VT-Thinkabit

The Thinkabit Lab experience at Virginia Tech offers both teachers and students an engaging environment—part lab, makerspace and innovative learning spaces—to foster creativity, collaboration and the critical skills necessary for the future technical workforce. A typical visit by school groups (mostly 4th grade through 12th grade) begins in an uncommon, colorful and comfortable space with an interactive exploration of a wide variety of STEM careers and supporting careers, and how to communicate these with parents, teachers, and school guidance counselors. Participants then move next door to an equally uncommon technical learning lab in which they build and program with electronic microcontrollers, working in two-person teams in an engineering design process to build and present unique robotic crafts they designed. Presentations are followed by short reflective writing. Teaching strategies facilitate differentiated learning aimed at 100% engagement.