STEAM at TVA
Recently, during my walk-a-bouts in the classrooms of TVA, I found students working on a variety of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) projects. Here are a few pictures and a little info about two of them.
In Mrs. Beck's Algebra I class, students are using pendulums to study standard deviation. They first took measurements using a "standard pendulum" and recorded its periodic movement.
The second pendulum was designed by the students to be different from the standard pendulum in at least one way. Changing the length of the string, the length of the bob, or the amplitude (the angle of release).
They will compare that data to the standard pendulum to determine which variable affects the period of a pendulum -- length, weight, or amplitude. Attached is a graph showing our original data (time for 5 periods of the pendulum).
In Mr. Kahler's Seventh and Eighth Grade Science classes, students have been studying magnetism. During science lab this week our 7th and 8th grade students used Vernier Software's LabQuest 2 data loggers and magnetic field sensors to explore the strength of Earth's magnetic field, determine magnetic north, and calculate declination. the LabQuest 2 data loggers help students collect data and graph it in real-time. Current technology like Vernier's sensors and probes bring interest and excitement to our students as they conduct their scientific investigations.
Movements in the Earth's liquid outer core produce a magnetic field that protects us from the harmful effects of the solar wind, allows us to navigate with a compass, and helps birds find their way during seasonal migration. True north is the geographic location at Earth's rotational axis. Because magnetic north moves (currently in northern Canada), we need to know the difference between the two when using a compass. The difference between magnetic north and geographic north is called declination.
This is the kind of quality teaching and student learning that is a regular and daily part of the experience that students have at TVA. Our teachers continue to create and provide outstanding learning experiences for our students. You will notice that up to date digital equipment as well as common items like strings and washers are used to explore important scientific and mathematical concepts. Guided by dedicated professional teachers, our students experience the best that education has to offer.