Wrapping it Up!

    'Tis the season for final assignments and preparing for exams! As we wrap up our course, I am encouraged to reflect on the key takeaways from this semester. As someone who is in the Physical Education stream, I have not had direct exposure to STEM subject fields; however, one of the things I have come to realize is that there are traces of STEM within every subject. This course has allowed me to understand the various tools that I can incorporate in a classroom to allow students exposure to STEM-based learning. 

    Using all the knowledge we have learned over the course of the semester, we were able to put those pedagogies into action by facilitating a STEM activity for the class. The past two weeks of activities have been an eye-opening experience, as it has allowed me to witness various teaching methods in realistic scenarios. Every group was able to show their own ways of how they would teach a STEM lesson. Many of my fellow classmates are in courses specific to the STEM field (e.g., Mathematics and Science), so I was able to see how they would instill those pedagogies influenced by their own pedagogies. 

    One of the main teaching pedagogies I was able to witness was student-driven learning. Many of the activities, mine included, were giving the students the appropriate materials needed and having them participate in their own way. The activities were quite exploratory and allowed students to be creative with the activities at hand. When participating in the activities, I was consistently thinking, How can I incorporate this in my own classroom someday? Much of the information I have learned throughout this semester has triggered this question and requires me to look at these pedagogies through a teacher's lens, rather than a student's lens.

    A recurring ideology that was consistently brought up throughout the semester was students taking authority over their own learning. Although I do not expect to see myself end up in a classroom in relation to a STEM subject, the pedagogies I have learned are transdisciplinary for other subjects. In fact, many of the concepts that were learned are transdisciplinary and can be used in many other subjects. During our discussions on Mathematics, we brought up terms like conceptual learning which can work simultaneously with ideas like student-driven learning to develop a plan that is most beneficial for students. 

    All in all, when I look back on this semester, I see a newfound appreciation for STEM learning and am eager to implement it into whatever subject I end up teaching. Although much of what was learned is in relation to subjects like Mathematics and Science, they are transdisciplinary and can be manipulated in ways to meet the needs of all students. In the end, our goal as teachers is to provide the best possible education for them!