Category: Anne’s Blog

Anne's Blog / My Second Edition

The New Edition of STEM by Design Emphasizes Real-World Problems

Exciting news! The second edition of STEM by Design was published December 16, 2024 and is now available for order! Look for the complete 2nd Edition update of this website no later than January 2, 2025. The revised and expanded edition homes in specifically on details to help you design quality integrated STEM projects to help your students become the creative thinkers, innovators, and collaborators our communities need in our rapidly changing world.

Anne's Blog / Product Design

Use Product Design to Expand STEM Projects

If your STEM projects need an occasional boost, give your students a chance to take their final prototypes beyond a conceptual level. Imagine your students thinking: Can our design really be produced and used – even if we can make only a few? Anne walks you through the process.

Anne's Blog / STEM Teacher Traits

13 Traits of Great STEM Teachers

National STEM curriculum leader Dr. Susan Pruet offers her list of 13 traits or skills associated with effective STEM teachers. Anne Jolly writes: “She remarked that this STEM job description has been pretty well defined by research and experience over the past decade.”

Anne's Blog / Back to School

Get the School Year Off to a STEM Start!

Anne shares a great animated video from the National Academy of Sciences that gives a concise overview of “integrated STEM” and what it might look like in your classroom. After you watch, check all the resources she’s prepared to help teachers facilitate STEM learning.

Anne's Blog / Summer Learning Loss

STEM & Summer Learning Loss

Let’s put a stop to summer learning loss! Summer is a great time for informal learning and, given the right opportunities, kids can continue thinking, experiencing, and learning. Take a look at these ideas for STEM applications and see if any work for your kids.

Anne's Blog / Summer STEM Fun!

8 Tips for Planning Summer STEM Fun

Summer is almost here and it’s time for kids to officially forget everything they learned during the school year. Right? Well, maybe not right, writes STEM expert Anne Jolly, if schools, communities, and families keep the learning going. She has eight ideas!

Anne's Blog / STEM Launchers

Use Mini-Lessons to Launch STEM Projects

A STEM launcher is a mini-lesson that reminds students to adopt an engineer’s mindset as they tackle and solve problems using the engineering design process. It’s helpful anytime you need to channel middle school energy in a productive way. Here’s one ready-made!