Pop-Up Classes: Short STEAM Classes that Rock!
STEAMPunks EDU works in a variety of teaching modes. We do after school programs, breakout school day sessions, day camps and even Saturday Morning Maker Camps! However, a term you may have heard us use before is "Pop-Up" classes. What are these things and why are they worth checking out? That's what this blog is for. In a nutshell, Pop-Up classes are single, stand-alone classes that range in duration of 90 minutes to 2 hours. They're STEAM-centric (of course!) and serve to teach STEAM skills in fun and engaging ways!
They're Survey Classes
In many regards, our Pop-Up classes are akin to what would be considered a "survey class." Since these classes meet only once, it's an opportunity to take a brief overview of many aspects of a larger topic (for example, all the constituent parts of designing a video game) with the general emphasis being on finishing one single project during the class meeting. So for example, in the 5 week Video Game design course students are taught a new Video Game Design concept each week and given the opportunity to explore them as we build. In Pop-Up classes, the concepts are still discussed, but a scaffolded project is presented so that students can experience the wonder of creating a playable video game then and there.
Awesome Projects
Like practically everything we do, our pop-up classes are fueled by project-based learning! This means that all students enrolled in a Pop-Up class will learn STEAM skills by completing a project (sometimes they're collaborative, sometimes they're individual). Most of these classes involve a take-home component as well. For example, around Valentine's Day we 3D printed V-Day Picture Frames and outfitted them with Simple Light Up circuits!
1-Session Commitment
As referenced earlier, what makes Pop-Up classes so unique from a 5-week after school class is that they're comparatively low commitment classes. Schedule a pop-up as a one time only event, a unique session for interested students. They're a great way for schools to get acquainted with the STEAMPunks program and to determine which classes get the greatest reaction from your students, without committing to 5 full weeks outright!
Versatile Time
Because they're so short, Pop-Up classes can be squeezed in anywhere! We can do them after school, during school and they work really well on days where there's an early release! Furthermore, we can offer Pop-Up classes in the community, during school breaks and even on weekends! Their versatility is what makes them so effective: they can be held anywhere at any time and the results will always be fantastic!
Course Catalog Always Changing
Last but not least, what makes Pop-Up classes so great is that they're always changing. Sure, we have an arsenal of STEAM topics that we like to keep somewhat consistent, but we're ALWAYS changing up our offerings with new cutting edge technology, brand new lessons and curriculum and various other ways to keep what we teach fresh, new, applicable and exciting! You never know how long we'll offer a particular Pop-Up class and when we'll rotate it out for a new one, so if you're interested in one, DON'T DELAY!
If you're a school or STEAMPunk parent and you'd like to learn more about our current offering of Pop-Up classes, check out our link here!
