Why Human-Centered STEM Builds Better Classrooms

What if STEM wasn’t about bins of stuff, but about the humans in the room? We dig into a human-centered approach that treats STEM as a daily practice of connection—where students learn to collaborate, think critically, and care for one another while they solve real problems. Instead of chasing pricey kits, we start with stories and simple materials, then layer in the engineering design process to make reflection, testing, and revision feel natural and fun.

We share why employers keep naming collaboration, creativity, and community as the missing skills, and how an off-screen STEM block gives kids a safe place to practice those habits. You’ll hear how rising academic pressure—especially in the early grades—can crowd out play, and why slowing down to build belonging actually accelerates learning. Our Five Cs framework (collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, community, and curiosity) becomes the backbone for planning, coaching teamwork, and celebrating inclusive classroom culture.

Looking for concrete ideas? We walk through picture-book pairings that light the spark—think The Amazing Bone, The Day the Crayons Quit, Rosie Revere, Engineer, Stone Soup, and The Curious Garden—then map them to challenges students can own. Use bell-ringer routines to spread the engineering cycle across the week, introduce simple constraints to focus thinking, and offer choice boards to boost voice and engagement. We also share a free, device-free digital citizenship lesson to help students practice presence, empathy, and attention before they go online.

If you want a classroom where kids arrive eager to build, listen, and try again, this conversation is your playbook. Subscribe for more human-centered teaching ideas, share this with a colleague who needs a spark, and leave a review to tell us which C your students are growing most right now.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

STEM Bell Ringers Building Thinking Classroom Tasks Creative Curriculum 4Cs

Free Device Free Digital Citizenship Lesson

Transcript

Human Connection Over Hardware

SPEAKER_01 0:00

STEM isn't about the materials. It's about how kids learn to work together, think deeply, and care about one another. Hi, welcome to One Tired Teacher. I'm Trina Debry, and we are talking about human-centered STEM and why it still matters. This whole month of March we've been talking about connection and energy and the human focus of teaching and and and like why it's so important for for us, not for the programs we do, not for the things that the district tells us to do, not for the textbooks we have to use, but for the for us. Because sometimes I think that teachers forget how important they are. And people will say really flippant, ridiculous things like, you know, we just have robots teaching our kids. And I'm like, what? Yes, you could have them do some of the inane things you've asked teachers to do. They definitely could just be following a computer, but you would miss out on so much of the beauty of teaching and connecting. And where would we be if we had a world of small teeny humans being trained and taught by AI? It makes me think of this movie. I'm gonna tell this really fast. It's like the longest open ever. Um, it makes me think of this movie called Mars Needs Moms. It was an older, like animated movie that I watched with my son. My son is now 21, that I watched with my son when he was little, and he used to get so emotional because it was like this. The premise was they that Mars, you know, they had AI basically. This is a long time ago, too. They had AI raising the babies, and they were like, it's not going well. What's happening? So they were like coming to Earth and grabbing the moms and kind of steadying the moms. Well, the kid, this kid sees his mom get taken up in the spaceship. So he like jumps and hangs on and like gets in the underworkings of the spaceship, and his goal is to get his mom back. Well, my son just gets so upset about that. And um, and it and the whole idea is that they that that was efficient for the AI to raise these kids, but it wasn't. They were losing something. There was something lost, and they couldn't figure out what was lost. That's the human connection. The human connection is what was lost, and that's what we're losing in our schools, that's what we're losing in our teaching, and we have to hold on to that because Mars doesn't just need moms, schools need teachers, human beings need people. So that's what we're talking about today. Hope you stick around.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

Welcome to One Tired Teacher. And even though she may need a nap, this teacher is ready to wake up and speak her truth about the trials and treasures of teaching. Here she is, wide awake. Wait, she's not asleep right now, is she? She she is awake, right? Okay. From Trina Debori Teaching and Learning, your host, Trina Debori.

