ECS Introduces STEM Program
ECS Introduces STEM Program
Elementary students to benefit from hands-on collaboration each week
Photos / Leah Farnum
Former US Secretary of Education Richard Riley once said that schools are preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist to use as-of-yet undiscovered technology to solve problems we’ve never faced. So how can teachers prepare students for an unknown future? Embracing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education is key, and Ellicottville Central School is pleased to announce the addition of an elementary school STEM teacher beginning this school year!
Leah Farnum, who has been teaching second and third grade at ECS for the past 10 years, is excited to step into this new role. Farnum is often asked what exactly “STEM” is and how it differs from familiar subjects. “STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and it emphasizes an integrated approach to learning all of those subjects,” she explained. “A highly effective program really aims to develop the skills and knowledge that we’re finding are crucial in today’s technology-driven world.”
Toward that end, Farnum will be working with all elementary students (pre-kindergarten through fifth grade) at least once a week through hands-on projects that encourage collaboration, creativity, and student-driven learning. Farnum noted that STEM lab work will involve students taking learning into their own hands with some directions from her but the freedom to test their ideas with one another. “Research shows that that’s how kids retain information best - if they’ve learned it hands-on themselves,” she explained. “As much as people don’t want to hear it, we learn more through our failures sometimes than we do when things are just given to us and the right answer is just fed to us from the teacher.”
Elementary Principal and Director of Curriculum Katie Mendell is enthusiastic about the new STEM position and how the project-based, hands-on approach to learning will invigorate students’ learning and prepare them for the future. “As educators, we are lifelong learners, living in an ever-changing world that we are tasked with preparing our children for,” she said. “This task has felt daunting over the past couple of years with the mandates, state education regulations, and added expectations on districts; however, STEM education gives us hope and a way forward. We are able to witness students fall in love with learning and have fun doing so.”
Farnum will also be working with students in their main classroom or other specials to deepen their understanding of STEM-related topics. Farnum pointed out that STEM is not brand-new at ECS, as many teachers have been incorporating STEM-based learning into their curriculum. However, this is the first year that there is designated time in a student's week for STEM in a lab specially designed for hands-on learning. “It’s not something that the classroom teacher has to worry about fitting into their schedule,” said Farnum. “STEM is time they know is designated for hands-on exploration, especially engineering. Engineering isn’t something that’s easily integrated into a general curriculum and takes extra thought. It’s not something that is a standard at this point, but it’s something that we know works really well with kids to help them understand how the world works and to solve problems. We’re going to need kids to solve problems!”
Farnum has been busily preparing the STEM lab all summer, and it’s stocked with science tools, robotics kits, building materials, measurement tools, and more. She is grateful for the support of the school board in the creation of this position and thankful for the generosity of the parent teacher organization (PTO) and the community who donated supplies and tools to make the first year of the program a success! “Our students deserve this,” said Mendell, “and it is a critical step in preparing them for their future and the world that we live in and work in.”
Importantly, the ECS STEM program lends itself to partnerships with the greater Ellicottville community and other school districts. Mendell said, “One of our key partnerships in this arena is with our Model Schools Technology Integrators from CA BOCES that visit our classrooms monthly. The integrators model ways of engaging student learning with different technology tools and platforms, using resources we have available to us in the district or through our partnership with CA BOCES. This learning happens right in the classroom, for the teacher and students.”
Farnum is excited for a brand-new year of learning and invites the community to be a part of it! “We’re bringing back the Science and Technology Expo, which was something we did pre-Covid, where we invited the community in and the students showed off their science projects,” she explained. The event is tentatively scheduled for May. Follow Ellicottville Central School on social media to see the exciting work unfolding in the STEM lab!