The 2017 STEM Think Tank and Conference is hosted by the Center for STEM Education for Girls at Harpeth Hall.  According to their website, “The Think Tank and Conference will bring together national leaders in K12 education for girls and young women (independent, public, charter, and parochial), university K12 outreach coordinators and researchers, STEM university faculty, girls’ informal educators, and members of industry.”

Ms. Chavali presented a session entitled, “Toy Design as a Vehicle for Vertical Collaboration in a K-12 Setting.”

Workshop Description: Educators are encouraged to develop interdisciplinary curriculum to enhance the learning experience of students.  While opportunities for vertical collaboration in a K12 setting are abundant, it can be a daunting task for teachers to create projects that allow for authentic collaboration among students in different grade levels, different developmental stages and different points in the curriculum.  A year-long Class XII engineering elective in toy design provide a vehicle for teaching design thinking principles an opportunity for seniors to collaborate with fourth graders.  Students working in small teams designed and prototyped a toy aimed to encourage, inspire and teach STEAM concepts to girls in Class IV, allowing for vertical collaboration between girls in Class XII and Class IV during the brainstorming, prototyping and testing process.  The Class IV girls were so inspired by the project that they then designed and prototyped a toy for Class I girls using the principles of design thinking in their STEAM class.  All the girls had an opportunity to showcase their prototypes to each other, demonstrating the success of the project.  The workshop will also present solutions to foreseeable concerns and conflicts.

Download the presentation here.