I’m a STEM and Computer Science Convert: One ELA Teacher’s Journey to Embracing Integrated STEM

During my first five years as a 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts teacher, I was passionate about bringing the beauty of language and words to my students. I wanted my students to experience the joy of getting lost in a story and the power of a well-crafted essay. 

Along with my love for literature and writing, I came into the teaching profession with a strong desire to thoughtfully integrate technology into my lessons. I wanted my students to engage with language and literature in new ways, using digital tools to do more than just consume; I wanted them to have opportunities to create and explore. I just wasn’t sure how to translate my passion for technology to practice.

🚧 Burnout and the Need for Change

After those first five years of teaching, burnout set in. I felt uninspired and bored with the content, and I could see my lack of excitement creating unengaged learners. I knew if I wanted to continue to love my job and help students develop future-ready skills, I had to make a change.  

Thankfully, an opportunity to work in a new wall-to-wall Project-Based Learning classroom became available, and I jumped at the chance. While the two years I spent in this environment totally changed my view of what teaching and learning should look like, I definitely did not know what I was getting myself into.

🧪 STEM and Computer Science in ELA

Around the time I joined the 6th-grade PBL team, Indiana also began encouraging more STEM learning—specifically, integrated STEM and Computer Science. Because Indiana's 6th graders participate in standardized science testing, preparing my students for more than just the ELA assessment became my responsibility. 

My team initially struggled with ways to connect different subjects, but with the help of our PBL coach and continued support and encouragement from our building administrators, we eventually found ourselves designing meaningful, authentic, and fun projects based on ELA skills that also included: science, technology, and computer science.

📚 Integrated STEM Projects that Worked

My students read novels that led to them engineering prototypes of assistive devices made from simple machines. They read nonfiction texts, outlined research, and collected data to explain how weather impacted the potholes around our school so they could apply to be construction crew foremen. They also designed, created, and wrote persuasive content for websites to explain why various ecosystems needed more attention and change to be preserved.

Not only were our students more excited about learning than ever, but they were also creatively applying the most important ELA skills and science content needed to be successful.  They were able to identify, “Why are we learning this,” and also demonstrated an understanding of quarterly writing prompts and common assessments.

🤨 Challenges Along the Way

1. Feeling Like a Fish Out of Water: As a trained ELA teacher, I initially felt intimidated by the technical aspects of STEM and Computer Science. I had to overcome my own fear of coding and lack of knowledge of computer-specific vocabulary to embrace the learning process alongside my students.
2. Curriculum Constraints: Finding ways to seamlessly integrate STEM into an already packed curriculum required careful planning and creative thinking. I learned to leverage my PBL experience to design projects that addressed more than just ELA standards but rather authentically integrated STEM content knowledge as well.
3. Standardized Testing Concerns: How would my students perform on standardized tests (specifically ELA and science) if these subjects were not taught separately? Would I have enough time to teach the necessary content? Would my students be able to dig deep enough into both of these subjects to truly understand the content and then demonstrate that knowledge on the very separate tests? These were worries I initially wrestled with, and administrators and parents asked about them.

🌟 The Rewards of Integrated STEM

Despite these hurdles, the rewards were immense. I witnessed firsthand how integrated STEM can empower students, foster critical thinking, collaboration, and innovation, and make learning authentic and engaging. It's not about replacing literacy with STEM; it's about using 21st-century skills and topics to enhance and enrich the learning experience with ELA as the starting point. As for the standardized tests, the percentage of students passing both the ELA and Science tests went up each year we implemented integrated STEM.

💡 Tips to Start Your STEM Journey

So, to my fellow literacy-loving educators who are beginning your integrated STEM journey, I encourage you to consider the benefits of bringing authentic, relevant learning to your students. You don't need to be a coding whiz or a math genius to bring STEM into your classroom. Start small, explore your passions, and be open to learning alongside your students. Here are a few tips and resources to get you started: 

• Incorporate Coding into Storytelling Activities: Consider the many connections and interests students might have in exploring how games are written and created. "Choose your own adventure" style stories are essentially coded narratives where user choices determines the story's progression. 
  • Start by using Google's CS First, a free, ready-to-use computer science curriculum that makes coding easy to teach and fun to learn. The Storytelling unit is a great place to start! 
• Design Engineering Challenges Around Literature: Almost all well-written stories (picture books, short stories, or novels) can inspire readers to identify and wrestle with conflict, identify and brainstorm possible ways to deal with the challenges, and design possible solutions. Why not tie in relevant STEM learning to the reading? 
  • Explore Birdbrain Technologies Reading List: books for K-12 classrooms that easily tie to STEM, computer science, and engineering. 
  • Select a text from Novel Engineering as the basis for engineering design challenges that help identify problems, design realistic solutions, and engage in the Engineering Design Process while reinforcing literacy skills. 
  • Bring in current nonfiction articles and stories like those from Science Friday Spoonfuls, which include "... dozens of current science, technology, and engineering stories ready for the classroom. Each spoonful contains a short piece of media, a transcript, student questions, and activity suggestions for extending student exploration into the science behind the story.
• Connect with STEM Professionals in your Community for Guest Speakers or Mentorship Opportunities: Every time I had a chance to invite a guest speaker, teacher, or expert into my classroom, the students immediately became more engaged and curious. They asked so many great questions! These opportunities allowed my students to gain valuable insights into real-world applications of STEM fields, explore potential career paths, and be inspired by professionals in their community. This was also a great way to demonstrate the importance and relevance of learning Indiana's identified Employability Skills.

🤝 A Call to Action

Our most successful future students will graduate from schools that bridge traditional content areas, STEM, and Computer Science. By embracing integrated STEM, we not only equip our students with essential future-ready skills but also reignite our passion for teaching.

If you’re ready to become a STEM and CS convert (or maybe just taking baby steps toward the idea), let our team of STEM education experts at Five Star help you on your journey of discovery, innovation, and integration!