Tech with Teachers: Staffs Uni PGCE Students Learn More About STEAM

Wavemaker was pleased to welcome a group of fifty Staffordshire University PGCE students to our headquarters today. The aim of the day was to introduce them all to fun and engaging STEAM and digital activities that can be effectively implemented within the classroom.

On the menu was electronics, coding, 3D printing and 3D design. Following an initial demonstration led by the team, the soon to be teachers were let loose to play with each area, testing knowledge, building skills, and gaining in confidence - something which we know every teachers needs! Much of what we did encompassed a core set of free widely available applications and resources, and utilised accessible common hardware found in most schools.

Not only did we give guidance on teaching these skills but more importantly, we discussed why they are of ever-growing importance in today’s job market.

It soon became clear that, while students had the necessary enthusiasm and willingness to include technology in the classroom, many were unsure of how they could do this, or lacked the confidence necessary to discuss it with their future students.

Rebecca, a PGCE student, admitted that she had little experience with technology. After the session, we caught up with her to see how she felt;

“I didn’t really know much about technology when I first came. It was all pretty intimidating- I had no clue about stuff like coding. Now, I feel a lot better… a lot more comfortable in using tech. I’ve got some ideas of things that I’d like to try in the future and it was great to ask the guys questions and to have fun learning with everyone else.”

While these sessions helped the students with their continued professional development for their teaching career, it also got them excited about their future classes, and what they could do to help their students achieve with the support and influence of technology.

It was great to see so many passionate students in one creative space, and we can’t wait to see the amazing influence that these future educators will have.

At Wavemaker, we know that the only way to progress and incorporate more tech skills in the classroom is by becoming a more experienced and confident teacher, one who is comfortable with the diverse technology that schools have to offer. We feel we contributed to that objective today, and are thrilled we had the opportunity to meet these talented teachers.

We wish all of these fantastic students the best of luck in their future careers.