Gearity is a STEM Designated School by the Ohio Department of Education.
What is STEM?
STEM is an acronym for: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Students at Gearity are engaged in design challenges throughout the year. The challenges allow the students to employ problem-solving skills through the learning of all subject matter.
Teachers use the common core state standards and district pacing guides to create units of instruction for students that are both engaging and informative. Students will be asked to design solutions to real-world problems that are relevant to them. This form of instruction is both engaging and exciting to students. They are learning by doing. The solution they design is one way we use to assess students’ understanding of key concepts.
What does STEM learning look like?
Students are:
Þ Engaged
Þ Thoughtful
Þ Empathetic
Þ Creative
Þ Collaborative
Any student can be a STEM student even if their interests are not in the STEM areas of focus. STEM students are taught to be successful, risk-takers, and independent thinkers. Our goal is to prepare them for the 21st century.
Design Cycle:
Teachers use the design cycle above to guide students through problem-solving. The design cycle is used in all subject-matter and encouraged to be used in real-world problems as well. As students become familiar with the design cycle, they are better able to solve their own problems in a more thoughtful, constructive way. This is the ultimate goal of a STEM school - to create citizens that are independent problem-solvers.