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Harnessing STEM in Informal Learning -- Ray and Kahla DeSmit
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In today's episode, we meet a power couple who really know how to connect STEM experiences and picture books for powerful 21st century learning. Kahla DeSmit is the executive director of the Lewisburg Children's Museum and Raymond DeSmit is the Summit Early Learning site coordinator and maker space director. I met both of them at a Steve Spangler workshop last year where we were putting water over our heads, making bubbles, exploring connections, and bonding over a shared love of STEM/STEAM learning. What follows is a transcript from our recent conversation, where we explore a wide range of topics, including the power of informal STEM education experiences, strategies for building powerful connections between picture books and STEM experiences, and the freedom and joy that comes from being able to fail and try again. If you want to read the full show notes and access links to the books discussed in the podcast, you can visit the website.
[01:13] Describe your adventures in learning.
[07:01] What is the role of informal education and STEM in helping kids gain 21st century skills?
[11:38] Describe ways informal education helps develop social-emotional learning, critical thinking, and problem solving.
[19:20] Building connections between children’s literature and STEM.
[32:26] What strategies do you use to connect books to learning experiences?
[40:27] How has informal education adjusted to a post-pandemic world?
[48:39] Hopes and dreams for the future
Kahla DeSmit is Executive Director of the Lewisburg Children’s Museum. You can reach her via email, or follow her on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook.
Ray DeSmit is the Summit Early Learning site coordinator and maker space director. You can reach him via email, or follow him on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook.
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*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.
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