A Defined STEM Learning Experience From:

Jill Weitgenant

High School Mathematics Teacher

Essex Community School (IA)

Performance Task:

Computer Manufacturer 

Here’s What We Did:

For this task, students acted as the CEO of a new computer technology company. We started the lesson by experimenting with the efficiency simulation. The goal was to find the optimal number of workers for each station to make the required number of computers. Once that was determined, students worked through the various project tasks provided by Defined STEM. I combined the technical report and data table into one assignment. To correlate more math into the project, students had to create a company budget including pay for all of the company’s workers. Next, instead of recording a video for the newscast, my students made a PowToon video to promote the computer initiative to various countries.

Why Defined STEM Was the Perfect Fit:

My students loved the project and wanted to add a hands-on portion, but were not able to due to budget restrictions. The motivational level was very high at the beginning, and students enjoyed doing math in a project setting as opposed to worksheets and tests. Defined STEM works in my classroom because students have access to a computer, can work at their own pace, and each project piece is well-explained and meaningful.