The following is a guest post from Dr. Jacie Maslyk.

Whether you are a brand new elementary STEM teacher or a seasoned STEM veteran, there are a few things we all have in common. We know what it looks like to complete a successful STEM challenge, and we know what it looks like when a STEM challenge goes very wrong. Every now and then…no matter how much preparation goes into it…a lesson or a project just doesn’t go as planned.

Can you relate?

Mila is sitting in a STEM space tinkering with some wires, batteries, and LED lights. She has been at it for a while, working with great focus and attention. Occasionally you can hear a loud sigh come from her table or an occasional “Ugh!” She has been struggling to make her circuit work for most of the period, but most importantly, she hasn’t given up.

The teacher approaches her, engages in conversation, and asks some pointed questions.

“Tell me what you’ve tried so far.”

“How are you using these materials to accomplish your goal?”

“Where do you think things are going wrong?”

“Do you want to take a walk and check in with some of your classmates and then come back to this with a fresh set of eyes?”

The teacher doesn’t provide any specific direction but uses the dialogue to nudge Mila in a few possible directions that might help her to succeed at this challenge.

In another classroom, students are working in teams on a design challenge to construct a contraption that will help a character from a read aloud book protect their bird feeders from squirrels. One of the teams has an idea and is working quickly. Another team is stalled and can’t get their contraption to work the way they intended.

Yet another group is sitting and talking looking at the available materials with very little evidence on their brainstorming page. The teacher worries that the teams are in very different places. She wonders if she hasn’t provided enough guidance on the project. She wonders if there was something in the explanation that wasn’t clear enough.

Not every STEM challenge will be a success, and that’s OK! We have all struggled with the execution of our plans. We have all worried about the outcomes of lessons, especially when it comes to hands-on STEM lessons. The more important part is identifying why the lesson may have gone wrong and how we can reframe it so that it will be successful in the future.

Never a “Failed” Lesson

First, let me say that I don’t truly believe there is ever a failed lesson. Sure, there are times when students do not grasp the STEM content as much as we would like them to or maybe as quickly as we would’ve hoped.

There are other times when the response of our students just doesn’t come together the way we had pictured it in our minds. Sometimes the lesson ends with students having more misconceptions than when the lesson started. Those situations can be frustrating as a teacher, but there is always a learning opportunity behind every failed lesson.

What Went Wrong?

When a lesson is over, it is always important to take some time to reflect. That might happen immediately after the lesson, as you jot down a few notes in frustration. Your reflection time might happen over lunch as you talk to some of your colleagues or on your car ride home. The important part here is that you are thoughtfully considering how the lesson went and taking steps to make improvements when possible.

The truth is, there could be a lot of different reasons why the lesson didn’t go as expected. Was it a matter of teamwork? If students aren’t able to collaborate, chances are your STEM lesson may have gone wrong.

Perhaps it was the level of the challenge. Did you present something that was too rigorous or had too many constraints in place?

Maybe it had something to do with the materials. Did you provide too many choices for students or maybe not enough? If a lesson didn’t go quite right, it may have something to do with collaboration, content, or culture.

Any or all of these may have contributed to your feelings about the lesson as a failure, but each day that we head back into the classroom we have an opportunity to make adjustments and revisit the lesson in a way that will connect with our students.

1. Collaboration

Did your students collaborate well? If your students did not collaborate as you had expected, you may need to revisit this important component in your classroom.

Collaboration skills can be fostered through the learning opportunities we design in the STEM classroom. Working together with a partner or in a small group is not only critical in the stem classroom but also critical in the workplace.

Embed a mini-lesson on active listening skills. Revisit the class expectations and norms for working together. Provide them with some additional strategies for handling disagreements with peers. Conflict resolution, communication skills, leadership, and decision-making skills will benefit them in the STEM classroom and throughout their education.

2. Content

Was the content you provided the students too challenging? Did you provide enough background information for them to perform successfully on the task?

It is OK to rewind to reinforce the content and then return to the challenge in the future. You might also take a mid-lesson brain break.

For example, have the students stop and step away from the current challenge. Ask them to think about what they need to be successful. Do they need to ask a question, write down a note, or look up additional information to help them move forward? Teach students to take a break, think about what is needed, and then go back to the task.

3. Culture

Have you created a STEM culture in your classroom? You may need to take a step back to ensure that a culture of STEM is cultivated in your classroom. That might mean revisiting ideas like a growth mindset or bouncing back from failure.

A culture of STEM means that your students understand how to be resourceful, think flexibly, and use their creativity to solve problems. This culture means that students work together to support one another and the teacher serves as a facilitator of this learning.

As students solve problems and find solutions in a STEM classroom, we are building a shared community of learners who can use their knowledge and skills to make a difference.

Student Reflection - Ask Your Students

Not sure what the cause was for your less than stellar lesson? Use this as a teachable moment and ask your students! How do you think the lesson went? What should I adjust if I plan to teach this again? Getting feedback directly from your learners might help you to see things in a different way.

No one can be successful 100% of the time. The elementary STEM classroom is a great place to begin teaching students the foundational skills needed to be successful in all other areas of their lives and it just might start with teaching our students how to reframe failure into success.

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3 Reasons Your STEM Challenge Failed (and What to Try Next Time)