A+ Ideas, Programs, and Practices

Maker events celebrate doing. Fusing art, science, education, and imagination, they bring together authors and environmentalists, builders and ‘bots, cooks and crafters, hackers and horticulturalists– people who engage in and solve the world’s problems through creativity and collaboration. When the Toms River Regional Schools superintendent and board approved the creation of the first Jersey Shore … Continued

A “Car Crash” simulation project is used in West Orange High School’s materials engineering unit as a culminating performance-based challenge in the Principles of Engineering course. As a STEM project, it integrates all four disciplines – science, technology, engineering and math — to help solve an important real-world problem: improving car safety technology. Students must … Continued

Teachers in the Linwood district saw a need in the community for kids who don’t like traditional after-school sports activities. STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and math) is fun and exciting for many children – as the teachers involved with the Amazinators like to say, the “nerds of the world.” A summer STEAM camp … Continued

The STEAM Academy at Black Horse Pike Regional is a rigorous two-year interdisciplinary program, designed to provide a strong educational foundation for students planning to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, the arts or mathematics. The Black Horse Pike Regional district has partnered with Camden County College to create a pathway for students to focus … Continued

Livingston students built snowmen – on computers – and more, during the district’s Hour of Code, held as part of the nationwide initiative sponsored by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org. The idea was to introduce students to computer science and computer programming, and the rapidly-expanding and increasingly-important field of coding. Coding is the art … Continued

More than a dozen years ago, educators at High Point Regional High School noticed low enrollment of female students in engineering and technology electives. The problem paralleled the issue in industry, where there is a lack of women in technology and engineering. A team of teachers and students, supported by administrators and the school board, … Continued

Hope students who have been invited to join the gifted and talented program in grades 3-8 have the opportunity to participate in a STEaM-based project. Students meet after school, and with the guidance of two teachers, investigate a specific topic. This year’s topic is centered on food science. Students are experimenting with food – working … Continued

At the Franklin Township School in Hunterdon County, there’s a new “superhero” in town: Super STEM. Teachers throughout the K-8 school district are working together, using cross-content lesson planning, to incorporate learning in science, technology, engineering and math. The Super STEM program incorporates project-based learning activities with STEM curriculum, which is aligned with the Common … Continued

Manchester Township’s STEM programs are active and effective at the district’s Middle School. In grades six and seven, students embark on virtual reality adventure trips. They identify problems that occur on their adventure, and research and design solutions to solve them. As a final group project, students integrate all subject areas in STEM – science, … Continued

The East Greenwich School District’s SOAR program fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills for gifted and talented elementary school students, beginning in the youngest grades. SOAR is rooted in the Framework for 21st Century Learning. The program starts in Kindergarten, a unique aspect, and then advances through the grade levels. SOAR uses an interdisciplinary approach … Continued