For example, you may bring tools of your trade to show and share, show pictures of your workplace, share your career journey, ask questions and allow for student discussion, show real data and ask students to interpret them, do a brief demo of an age-appropriate scientific concept that relates to your job or industry, or engage the class in a hands-on, inquiry-based activity (notably more difficult in a virtual visit). We encourage you to be as interactive as possible the online environment requires your creativity in this respect. We expect you to prepare an approximately 30-minute presentation about your career, the questions/problems you are tackling now, and the challenges facing the future of your field. See Teacher Guidefor more information on what to expect from your visit. It is vital that you contact the STEM professional ahead of time to discuss these issues, as well as the logistics of time/date/platform for online delivery/etc. With your help and communication prior to the visit, STEM professionals can meet your expectations to the best of their abilities. You may wish to examine the Speaker Guide provided by ASF (contains tips and sample lesson outline) to better understand what the Festival intends for STEM professionals to do. However, not every presentation will include all these elements. Our STEM professionals are encouraged to be interactive, bring tools of their trade, show pictures of their workplace, share their career journey, ask questions and allow for student discussion, work with you to better understand students’ prior knowledge and grade-appropriate learning outcomes, do a brief demo of a scientific concept that relates to their job or industry, or to engage the class in an inquiry-based activity where possible. They are coming to your classroom not to teach specific content standards, but rather to share their experiences in the STEM workforce and to show how students’ STEM learning in class could be applied in the real world. Please understand that most STEM professionals are not trained educators. Some will also have a demo or hands-on activity prepared. Most STEM professionals will have prepared a 30-minute presentation about the questions/problems they are addressing in their work and the challenges facing the future of their field, leaving additional time for Q&A or other interactions. If virtual, please use the platform that your students are most accustomed to, and test the platform in advance with your STEM professional, to ensure they have access and can use the desired features (screen share, etc.). Visits can occur virtually OR in-person if both parties agree.

Stem related field