Hands-On Learning Embraced By Orchard Students

Teachers at Orchard Public School sacrificed some of their own time in order to show students how what they are learning in the classroom will help them in the real world.

For the past two years, OPS has had a science, technology, engineering and math program known as STEM.

“We started it last year and did a lot of challenges and activities,” Orchard teacher Jana Wilhelm said, giving a brief summary of last years program.

Tami Kuhfal, who also teaches at Orchard, then explained how the program had changed compared to last year.

“We are being a little more deliberate, focusing more on the engineer and design process and making it a little more applicable to things,” she said.

Kuhfal said children learn in many different ways, and the STEM program shows who may struggle with traditional classwork ways to thrive with the hands-on program.

“It’s so much fun to see the joy when they see they have moved up. Reading is not their things, but STEM is,” Kuhfal said.

Kuhfal was also responsible for the “maker-space” that was added to help enhance the tools used in the STEM program.

“I proposed it to the teachers, ‘What if we sacrifice some teacher workroom time?’ and they were willing. Then I proposed it to the principal and superintendent, and they both were completely on board. After I created the maker-space, I went to the teachers and asked. ‘Well, how are we going to structure this?’ and no one had an idea,” she explained.

After a bit of trial and error, the teachers discovered what worked best for the students and themselves. Kids picked an activity to complete that month keeping the program student oriented.

Ideas are found in several different places. Kuhfal said most of her ideas came from classes and professional development, but inspiration can come from anywhere.

“Or just Google it. There are a lot of STEM projects on the Internet,”  Wilhelm said.

When asked what projects they had done in the past, the pair of teachers had no hesitation to mention project after project, including marble ramps, flying hoopsters, boomerangs, towers, designing and making instruments as well as weaving mats for the homeless.

“They have to work cooperatively; they have to problem solve,” Wilhelm said.

Kuhfal then went on to add more detail into how this closely relates to real-world problems.

The problem-solving aspect of life is constant and situations happen in Kuhfals words, “things just come up.”

“If you work at the register at a restaurant and the power goes out do you close? How do you deal with that?” Kuhfal asked.

The program has spread throughout the school with even the younger grades joining in. Tony Tabbert, a janitor at OPS, helped with a project and seemed to enjoy it, according to the teachers.

A program that gives all students a chance to thrive, the STEM program is evolving and proving to kids more and more that not everyone has the same talents.

Yazlin Zermeno smiled at the mention of the STEM program. “I’m seeing that I may be bad at reading, but I am good at other things like problem-solving,” she said.

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