STEM Cafe: Not Just Hammers & Nails
In partnership with the Construction Center of Excellence, West Sound STEM Network conducted a virtual, interactive, STEM Café, “The Building and Construction Trades."
Teachers explored connections to high demand careers in the trades through interactive design challenges as well as a panel discussion with industry professionals. The panel included women in the industry who spoke to the unique challenges women face in non-traditional occupations and the benefits of their career choices.
Attendees learned about culturally responsive instructional strategies and best practices for supporting students in synchronous/asynchronous distance learning while utilizing STEM resources to strengthen energy transfer knowledge and application, engineering design and solutions to societal problems.
“I didn’t know much about construction careers, but now I can pass on more effective information during career exploration.”
Teacher Sherry Oikawa-Kennedy from Peninsula School District recounted how much fun she had with the measuring task using a measuring wheel and said she already had plans to challenge her own students “to measure their house or backyard, neighborhood park, a basketball court or playground—anything or anywhere that sounds fun!”
Sherry noted that she could easily take the exercise even further by asking her students to “rebuild” items or places they’ve measured in virtual environments like the game “Minecraft.”
Thank you to Lisa Marx, Northwest Carpenters Institute of Washington; Mark Martinez, Pierce County Building & Construction Trades, and Lovey Sidhu, Skill Plan EPATT who were on the panel to share construction industry information with educators .
