Teacher at Clemmons Elementary Named STEM Fellow by Discovery Place Education Studio

Maggie Caldwell

Maggie Caldwell, who teaches fifth grade at Clemmons Elementary School is one of 26 educators named as a 2015 STEM Fellow by Discovery Place Education Studio.

The three-year fellowship prepares local teachers for dynamic, hands-on learning experiences in order to deliver high-impact STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) lessons in the classroom that prepare students for real world challenges.

With more than 70 applications received, 26 educators from North Carolina and South Carolina were selected for the 2015 STEM Fellows cohort.

“STEM Fellows is not only about increasing STEM content in the classroom, but more importantly about learning how to engage students in impactful, meaningful conversations that are relevant in our everyday lives,” said Discovery Place Education Studio director, Stephanie Hathaway. “There is an urgent need both locally and nationally to support teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Our goal is to equip them with the right tools, technology and confidence that they need to broaden inquiry-based STEM education.”

STEM Fellows is the flagship offering of Discovery Place Education Studio and is designed to give teachers and educators skills and tools that can be adapted to meet the needs of their own classrooms. Over the three-year program, participants will move from learning about STEM content and science education to becoming community problem solvers and engaging in action-based research in their own classrooms.

The new STEM Fellows were invited to participate in Discovery Place Education Studio’s first annual Carolinas STEM Conference last Friday, along with 95 other North and South Carolina educators. The sold-out conference promoted active involvement from its participants by offering hands-on and engaging demonstrations such as 3D printing, simple soldering, circuit art and ocean literacy.

In addition to the conference, STEM Fellows will begin their first year engaging in immersive experiences that focus on supporting growth in pedagogy, before moving into field experiences with STEM-based partners and completing a high level research project.  

The 2015 Fellows join a network of Discovery Place’s previous Fellows from the past five years. STEM Fellows participation is by application only. To qualify, applicants must be full-time educators employed in North Carolina or South Carolina public, private, parochial or charter schools. School or district-level facilitators working with STEM educators and employees of informal education institutions (e.g. museums, zoos) are also encouraged to apply.

For more information about the program, go to Education Studio