The Home Page Network

Today on Blossburg Home Page correspondent Mataya Nickerson covers STEM NIGHT for the 4th, 5th and 6th graders at Blossburg Elementary School.

STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEM is collaborative and encourages problem-solving in real-world environments.

During today’s broadcast, Mataya talks with teachers Jeannie Herres and Sarah Murray who were in charge of this impacting event.

Jeannie explains to us that STEM works well because it focuses on hands-on education. Young students get very involved and excited about this learning concept. In STEM kids are in charge of their own learning. Students design, build and create ways to solve problems. It’s impressive to see what they come up with as they problem solve.

Sarah Murray said that one of their goals as teachers is to instill in the students that you need to find an answer but, it’s not always the same answer. Sometimes teachers will give students a group of items and a problem and then tell students to figure out a solution. You may end up with fifteen different answers depending on what you give them. None of the answers would be necessarily wrong. It depends on how their brains work and how they think through a problem. Sarah said that it is really amazing to see what they can do.

During the second half of today’s broadcast, things get truly interesting as we talk with the kids. We find out what they like about STEM. And, we get to see many projects in action.

Special thanks to Superintendent Sam Rotella, Principal Bill Swingle, teachers Jeannie Herres and Sarah Murray and the parents and students of Blossburg Elementary School for making our coverage of STEM NIGHT possible.