Norwood students learn ‘engineering design process’
Anderson County Board of Education members received this gift of a carving made by Norwood Elementary School students. Pictured is board member Jo Williams. (photo:Ben Pounds )
“This honor recognizes Norwood’s outstanding commitment to innovative, hands-on learning that blends science, technology, engineering, and math,” an official announcement from Anderson County Schools stated.
Principal Lindsay Foust addressed the county Board of Education about her school’s achievements and programs for STEM at the board’s Feb. 12 meeting.
“STEM is in every element that we’re already teaching,” she said.
The school has developed an “engineering design process,” which a video by students explained.
Steps are: ask, brainstorm, plan, create and test, improve and present.
“That’s basically just a way to think,” she said.
“It’s a way to persevere. It’s a way to look at a problem and tackle the problem. So, for us, STEM goes so far beyond the classroom with what we’re trying to do.”
She said this can apply to the students’ future lives working on recipes and home repairs.
A key to the process is perseverance in the face of early failures, she said.
Norwood STEM teacher Ramona Owen gave more details at the meeting.
A fourth-grade group made an all-inclusive playground out of Legos, with each student making a single piece and the group deciding how to incorporate them together. A fifth-grade group worked on a “Volume Zoo,” building rectangular animals.
First-grade students planted seeds, whie kindergarten students learned graphing.
Other activities in the video included guiding robots through a tunnel, cooking, making a chicken coop and learning about the five senses, using Mr. Potato Head toys.
