One of the reasons I was so excited to get a Kenan Fellowship at NC State’s FREEDM Systems Center is because it matches so well with what I teach in my classes. I will be teaching two different classes this year.
The first class, Exploring Career Decisions, focuses on students self-assessing themselves and then researching careers that would be a good match. Many times, those careers are in STEM fields. Throughout my externship, I am getting the opportunity to see what many people with STEM careers do “in real life.” This will be invaluable for how I teach my Exploring Career Decisions class. I am also developing a vast network of people and programs that will be great for potential guest speakers and field trips.
The other class I will be teaching is titled Technology Design and Innovation. This class’s main focus is on the design process and solving problems creatively. Even better, students spend a month of the course researching and designing their own “green” homes! What I am observing and learning about at the FREEDM Systems Center is a perfect match for this class!
The experiences I am having at my externship will have a very large positive impact on the way that I teach my classes this coming year.
The STEM career connection is not something that I have focused on with my students. However, I realize that this was a mistake and I need to rethink how I incorporate STEM careers into my curriculum. I look forward to seeing your lessons as I build my units for next year.
Your experience at the Freedm Systems Center sounds amazing. I’m sure the connections you are making with STEM careers will be very valuable in teaching your career classes in the coming year. I love the photo of the Smart House in your first post – very cool!