Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:

What are some practical ways that you can implement science into your STEM instruction? This is the first episode of my STEM in action series, where we will break apart each letter in STEM to give you ideas on how to boost up each component in your instruction. Learning to give you some ideas when you are lesson planning. Our guest for today, I am talking with Dr. Kayla Norville from Bright in the Middle. She has a passion for all things middle school and has also earned a PhD in STEM Education with a focus in science education. She's also had experience as a university supervisor for student teachers, been a cooperating teacher, and has researched and published literature on teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. In addition, she has also served as a STEM coordinator in a middle school. Kayla is so sweet, and we connected on my first podcast, The Innovative Teacher Podcast, that I co hosted a few years ago with Spencer Sharp. So you might be able to still be able to find it.

Naomi Meredith [00:01:22]:

She's also been a guest on my STEM Career Quest podcast, and that her episode is coming out soon. So Kayla and I go way back. I am so excited for you to get to know Kayla and learn some awesome tips and tricks when really focusing in on that science component in your STEM lessons. Well, thank you so much, Kayla, for being here today.

Naomi Meredith [00:02:19]:

We were talking a little bit before we hit record and what you are up to these days and catching up a little bit. And fun fact, Kayla was a guest on another podcast I used to host, Innovative Teacher Podcast, which it's still up there. It's not active anymore, but, Kayla was on there. I think you were one of our first few guests when I did that show, too, which is pretty fun. But if you wouldn't mind telling us, we're talking about all things science today. Just briefly let us know who you are and your science teaching background.

Kayla Norville [00:02:54]:

So my name is Kayla, and I'm currently the owner founder of Bright in the Middle, and I focus on helping science teachers engage their students in science and reduce student cognitive load, but it's just kind of stemmed from all of my experience in middle school science. It's been an amazing journey that I've been able right now to step into this like mentor role, as my kids are growing up. So, in the past, though, like I'm telling you right now, my passion is middle school science. I absolutely love that age and I would I would like to experiment in the elementary age, maybe so too. Say I, I spoke with you earlier about my kids are 46. And I'm like, I wonder if I could really, really do that because there's not too many differences, I don't believe. Maybe less attitude. Yeah. That's probably ages.

Kayla Norville [00:03:54]:

But just absolutely loved being a science teacher. Will maybe go back one day in some shape or form, but absolutely love love that. Here I am, stumbling upon my words. But, I also had experience in a, like, a different avenue still in middle school, as a STEM coordinator, which was a whole new different experience. I still got to work with middle school students, but I didn't have my own class. But it was really fun because I got to jump into other classes, including all the STEM subjects, all science, technology. We didn't really have an engineering class, but we had engineering clubs, but got to do, different STEM activities and things of that sort to help the school. We actually became a STEM school while I was a STEM coordinator there, so it was really fascinating.

Naomi Meredith [00:04:46]:

Yeah. I think that's awesome, too, and I think your experience in middle school definitely can be applied to elementary. We actually have a lot of teachers and listeners who teach k eight STEM, and I need more support in that elementary realm. So I'm really excited to hear, like, your ideas when it comes to teaching science specifically and just, like, things that are really helpful. And even if it is some behavior management things, that's helpful too. Because I know with science, just when you're doing anything hands on, it can be kinda overwhelming, and all the materials and all of that, and how do you balance everything. So, yeah, your experience is super, super valuable, and I'm so excited that you're here to tell us all about it. Yeah. You'll be great.

Naomi Meredith [00:05:34]:

So it could be when you're in your coordinator role or even with your teaching. Are there like, specific science lessons that you love to teach? And with that, how did your how did your students respond to them? Like, what were their reactions to those lessons?

Kayla Norville [00:05:53]:

This one is hard because I love science and I love teaching, and there are so many lessons. But I would have to say any of the human body system lessons are probably my favorite just because I'm just a biology person, and I mean, really anything. But one that comes to mind is something simple to do and the students loved it. So I would get the bulletin board paper, and we would make life-sized drawings of the human, like whatever human body system we're talking about. And just seeing the kids just lay out on the floor, you know, the one person that decides to do it because middle school students, that can be funny sometimes when you always have that volunteer that would lay down and, you can, that person would draw around them and, you could also use that as a, like, I call them a weather strategy of, like, a hook. Have them do it before, like teaching the lesson, and then you can determine if it's a free assessment. You can determine what they don't know and what they do know. And then, you can use it as a research tool before you even teach it as well and make a look up.

Kayla Norville [00:06:59]:

So it's just it's just one of my favorite things.

Naomi Meredith [00:07:01]:

But you would have them draw. And then, for each body system, do they have to draw where it was located?

Kayla Norville [00:07:08]:

Yes. So they would, like, outline the body, and I don't know how specific I was in that because I know what it is in my head. But, yes. So, say you were doing the circulatory system, and they would, you know, find the heart and the blood vessels and all that stuff and draw them on there. And it'd be, like, life size, what it would look like.

Naomi Meredith [00:07:26]:

Oh, that's super cool. And that'd be cool too if, like, you had that, and then you added in robots, and they could code to each of the body parts. Because 5th grade science, at least out here in Colorado, 5th grade has human body systems as part of their standard. So, that would be really cool just to make it really hands on and kind of funny, like, perspective.

