On Friday, February 7, sixty library staff from across the Commonwealth of Virginia gathered for a one day STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) workshop hosted by the Science Museum of Virginia and the Library of Virginia. Funding was provided by the Institute for Museum and Libraries Services (IMLS).
The workshop provided a framework for presenting science challenges to create thinking and learning experiences.’ Chuck English, Director of Playful Learning and Inquiry at the Science Museum, introduced an interactive and thoughtful way to present programs.’ We began by learning fun ways to assess the participants’ science skills and knowledge levels and ended with simple ways to measure learning outcomes.’ In between, participants were given challenges that mimicked a library STEM program.’ One such challenge was, with a bag full of items, create a prosthetic hand for a baby chimpanzee that would hold a banana.’ Although each group was given the same items, not all the engineering designs were similar.’ Another challenge was to trace a body, draw in the skeletal system and then create with an iPad an instructional video. Read More →