STEM-U Approach

Learning by Questioning and through Application

Employing the Hungry Teacher Approach. Our Hungry Teacher lessons have had over 2 million downloads!
Why STEM-U? 
The programs offered at STEM-U are designed by a group of STEM professionals and educators who know what it takes to bridge knowledge acquired at school and skills needed to succeed in the real world. Our programs are designed to be engaging and fun and incorporate cool new tools and technologies to building critical thinking and problem solving skills at an early age.

​Our classes use the Hungry Teacher approach which uses contextual learning to increase confidence in math. Our approach forces children to ask questions and to use the information available to solve the problem. Hungry Teacher lessons have been widely downloaded and have also been featured on Ted-Ed. 

​We bring the same approach to other programs we offer. Our classes are taught by certified teachers that have created this approach and by individuals with advanced degrees in science and engineering that are interested in building the next generation of technology wizards. 
Our Approach
​We focus on improving your child's understanding of content knowledge by developing problem solving strategies and critical thinking skills. We use the Hungry Teacher methodology which is different from traditional approaches in that we embed abstract concepts in contexts which aid student understanding and prepares them for a future in science, technology, and other creative fields. 

Our Math classes, Programming classes, and STEM workshops present engaging and meaningful challenges to students in grades 1-10. We  
  • Help students visualize and relate to the content
  • Build their critical thinking skills by allowing them to explore and wonder
  • Develop a deep understanding of content beyond memorization and basic application.

Our classes are offered at our facility located at the Shops at Worthington Place in Worthington, Ohio. We have also partnered with various schools in Columbus, Ohio to offer specific classes. 
The Hungry Teacher Methodology
Hungry Teacher lessons incorporate a “socratic” (questioning) approach. We present students with real-world context and with problems or questions that need solutions. When presented, this immediately brings up more questions from our students. But this is exactly what we want. This means they have already started the process of problem solving and thinking critically. It is entirely up to them to solve or answer. This naturally teaches students to be self-directed and resourceful (have you ever solved a problem at work by consulting with co-workers or fixed something in your home by going to YouTube?). It’s not that students don’t ever need to memorize formulas or math facts (a toolbox), but when students are presented with real world problems this is what will drive them toward the need to know and apply the right formulas (tools) for solving. The lessons incorporate other tools and/or resources such as videos, images, desmos graphs, geogebra applets, etc. to make them relatable and fun!

We want students to see the relevance of learning abstract concepts by seeing the relevance of solving meaningful problems. Our objective is to ensure students are scholastically successful but to also have skills that are applicable outside of class and in their daily lives. We want students to be cognizant of these skills...skills like solving a simpler problem, considering and analyzing alternative solutions, collaborating, being creative, arguing their point of view and understanding someone else's. Finally we want to students to understand that the learning process is a struggle that involves applying alternative strategies to get to the right answer.  
Understanding our Approach
Watch our video and visit the full lesson to understand how we get your child to understand modeling and interpreting real world quadratic functions and systems of equations. Andy Peterson and Zack Patterson our co-founders share the math equation behind "hang time" using Micheal Jordan as an example. Micheal Jordan's legendary slam dunk from the free throw line has been calculated at 0.92 seconds of pure hang time. But what would be Jordan's hang time if he were doing the same jump on Mars or Jupiter? To review the full lesson click here. 
Our Advantage
We recognize an increasingly complex and interconnected world will require application of knowledge in new and different ways. At STEM-U our approach of providing meaningful challenges allows your student to apply existing and new knowledge via the process of discovery to problem solve and create.

  • Curriculum designed to make students think using our contextual learning methods
  • ​Small class sizes (limited to 8-10 students) for personalized attention
  • All lessons are tiered, meeting the student at their level of knowledge and progress
  • Online system for registration, tracking student progress, and communication with teachers
  • Reward system for completion of homework challenges
  • Qualified teachers including our co-founders who have created the widely downloaded Hungry Teacher lessons
  • All lessons available online for registered students for review and makeup
  • Homework assistance available for registered students during homework assistance hours
The Hungry Teacher Lessons As Featured on Ted-Ed

​Our Hungry Teacher lessons have been widely featured on TedEd and have been downloaded over 2 million times. Take a look at our lesson examples below.

​How Levers Work? In the mighty mathematics of the lever we help children apply what they have learnt on proportions and structure of equations. Students will learn how to create, write, model, and solve equations.
Why do Honeybees Love Hexagons? In the lesson why do honeybees love hexagons students learn how to apply concepts of perimeter, area patters, quadratic equations, prime numbers, square numbers, and triangular numbers. For full lesson visit - ​Ted-Ed.