Share Paper: Ready, Set, Launch! STEM Learning Through Siege Machines

1. William Tai, University of Idaho, United States

Abstract: Recent trends in STEM education indicate a decline in interest starting in the middle grades and continuing through high school. Evidence presented in previous studies showed recapturing student interest in STEM is increasingly difficult. In this Best Practices paper, we discuss how a scale model of a medieval war machine spawned learning engagement in a summer math enrichment program and how we used a STEM challenge station to foster curiosity. The activities used project-based learning while attending to cognitive demand through peer collaboration and highlight the importance of conceptual relationships in math and science through probative questioning. Positive feedback was ...