How do you collaborate to support STEM education in your school?

1 Identify your goals and vision

Before you start collaborating, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and why. What are the learning outcomes and standards that you want your students to meet? How do you align your STEM curriculum with your school's mission and vision? How do you measure your progress and impact? Having a shared vision and goals will help you communicate your purpose and expectations to your colleagues, administrators, and stakeholders.

2 Build a diverse and inclusive team

Collaboration is not only about working with other teachers, but also with students, parents, community members, and industry partners. You want to create a team that reflects the diversity and richness of STEM fields and perspectives, while also making sure everyone feels valued and respected for their contributions and ideas. To achieve this, you can invite teachers from different grade levels, subjects, and backgrounds to join your STEM team. Additionally, engaging students in co-designing and co-leading STEM projects and activities is a great way to build a diverse and inclusive team. Furthermore, reaching out to parents and families to share your STEM goals and invite their feedback and support is essential. Lastly, partnering with local organizations, businesses, and universities can provide you with access to resources, mentors, and real-world problems.

3 Share your resources and expertise

Collaboration can help you leverage the collective resources and expertise of your team, such as sharing lesson plans, materials, tools, and best practices. You can also benefit from each other's experiences, challenges, and successes. To share your resources and expertise, consider creating a shared online platform or folder to store STEM resources. Additionally, you can organize regular meetings or workshops to showcase STEM projects and activities, as well as provide feedback and suggestions to each other. Joining or creating professional learning communities or networks is also a great way to connect with other STEM educators and experts.

4 Plan and implement cross-curricular projects

In order to enhance your STEM education, you can plan and implement cross-curricular projects that connect STEM concepts and skills with other subjects and disciplines. This will create more authentic and meaningful learning experiences for your students, while also fostering their interdisciplinary thinking and collaboration. To make this happen, you should first identify a common theme or topic that links STEM with other subjects, such as art, literacy, social studies, or health. Additionally, design a project-based learning or inquiry-based learning framework to guide your students through the process of exploring, researching, designing, testing, and presenting their solutions. Lastly, collaborate with other teachers to integrate the STEM project into your respective curricula and schedules.

5 Celebrate and showcase your achievements

Finally, you want to recognize the efforts and accomplishments of your students, colleagues, and partners by celebrating and showcasing your achievements as a collaborative STEM team. You can do this by organizing a STEM fair or exhibition where your students can display their projects and products to the school and community. Additionally, you can create a portfolio or blog to document and reflect on your STEM journey and outcomes, or participate in local, regional, or national STEM competitions or events. Supporting STEM education in your school can be a rewarding experience for everyone involved. It can help create a culture of collaboration and innovation around STEM, as well as enhance student learning and skills. By following these tips and strategies, you can start or improve your collaboration and make a positive difference in your school and beyond.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?