Specific Purpose:
Westhaven STEM Live lab will provide the resources needed to engage our students in more critical thinking activities and allow them to explore and make connections with the academics and real-life applications while using literature provided in the library.
Objective:
The students will learn how to collaborate with each other and share knowledge, participate, as they practice “effective communication techniques” (AASL, 2018, p. 87).
I. Introduction
Westhaven STEM Live Lab will be the first science lab at Westhaven, and it will be important to notify staff, parents, and students about its purpose and the activities. The success of the lab will be dependent on all stakeholders’ support. Advertisement will be key to its success. Moran and Morner point out that “customer-centered marketing is at the core of successful service, and understanding the marketing mix and creating value is vital to the health of all libraries” (2018, p. 125). Creating different forms of communication about the activities and events of the lab will be important to its continued success and to maintaining a budget for the needed resources. This outline will show the marketing strategies that will be used to advertise the STEM lab to the local community, staff members, and students.
II. WHES STEM Live Lab Flyer
A. Introduction to STEM Lab
B. STEM guests
C. Students’ achievements
D. Projects
E. STEM club dates & time
F. Distribution
1. Staff mailbox
2. Sent home to parents
3. Third to fifth-grade students
III. Westhaven STEM Live Lab Newsletter & Banners
A. Monthly publication
B. Banners throughout the school building
1. Cafeteria, hallways, main lobby, gym, commons area
IV. Westhaven Website & Social Media Channels
A. #WHESSTEMLive
B. WHES Twitter
C. WHES Facebook-pictures & videos
D. WHES Instagram-pictures & videos
E. Staff social media channels
V. Librarian Website
A. Blogs on students’ participation & lab events
B. Videos & photographs of activities & events
VI. Teacher & Parent Communication
“An educational technology company. It connects primary school teachers, students, and families through communication features, such as a feed for photos and videos from the school day (Classdojo, 2021).
A. Class Dojo
VII. Teacher Emails
VIII. School morning and afternoon announcements
VIIII. Conclusion
With the push for STEM in schools, the STEM program would be a tool to work towards the district’s mission to “provide educational opportunities to assure all students achieve high academic growth” (PPS Five-year strategic plan, 2015, p.11). Further, the program would allow the librarian and teachers to make progress towards “implementing highly effective, research-based curriculum, instruction and assessment practices, and using curriculum and related programs that will meet the needs of all students (PPS Five-year strategic plan, 2015, pp.11-12). To encourage interest and promote the service that the lab will provide continued marketing will be required. Various print, digital and in-person marketing strategies will be implemented.
Sources:
AASL. (2018). The national school library standards for learners, school librarians, and school libraries. Chicago, IL: ALA
Classdojo. (2021). Bring every family into your classroom.
Moran, B. B., & Morner, C. J. (2018). Library and information center management (9th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.
Portsmouth Public Schools. (2015). PPS five-year strategic plan. Office of research and evaluation. https://www.ppsk12.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_794494/File/About_PPS/PPS%20Fiv%20Year%20Strategic%20Plan.pdf
Westhaven Elementary. (2021). Website. http://whes.ppsk12.us/
Visual Aids
Deichmann, T. (2016). Pixabay. Robot-future-modern-technology. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/robot-future-modern-technology-1658023/. CC Zero
Kolosov, K. (2016). Pixabay. Analysis-biochemistry-biologist. https://pixabay.com/photos/analysis-biochemistry-biologist-2030265/. CC Zero
Mags, M. (2016). Pixabay. Science-technology-education. [Illustration]. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/science-technology-education-1182713/ . CC ZeroSocha, A. (2016). Pixabay. Bacteria-medical-biology. [Photo]. https://pixabay.com/photos/bacteria-medical-biology-health-3658992/. CC