Design a Grape Smasher
Watch the activity overview video. This video shows staff facilitating the activity featured in the skill video.
As you watch the skill video below, think about these questions:
- What questions did the staff person ask that helped youth think critically in their design?
- How was this activity both hands-on and minds-on?
- If you were leading this activity, what would you do differently? What would you do the same?
Now that you’ve watched the video, reflect on what you saw and post your responses.
- What strategies do you use to give youth time to reflect upon questioning and process their answer?
- How could you tell that youth were engaged in the design challenge?
Explore Engineering Practices
Education Item
Keep Youth Interacting
STEM activities are engaging, interactive and hands on experiences for youth. But what happens when members of a group are not interacting? In this video, pay close attention to how the facilitators work with a group if members become disengaged. Listen to the supportive but firm voice of the adult, as she re-directs the group. Pay special attention to how staff listen, maintain a supportive attitude, and model effective collaboration skills.
Video
Education Item
Building Relationships for STEM Learning
Watch as Jennifer uses strategies to support and encourage youth when working on an engineering design challenge. Listen as Jennifer shares an important element to group management involving building relationships around STEM learning based on mutual respect and support.
Video
Education Item
Keeping the Group Focused
Watch as Denise and Jaimie use affirming statements with youth to reinforce positive behavior during the STEM activity. You will hear staff using attention-grabbing call-response phrases that require youth interaction, in order to keep the group working together.