Students at DeKalb West School last week got a firsthand experience in conducting science experiments inside a mobile learning laboratory, called the STEMmobile.
Housed in a 53-foot tractor-trailer with self-contained power, the STEMmobile has its own heating and cooling system, a satellite uplink for Internet connectivity and workstations to accommodate about 24 students at a time. The classroom on wheels is stocked with equipment from the Oakley STEM Center and Tennessee Tech University and includes equipment and supplies for activities at each grade level.
With carpet lined walls, bright lights, and industrial grade metal drawers, the STEMmobile is also equipped with stainless steel countertops under flat screen TVs for students to conduct their experiments, bringing technology to the doorsteps of the school.
The science lessons, based on Tennessee science standards developed by the Upper Cumberland Rural STEM Initiative, range from heart rate and simple circuits, to building lighted doorbells and more. “The second grade came out and we used magnets to demonstrate attractions to the poles and fields. The third grade was involved in wind movement power and energy. The fourth grade used chemical solutions and how they reacted. With the fifth grade, they pumped up their heart rate to encourage health and energy. The sixth grade did circuits from a simple to a schematic circuit building a door bell and the seventh grade did simple machines going all the way from a wedge to building a fulcrum,” said 6th grade DWS teacher Tammy Payne in an interview with WJLE Sunday. Eighth graders also worked on science projects in the STEMmobile.
DWS Principal Sabrina Farler said the school was pleased to have the STEMmobile back for the second year in a row. “We had the opportunity last week, January 20-23 and on Sunday, January 25 to have students come and experiment with a lot of things. We partnered with our science teachers in each grade and they were sent an email with links to videos and power points on standards that would be taught in class. Its material that is brought to them (students) as hands-on. Material that they would have had to learn in the classroom by reading it. This way they get to do the hands-on activities with it. They’ve worked on some math, science, and technology and the kids have been so excited. We focused on our third through eighth grade this year. Last year it was for K-8. Each grade, as they have moved up have had the opportunity to do two different experiments in the STEMmobile and we hope we have this opportunity again in the future,” Farler told WJLE.
The STEMmobile trailer and its first year of operations were funded through a grant from the state legislature, the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network (TSIN) and Tennessee Technical University. The mobile lab made stops at 20 school districts in the Upper Cumberland region during the 2013-14 school year.
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