Kayla Norville [00:07:53]:

And you definitely could do that because I I feel like we've done something before, but it may have just been like an outline of the heart, and then they could use the robot to, do the path of the blood through the heart. So

Naomi Meredith [00:08:07]:

Oh. Yeah. That would be so cool.

Kayla Norville [00:08:10]:

Yeah.

Naomi Meredith [00:08:10]:

Oh, I love that. Is there any other, like, besides the human body that you absolutely love or, like, maybe a tricky lesson that other people might not like to teach and, like, oh, but you could do it like this? This is so fun.

Kayla Norville [00:08:23]:

God. There are so many. I am thinking of as as STEM coordinator, one of my favorite lessons to teach that was kind of it was a challenging thing to do was there was an interdisciplinary unit that they did throughout the whole grade level in 6th grade and, let's see, math, I'm not sure exactly how they were no. Math was involved with, I think, area and circumference. Science was involved in their space unit and ELA was involved in reading. So what they did, so ELA read Hidden Figures.

Naomi Meredith [00:08:58]:

Yeah.

Kayla Norville [00:08:58]:

In science class, the class created rockets using Tinkercad. And so I say this is complicated because I'm not I'm not a physical science person. It's growing on me. I'm working on it. But the instructional coach at the time, we all collaborated. It was a fabulous thing. He actually created a rocket launcher, and then because our students were still learning how to do the 3D printing and Tinkercad design, he went through a simple way to make a rocket just like a template, and then they could make the changes that they wanted to see how, you know, how to make it fly better. That's so cool.

Kayla Norville [00:09:42]:

So they could change, like, the wings, add more wings, and change the tip and things of that sort. So it made it to where something that was complicated for 6th 6th graders, especially since they hadn't had a lot of experience in Tinkercad. They had something to go by. And then when they saw the rockets printed, it was like

Naomi Meredith [00:10:01]:

Yeah.

Kayla Norville [00:10:01]:

And then, even cooler, we took one day to go out there and lost the rockets, and it was so much fun.

Naomi Meredith [00:10:08]:

That is so cool. Like, what a cool way to do that with 3 d printing. I've never heard of anyone doing that, having a template the kids work off of, to help save time because I know some teachers have, like, just limited time. I mean, all teachers have limited time, but just even with 3 d printing, like, I don't know how to get started when they have no background information. So that's really, really smart. Mhmm. Here is your base model, and then you make modifications, and then we're gonna compare, like, how those models went. That's so cool.

Naomi Meredith [00:10:40]:

I love that.

Kayla Norville [00:10:40]:

Fun. Really fun. Yeah.

Naomi Meredith [00:10:42]:

And then what did they do in math with circumference? I'm so curious about that.

Kayla Norville [00:10:47]:

I think it was just the timing of it, just learning how to find circumference. So whenever they were creating the rockets, they could look at the circumference and the diameter, and that's sort of as they learned because it had to be a certain diameter to fit on the rocket launcher. Mhmm.

Naomi Meredith [00:11:05]:

That's so smart. What a cool way to integrate other teachers and have it all cross-curricular in that way. And if, like, you're a STEM teacher and like, sometimes you can do that. If you plan well enough, you could collaborate with classroom teachers a lot more. I was able to do that sometimes, in my role, depending on the year. Sometimes, I was co-teaching, and then I also had STEM. But if you're able to mix different experiences together, like, we did something with insects. And with 1st grade, they're studying about insects, and then they came to me, and then they had to build an insect.

Naomi Meredith [00:11:42]:

It could be real or pretend, but it had to have all the things that insects typically have, like 6 legs or Mhmm. The antennas. That I love that. What a cool experience. Like, all the teachers just got involved in that way.

Kayla Norville [00:11:55]:

It was a blast.

Naomi Meredith [00:11:57]:

So when it comes to just teaching science, I know it can be overwhelming with things that there are so many moving parts, so many materials, which I think is super fun, but it can get overwhelming pretty fast.

Kayla Norville [00:12:09]:

Yes.

Naomi Meredith [00:12:11]:

So, if there is a teacher, who is a little bit stuck when it comes to implementing science or just how to be effective without making it fun, are there any tips or tricks that you recommend for teachers when teaching science?

Kayla Norville [00:12:27]:

I would say some things you don't have to make as hard. Like, I see teachers trying to do these elaborate labs all the time, and we just sometimes just don't have the capacity to do it. So, you can get a lot of science concepts by the point across when you're just doing something simple. Like I'm thinking, if you're teaching about, like, thermal energy transfer, you can just take a cup of hot water and put a piece of like cling wrap on top of it, plastic wrap, and you could talk a lot about that there. But I would not steer clear away from all the fun, engaging, complicated labs either, but you could always just space those out, especially the ones what you're collaborating with other teachers, if you have the capacity as they go for it, but, just don't feel the pressure to do that all the time. And then I'm thinking too when implementing one of the things that I would suggest do like the students, especially middle school students, they're probably elementary too, is have them too, like, kinda create their own rules before you do an activity. So this is what we're to do. You can lay down like these are the ground rules for me because, like, some things got to be, you know, we have to address some things.

