have encountered.
Station #1 -
For this station, the focus was on Science and collaboration. I wanted students to understand that much of science is rooted in the natural world and that it can be used to help solve problems in our everyday lives.
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Station #2 -
For this station, the focus was on Technology and critical thinking. I wanted students to understand that technology does not always require something to be digital. In its simplest form, technology is something that makes a task or process easier. I think this was absolutely mind-blowing for some students when I explained even a pencil was considered a new technology at some point.
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Station #3 -
For this station, the focus was on Engineering and confidence. I wanted students to understand that there are different kinds of engineering, but for each kind they are all trying to solve problems. Most of the engineering we have done to this point has involved brainstorming, designing, and creating. I wanted them to see that those skills they are acquiring and refining through our activities are transferrable to many different aspects of their life outside of school.
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Station #4 -
For this station, the focus was on "The Why" of STEAM and creative innovation. I wanted them to have a deeper understanding of why we now have a STEAM class as a Special class at school. The skill that they learn and practice in this class can be transferred to many areas and can enhance their problem solving skills and confidence in other content areas. This station turned out to be very difficult for students. I am not sure if it was that many of the questions were opinion-based questions and it made them think deeper about "the why" or if the questions were a little too difficult. When we talked through some of the difficult questions they had, they seemed to have an understanding of what was being asked.
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Station #5 -
For this station, the focus was on Art and communication. What I was really hoping they would understand when they walked away from this station was that art can take place in many different forms. Art is not just drawing, coloring, or painting, but can be music, performances, language expression, and visual arts (among others). When I teach the "A" to students, I teach them that it is not just ART, but also the AESTHETIC of their work. It is about caring about what they created and taking pride in their work when sharing it with others.
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Station #6 -
For this station, the focus was on mindset and critical thinking. My students often struggle when they are presented with a difficult task in which they cannot solve or complete right away. I wanted them to think more about their mindset towards challenges and how their mindset towards difficult things can actually help them solve problems. When talking to groups, I shared with them that if they recognize they have a fixed mindset towards something, it is not a bad thing as long as they work towards growing and learning from the experience.
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Station #7 -
For this station, the focus was on the 6Cs and critical thinking. We have been incorporating the 6Cs into our self evaluations and reflections in activities, but I feel as though I had not really explicitly addressed what the 6Cs are and why they are important in the learning process. It was interesting that students did not really connect all of our reflections with the giant 6C chart that is in all classrooms. When I pointed out the pictures and told them my written explanations helped them understand what the levels meant, it was like an ah-ha moment when the realized the connection.
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Station #8 -
For this station, the focus was on Math and confidence. I know math is something that many students struggle with and I wanted them to understand that they really do use math in their everyday lives, whether they realize it or not. I have a Computer Science major and a Math minor, so I always share this with students. I share this with them because math was always something that challenged me. I could memorize all sorts of vocabulary, dates, and other facts, but math presented a challenge to me as it was always changing. I tell them that the challenge was what drove me to develop a love for the subject, regardless of how many hours I spent in the Math Department getting help in tutoring in college!
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Side Note:
Also, as I have mentioned several times on my blog, I choose to freely share my resources and materials instead of selling them. I choose to do this because I feel that as educators, we can show our support for each other in many ways. I do ask though, that if you really like what you see and end up using in your classroom, to consider contributing to my DonorsChoose projects or something off my Amazon wishlist. This is something I have started doing myself as a way of paying it forward and putting learning materials back into the classroom. This ensures that everything goes back into the hands of my students for continued STEAM learning. :)
