**Please note participants who attend both days are eligible to receive 10 PDPs**

This two day, hands on workshop will explore the purpose and structure of an effective STEM / STEAM activity and classroom environment. Clearly defining, understanding and designing meaningful STEM / STEAM activities will be the focal point of day 1. When effectively designing STEM / STEAM activities educators must consider:

When we authentically integrate across content areas, we are connecting, teaching and assessing two or more standards with intention and equity. This means that if we select a Common Core Math Standard and a Science Standard for integration, those standards must both be assessed equitably and be intentionally taught throughout the lesson.

Further, activities will be designed with intention and attention to:

STEM is the intentional connection between two or more of these selected content areas to drive instruction through observation, inquiry and problem solving. STEM education provides a teaching and learning environment that not only teaches the skills in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and art, but also the means to connect these skills through the core processes of interpretation, communication, analysis and synthesis.

The workshop will provide workshop attendees with both an experiential and pedagogical understanding of STEM through both a hands on STEM / STEAM challenges and a thorough examination of the critical components of a STEM lesson or activity. Workshop participants will engage in and complete a challenge by following a structured design process that can be used with students in a STEM / STEAM environment to facilitate and design meaningful STEM / STEAM challenges. The focus and purpose of the workshop is to thoroughly explore and understand the purpose, structure and process of a STEM / STEAM activity or challenge and the classroom environment. Participants will develop an understanding of STEM / STEAM as a framework that emphasizes critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, communication & collaboration as embedded skills within the STEM / STEAM process.

Objectives for the workshop
1. Workshop participants will know and understand the critical components of a STEM / STEAM lesson or activity.
2. Workshop participants will know and understand how to design, observe and evaluate a STEM / STEAM lesson or activity.
3. Workshop participants will identify and define how a STEM / STEAM lesson / activity supports grade level, math, science and art content.
4. Workshop participants will have an overall increased understanding and comfort level for a STEM / STEAM based classroom and the type of work being done by students in this environment.
5. Workshop participants will develop an understanding and comfort level with the Design Process and how this process can be applied to a cross curricular, collaborative and meaningful student working environment.