Off‑Screen Collaboration Matters

Pressure And Early Schooling

Wait-To-Start Research And Stories

The Five Cs Framework

Designing Challenges And Choice

Bell Ringers And Routines

Bundle Contents And Process

Communication Book Picks

Critical Thinking Book Picks

Collaboration And Creativity Books

Curiosity Books And Wrap

Free Digital Citizenship Offer

Encouragement And Close

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Hey, so okay, we're talking about STEM as the spark. And STEM, let me just first of all say that STEM is it's not about the materials. Often people get so bogged down by the idea of they're like, I don't have all the materials, I don't have paper towel holder or rolls and toilet paper rolls and popsicle sticks and all the things. Often we actually do have a lot more than we think we do. And it there, those those other things are relatively easy to collect from families. All that all you need is, you know, one or two from each student. It's it's not it doesn't have to be that big of a deal. Anyway, it's not about the materials, it's about how kids learn to work together, how they learn to think deeply, and how they learn to care about one another. Also, it is such a powerful off-screen activity, and that's why I think it's so important. So STEM, we want to think of STEM as a place for collaboration in a world where we need to collaborate with one another. Often companies will say the the skills that people are missing or or lacking are like in co collaboration or creativity or working as a community. And I'm like, well, you you think? Because we've got kids on Chromebooks for however long during the day, and we're we've got them on technology for parts of the day, and they're not learning how to communicate with one another or work together. But that's what we need in the workplace. So, I mean, how many jobs are like super isolated? Not that many. It's more likely that you're gonna need to work within a team structure in a profession. And so we know these soft skills are so vital, yet we're not practicing them. And then we're confused about why people don't have them. It's just like, hello. And also, we see so many kids with all the pressure they have, which is so much more pressure than we had. So much more pressure. So, and I won't even get started in that because I'll go on a tangent and it just gets me so frustrated. Because it's like everything, okay. I am gonna say this one thing. I have been saying for at least, you know, honestly, I I figured this out when my own son was in school, and I realized that I should have waited. He was a he's a really young, um, he was a really young five when he started kindergarten. You know, he was he had just turned five, like maybe the week before school started. And I should have waited. And the reason I should have waited was because the expectations have just gotten harder and harder. When I first started teaching first grade in 1997, first grade was what kindergarten is now, and maybe a little harder than that. Like I I didn't, I only had like three or four kids that knew their their letters and sounds in first grade. And now, you know, they have to know this in kindergarten. They can't even, we they're not even learning this in like preschool. They're they're they have they have, or they are supposed to be learning this in preschool, and it's just getting harder and harder and harder. And just because somebody all just out of the blue was like, let's increase the standards, there got to be college and career ready, let's push, push it down, push it down. Everybody's gotta, you know, seventh grade is now now has to be algebra one, where algebra one used to be in high school, everything has just gotten harder. So the kids have a lot of pressure on them. I'm sorry, that's a tangent. Okay, so there was a study that came out, that's what I wanted to say. There was a study that came out uh recently, I think it was a Harvard study, and they were talking about waiting to send kids to school. And I was like, Yes, I've been saying this. I actually said this to my brother and my sister-in-law about my nephew. I'm like, let him wait. He he's a he's a big boy who likes to play, and having him come into school and sit still is just so stifling for for kids, especially boys. And I'm like, just give him another year. And they did. And I wish that we had done that for Jackson, it would have made all the difference. He wasn't ready, he was chewing on his shirt at four years old. He was so stressed out. That makes me my heart hurt when I think about it. And and if and if like you can't accept that as like, I don't want to wait, you know. Think about it even from a sports aspect. You know, my son had, you know, there were kids that had nine months of physical development over him. And that's huge when you're playing like football, when you're playing sports. So if you want to think of it that way, think you know, red shirting, if you want to think of it like that, think of it like that, however you want to think about it to make it make more sense for you or your family. But the other thing is we could stop with this pressure. We could, we could actually, we could actually continue to let them go to school when like we have, but we can make kindergarten actually kindergarten, more play-based kindergarten instead of kindergarten is now first grade and part of second grade. Whew, that makes me mad. Okay, so these some of these soft skills are things that kids are really struggling with, and that we need, we need them, we need them out there in the