The Roots of STEM: Lesson Plans by Teachers, For Teachers

The MSU-WIPRO fellows have published their very own book, which is primarily tailored for K-12 educators in the STEM field.  The final product, titled Roots of STEM, is a perfect example of collaborative effort, hard work, reflective practice and the creation of a concrete, authentic product that is worth sharing.  The book was a kick-off initiative for the first cohort—with most of the work happening within the first two weeks of their meeting for the first time. Accomplishing big goals is what this team of educators is all about!  The published piece is proof.

Candace Marcotte is part of the Michigan State instructional team.  She says, “It was an excellent way to start the fellowship because we got to see everyone doing what they love and sharing their passion for teaching. It also allowed them to share their content expertise.”

The book plunges the reader into a world of STEM teaching. It provides 25 STEM-focused lessons for teaching a variety of subject material, from balancing chemical reactions to investigating solar power. Each fellow contributed a pre-existing lesson plan to showcase their remarkable work as a STEM educator.  Many resources are provided that reflect excellent practice in the area of teaching  science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.

Perhaps the most interesting piece of this books is the amount of peer-feedback and support offered throughout the process.  Feedback was offered from peers in relation to the following themes:

• Teachers as Learners (Evaluating the lesson from student perspective)

• Elements of Pretty Good Practice (Promising practices from the lesson)

• Extensions and Adaptations (Alternative settings and/or for longer durations)

• Questions Arisen (Questions that arise about the content, the pedagogical approach, the use of technology, and/or other questions)

An interesting side note is that a paperback version of this book was published using the on-demand Espresso Book Machine at the MSU Library (special thanks to Johan Magar for all his help in making this happen).

While the book is freely available as a PDF, hard copies are distributed on demand.  If you are interested in having your own hard copy of Roots of STEM, contact Punya Mishra (at punya@msu.edu).

Download your own  PDF version of the entire Roots of STEM book (or individual chapters) here.