The Gritty Classroom: Understanding Grit

You’ve probably heard of Angela Lee Duckworth and her studies on grit: “passion and perseverance for very long-term goals”.

Duckworth found that grittier students were significantly more likely to graduate, and that the qualities to do well in school (and in life) include having stamina, sticking with goals, and persisting for a long period of time to fulfill these goals.

These findings may sound simple and common-sense enough, but what may involve more introspection is determining how educators perceive grit being dispersed in a class of students.

Five Facts About the Mars InSight Mission

InSight touched down on Mars on Nov. 26, 2018 after an almost seven-month journey from Earth.

Jim Bridenstine, a NASA Administrator announced that we have landed on Mars for the eighth time in human history, and that InSight will “study the interior of Mars and will teach us valuable science as we prepare to send astronauts to the Moon and later to Mars.”

Read on for five interesting facts shared by NASA that can be integrated with Design SySTEM’s Astronautical Engineering unit.

Janice LathropNovember 28, 2018education, elementary engineering, engineering, Elementary, Engineering, elementary, engineering design process, technology, STEM, steam, stem curriculum, stem, diversity, mars, insight, innovation

How STEM Can Support Social-Emotional Development in Kids

Social-emotional development refers to a child’s abilities to express and manage emotions, and to establish positive relationships with others.

It should come as no surprise that project-based learning and STEM done right may support healthy social-emotional development.

Janice LathropOctober 24, 2018education, Elementary, engineering, elementary engineering, Engineering, elementary, engineering design process, technology, STEM, steam, stem curriculum, diversity, stem, social emotional, social emotional development

Not Everyone Will Be an Engineer - and That's Okay

Real talk: Even with the global focus on STEM education, not every child will grow up to be a scientist, mathematician, or engineer. And that’s okay.

Janice LathropSeptember 20, 2018Engineering, Elementary, elementary, engineering, elementary engineering, engineering design process, education, technology, STEM, steam, stem curriculum, stem, professional development, Curriculum, innovation, diversity