workplace. So we need them to be able to work together. We need them, we need them to be curious about the problems and how can we solve them. And we need them to be creative and think outside of the box. And often, excuse me, often I feel like school isn't a place where they get to think outside of the box. And that's so sad because that's where all the all the innovative ideas come from or outside of the box. And we want them to be able to work as a community because we live in communities, and so we should be practicing what that looks like. So and or I I created a product that and take it or leave it, it's just I'm putting it out there for you, but take it or leave it based on the four C's. The four C's are cooperation or excuse me, collaboration, creativity, community, and it it is it a cooperation. Why am I like drawing a blank? Yes, and then the fifth C, I kind of added the fifth C is curiosity. And because I think that's another important C word that we often forget. So these five C Cs, they're life skills, they're not buzzwords, they're life skills. So how can hands-on problem solving, how can we, how can we foster these life skills? How can we build empathy and belonging? And that's one of the things that I tried to do in my five C STEM challenges. So basically, what it is is I look I took each C and I found titles to go with each thing. So I found books that had a theme of communication. And I found 10 different titles and I created 10 different challenges that focus on communication. And the kids are working through the engineering design process, you're doing a read aloud, you can do whatever other activities you want that as far as like, you know, um point of view or author, you know, how the author's perspective, you can do um compare and contrast to other communication types of books, you can do, you know, characters, overcoming obstacles, you can, you know, there's so many standards that you can focus on with these books. And then an extension can be something like the STEM challenge, which there which it does have a focus on the engineering aspect of STEM, and it also has often has a science tie-in as well. And the technology part is I do I do, I have created the like the digital version. I also have a digital choice board, which allows kids to pick which communication STEM challenge they want to do, and there's a uh read aloud that's connected to that that you can listen to on YouTube, and it's just so powerful. And then they move on to you know to the next C, which like there's 10 books on creativity and all based on creativity, and then 10 on critical thinking, and 10 on collaboration, and 10 on curiosity. So it's like 50 really powerful titles and really incredible, thought-provoking, critical thinking, problem-solving STEM challenges. So if you are interested in something like that, maybe you use it as a STEM bell ringer. Um, and they that's the first thing they do when they come in in the morning after maybe you've done the read-aloud the day before, and the next day, you know, they've got the the stem bends at their desks or tables, and you are allowing them to work through a challenge. Like, talk about a motivator for attendance when kids think that's what they're coming into when they first start the day, and the conversations that build on that, and then that just blends right into a morning meeting. Like that, what a what a powerful way to start the day. Um, people, people or kids really thrive on having something creative right from the start. It kind of like freshens up and preps their brain. Um, it builds thinking in a classroom, it engages students from the moment they enter the door, and it supports the four C's plus curiosity. And what is included in this massive bundle is 50 STEM challenges. You've got five visual skill posters that go over critical thinking, collaboration, community, and so forth. You've got engineering design process think sheets. There's seven of those. So they're working through, you know, asking questions about the problem, and then they're imagining a solution, then they're planning what that would, what that's going to require, then they're building a solution. And you don't even have to do this all at one time. It could be broken into sections, like maybe the day before the bell ringer, maybe the day before you do the read aloud and you have them ask the questions, or maybe you do the read aloud and then the bell ringer is that they are writing questions about this the solution. And then maybe the next day the bell ringer is that them imagining the solution and like brainstorming it and planning it out on the um graph paper and they're thinking through what it would look like. And then the next day, bell ringer is that they are building the solution. They're actually building the solution during that time period and they're testing that solution. And then the next day is that they are revising that solution and reflecting on that solution. And look how many days of bell ringers you have. That's only one story, and then you go on to the next one. So those are possibilities. Um, it's this container, this um bundle includes the STEM lesson plans, the digital choice board, and the options are print and digital. You don't have to have all of those papers printed. They they can you can give, you know, assign them in Google Classroom and they can work through it that way. And it can be such a powerful way to incorporate these vital human connection soft skills. So that is is something to think about. All right, so let me tell you a little bit about the books