Lesson 1: Taking Advantage of Rural Resources

Unique Opportunities

Using this strengths-based mindset of teaching, let's refocus our perspective on all of the incredibly unique resources and opportunities that rural schools often do have!

Having grown up in a rural town myself, and having conducted research on this topic in my undergraduate education, I can speak to these unique opportunities and resources based on my own experiences, in addition to those of other rural teachers in STEM who I have interviewed.

Based on interviews I conducted during my undergraduate education and on my own experiences, some of the advantages to teaching STEM education in a rural school are as follows:

• Connections, connections, connections! Have you ever heard the phrase "everyone knows everyone" in reference to a small rural town? In most cases, this is seemingly true. While the small size and feelings of isolation from metropolitan areas can feel like a bad thing, the silver lining of this is that usually, teachers in schools also double as coaches, worship leaders, next-door neighbors, and family friends. What does this mean for rural schools? It means that there are infinite connections and friendly faces to call in a favor! The community relationships formed in small rural towns means that teachers can connect with people in a variety of careers to give students unique learning experiences such as field-trips, in-class visits, or interdisciplinary projects where students work alongside of these individuals.

• Small class sizes! Because of the small populations of rural towns, rural schools often have graduating classes of sometimes less than 60 students. What does this mean for teachers? It means small class sizes where teachers can get to know their students on personal levels, have students multiple years in a row, and develop dynamic, interactive lessons based on students' interests. When teachers are able to truly get to know their students due to smaller class sizes and having students repeated years, they are able to cater lessons to students' interests so that lessons are relevant to students' lives.

• Interdisciplinary Planning! In the interviews I conducted in undergrad, teachers shared that while some might look down on their singular K-12 school buildings, this structure actually allows teachers in the whole school to work together to develop and adapt the curriculum based on what they see within their students. This feature of some rural schools enables teachers to overlay STEM projects in multi-grade and interdisciplinary levels.

• Nature at your fingertips! Where funding may not be in abundance, the free resources of nature are in abundance for rural schools. While urban and suburban schools may have to take field trips for students to attend parks or recreations centers, teachers in rural schools can bring students right outside and utilize the environment to engage in relevant, inquiry-based learning. Whether it be a pond, creek, forest, or field, every corner of nature offers STEM lessons if teachers are creative enough to take advantage of them.

Now, let's take a peak at some examples of how to incorporate these features of rural schools in order to make engaging STEM lessons in Lesson 2: Strengths-Based STEM Instructional Strategies.