Bennett, “it not only helps them develop their content knowledge for teaching but gives them opportunities to collaborate with a variety of experts on complex projects like practicing teachers do in their work.”Ĭollege of Education honors students Madison Smith and Meagan Jewkes and General Studies honor student Exko Ramey diligently worked over the summer and fall semester to create an informal educational experience geared towards upper elementary grade students nationwide. “It is important to give our students real world experiences and projects to work on earlier in their undergraduate degrees,” explains Dr. The project proposal was funded by INL in partnership with the Idaho STEM Action Center, with additional support for student internships from the Idaho Space Grant Consortium.īennett and Nawotniak recruited three College of Education honors students, majoring in the Elementary Education or Secondary Education, and a geology honors student to help create the R.E.A.L. STEM with the goal of delivering authentic STEM experience for upper elementary students. Shannon Kobs Nawotniak, Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences and Director of the University Honors Program, joined forces to create R.E.A.L. Bennett, Professor in Idaho State University’s College of Education Teaching and Educational Studies Department, and Dr.

Stem websites for elementary students