that I used because I think that might give you something. If you're like, no, I'm not interested in in using, you know, or using these stem bell ringers, like I'm gonna, or I'm not used interested in using them at any time, that's totally fine. You know, take it or leave it. And you but you are interested in some of the titles for for these soft skills so that you can focus on them in your own classroom. I also think they would make really great morning meeting um starters as well. So I'm not gonna read every single title that I use, but I'm gonna give you some highlights of books that I chose for the communication challenges. So um one of my favorite, I love William Steg, who wrote The Amazing Bone, and that's one of them that I use. And it it's it's oh my gosh, the vocabulary in these, in this picture book and the visual images and how they tell the story, and the character having to overcome this massive obstacle of being turned into a bone, and he can't, he can't tell anyone that it's him, is so powerful. And I think that is such an such an excellent place to start with communication. Another one that I love from communication is The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew DeWalt. Um, that's another really good one. The Boy Who Loved Words by Ronnie Schalter, Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin, um Dear Juno by Seyong Pak. Um, another really strong one. One that I absolutely love that I read to my daughter Emily on the very first day that I brought her home from the hospital, 25, almost 26 years ago. She's going to be 26 on the 27th, so we're almost there. Um, is Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James. And it actually, the main character's name is Emily. So I was like, oh my goodness. I didn't even know that when I picked it up to read it to her in the first day. So that's definitely one that I love. And it's a communicate, they're communicate. Emily is communicating with Mr. Blueberry, her teacher, about a whale that she thinks is in her pond. It's so cute. Okay, so those are just some examples. There are some more, but there's those are some examples of books that focus on communication. Now I'm going to share some books that focus on critical thinking. Um, The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates. That's that's one that's that's really good for thinking, like making you think. Dr. DeSoto by William Steg. I love William Steg. Can I play two by Mo Willem? Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beatty. If I built a school by Chris Van Dusen. So many good ones in the critical thinking section. Moving along, um, and if you need this list, um you well, you can it's actually in the preview of my four C's bundle. So you can go check that out on TPT. It's actually in the preview. It tells you all the books that I use so that you and you don't have to have all the books. I like having the books because I like I'm a collector of books, but also I like for the kids to be able to look back at the story and like go through the story and get some ideas of how a problem developed and how it could be it can be solved. But I do link to these these books on YouTube so that they most of them are a read-aloud on YouTube. I think there's every once in a while I couldn't find one, but most of them are linked on YouTube. All right. The collaboration books, The Circle All Around Us by Brad Montagu, We Move Together by Kelly Fritz, We're Better Together, a book about community by Eileen Spinelli. Um, Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy and Teresa Howell. Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, and Stone Soup by John J. Muff. I think that's how you say it. So beautiful. All right, creativity. Here's a few books for creativity. A not just a scribble by Diane Albert. Noticing by Kobe Yamata. I love Kobe Yamata. He's definitely one of my favorites. The Empty Pot. Um, I don't I don't know a reason why I don't have the full author there by Demi. I'm sure they have a last name, but I don't have it. Um Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beatty. So many good ones for creativity. And then last but not least, Curiosity, books that have us uh wondering, questions asked by Justine Garter and Aiken Duskin. The Looking Book by P.K. Holland. Oh my goodness, I I used to have so much fun with that book. Um, The Curious Garden by Peter Brown, Curiosity, The Story of a Mars Rover by Marcus Modem. Questions, Questions by Marcus Fitzer. So many. Okay, oh, and then one of my very favorites, Will you Wilford Wilford Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox. Listen to that on audio. Find that on audio because Mem Fox reads it with her beautiful Australian accent. It is such a beautiful story. All right. Hopefully that gives you a place to start and you're thinking, and you're thinking, I I want more connection with my students because when kids feel connected, they're more willing to think, to try, and to grow. Okay, alongside hands on stem, there's also a I all don't forget my Freebee for March is a free, device-free digital citizenship lesson. If you want to keep the focus on collaboration, empathy, and being present with one another, and you can find that at Trina Debry Teachingandlearning.com forward slash digital dash citizenship. Even when the world feels heavy, the work happening inside your classroom still matters. Every moment of kindness, curiosity, and care adds up. You're doing really meaningful work exactly as you are. I'll talk to you next week. Until next time, sweet dreams and sleep tight.