When Lyndsey Struemph, a middle school teacher at New Haven Middle School, attended MOREnet’s STEM Educator Toolkit training, she was looking for fresh ideas to bring back to her students. She also wanted support in shaping her STEM Exploratory class and after-school Intro to Robotics program.
She came away with both inspiration and a clear path forward.
After the training, Lyndsey purchased a class set of Sphero BOLT+ robots. These are an updated version of their spherical codable robots. Students use block coding on an app to get them moving. Her students were excited to get started right away. To introduce the new tools, she set up grids and maps on the floor that encouraged students to explore, test ideas, and begin coding their own Sphero journeys.
Students picked it up quickly.
As they worked through activities, they learned how coding choices affected movement, speed, and control. One favorite activity was using the robots to play air hockey, which gave students another fun way to practice what they were learning.
For Lyndsey, the goal was simple. She wanted students to see that learning can happen through doing, and that it can be fun at the same time.
Students shared that excitement in their own words:
- “It was really fun and I learned how to use speed to control the robot.”
- “It showed me how to control the speed, especially how quick it can be.”
- “It showed me how to use the drive function.”
Lyndsey’s experience is a great example of what can happen when educators pair thoughtful planning with hands-on tools. Her students were not just learning how to code. They were building confidence, solving problems, and discovering that STEM can be both meaningful and enjoyable.
Check out more inspiring PD classes at more.net/training.