Kayla Norville [00:13:47]:

But what else would you expect from yourselves whenever you're doing this? How would you handle the materials? How would you interact with your classmates and things of that sort? So if they have a say, they're more likely to participate in it.

Naomi Meredith [00:14:01]:

That's really smart. Like, is there like, a lesson that comes to mind? You're like, hey. This is like, how would that look with a specific lesson? Like, if we're working with, I don't know, like, chemicals or something. Like, how did you set that up so that it's kinda, like, appropriate, but it still worked?

Kayla Norville [00:14:21]:

I would say just anything that may have any danger to it. Like, just even like, I was talking about the, thermal energy or the thermal in the particle movement, just using hot water. Mhmm. Like, middle schoolers think differently. And as I said, elementary schools probably think differently, too. So you have to make sure you mention every little thing, especially when you're working with, like, hot water. Another thing I'm thinking of is a lab where you could dissect a chicken wing. You know, chicken could be dangerous if, you know, you touch the chicken and then touch your face, so you really have to have these conversations.

Kayla Norville [00:14:59]:

You know, don't touch the chicken and then, like, you know, pat your friend on the back or anything like that. So, just making them more aware. And when they make up the rules, you know, they're more likely to participate.

Naomi Meredith [00:15:12]:

That's really smart, too, because we can't assume kids will know, like with the chicken example. Like, there are germs. Like, not all kids know that or think, or they're not even thinking about it. So that's really smart too. Like, every project that you're working on is going to change. There might be some similar roles, but, also, we need to make sure we're being safe, but also having fun and having those expectations and talking I'm sure you talked about every time Mhmm. With every class, just to make sure.

Kayla Norville [00:15:44]:

You have to remind them constantly. Like I do with my own children. They're 4 and 6. It's like every day is like, they know, but, you know, it just kinda goes away.

Naomi Meredith [00:15:55]:

Mhmm. Yes. No. That's good. That's good to keep in mind. I know it can get repetitive, but it is so important if you want them to be successful. And the kids would probably know too with you, oh, we are still going to have a fun time learning these science concepts, but we also have these procedures in place. Just like real scientists, they have a certain set of rules, just make sure that they get accurate results and that we're being safe.

Naomi Meredith [00:16:24]:

It's still fun.

Kayla Norville [00:16:25]:

Yes.

Naomi Meredith [00:16:26]:

Not being mean. Awesome. I love that. So, in terms of just fun projects in general, are there any fun lessons or things that you're working on or things that, you know, that teachers would love to try in their own classrooms?

Kayla Norville [00:16:43]:

So I actually think this is probably one of the more fun times in my position that I'm in now. I'm working on creating resources that are gonna go with North Carolina's new standards that are being implemented next year, and they are really focusing on a lot of things that the NGSS are and the science and engineering practices. So, I'm starting to work on more of those hands on activities. Like the one, I'm actually about to go dissect the chicken wing today, that's why that was on my mind. So excited about that. But just, you know, the hands on things that need to be in classrooms. And I also want to mention in classrooms, you also need reading and things of that sort, too, the not so fun stuff. But you can sprinkle that fun stuff in all the time. And you can make reading fun too.

Kayla Norville [00:17:32]:

It could be fun.

Naomi Meredith [00:17:34]:

Yeah. Reading is still in STEM or in science. I was talking to a teacher one time who was starting to get into STEM, and they're all, oh, well, reading's not in STEM. Right? I'm all, oh, no. No. No. It is. It definitely is.

Naomi Meredith [00:17:50]:

Is. There's a lot of literacy.

Kayla Norville [00:17:52]:

Yes. Yes. There is.

Naomi Meredith [00:17:54]:

But I love that with your resources, too, because I have had teachers ask me if I have middle school, STEM, and science resources and all. Not at this time. Really focused on k through 5, so that's good to know. Even if you don't live in North Carolina, a lot of the standards overlap or just might be worded in a very different way, or maybe one grade has the one standard that's flip flops. So definitely check out Kayla's things because she is definitely really passionate about it, but her resources are really, like, practical in a way where you can easily implement this. It's not overwhelming, but it's clear. It makes sense. Simple materials when needed, and you definitely want to tie it to standards and not have it be a random experience.

Naomi Meredith [00:18:41]:

I love that. That's so great. So, where can teachers find you and connect with you, around social media or website? Where's the best place they can find you?

Kayla Norville [00:18:51]:

You could probably just Google me, and I'm everywhere, but, my website is bright in the middle dot com, but you can find me at bright in the middle on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, all the places.

Naomi Meredith [00:19:03]:

Perfect. Well, I know teachers are gonna check you out. We'll link all of that in the show notes and I just hopefully, everyone's getting their wheels turning of just, how to add more of those science concepts in, within your STEM lessons, and maybe it's an experiment or maybe just another way to integrate materials. But, we appreciate all of your knowledge, Kayla. Thank you so much.

Kayla Norville [00:19:24]:

Yeah. Thank you.