STEM educator, social media star Steve Spangler visits Montgomery Public Schools
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Steve Spangler — the renowned STEM educator and TV host best known for popularizing the experiment of dropping Mentos into Diet Coke — dropped in on Montgomery Public Schools for a special demonstration on Thursday.
Over the last 25 years, Spangler has specialized in making science education fun, and he visited MPS to share his tricks of the trade with the district’s K-5 teachers.
“One of the things we have to do as teachers is go back and learn: how do we learn best? It’s pretty hands on,” Spangler said. “We're trying to see how we can teach STEM every single day, through everything that we do in class. They're learning what STEM really means. We think it means communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.”
Increasing student engagement is key to successful STEM education, according to Spangler, and he aims to inspire young scientists nationwide. He’s amassed over one billion views on his science videos across social media platforms and on his YouTube channel SpanglerScienceTV, demonstrating everything from chemical reactions to static electricity.
MPS was able to bring Spangler to the district through the use of its professional development funding. Spangler said investing in STEM education is vital to creating a thriving workforce.
“We have to have homegrown scientists and engineers. If you're in Alabama and you're not teaching STEM, we're not going to be getting our kids ready for the jobs that people come from all over to try to get,” he said. “We have to, in Alabama, get these kids excited about the sense of wonder and discovery and exploration. If we don't do it in early childhood, first grade, second grade, all the way through elementary, all the research shows, it's too late.”
Hadley Hitson covers children's health, education and welfare for the Montgomery Advertiser. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to the Advertiser. Jake Crandall is a photographer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached at jcrandall@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: YouTuber Steve Spangler visits Montgomery Public Schools
