Idaho Annual STEM Conference: The Magic of STEM 2026

Begin the conference with important announcements, reminders, and a preview of the exciting learning ahead. Join us as we officially kick off the 2026 Annual Idaho STEM Conference and prepare for three days of collaboration, innovation, and inspiring STEM experiences.

Algorithms may be powerful general tools, but they can trap students in limited, less-sophisticated reasoning. In this session, learn how students can take advantage of the power of generalizing without getting trapped and how we can develop mathematical reasoning, get better results, and reach more students. Math is Figure-out-able!

Begin the day with important conference announcements and reminders, followed by a welcome from Debbie Critchfield, Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction, as she greets educators from across Idaho and helps launch another day of learning, innovation, and collaboration.

 Leading the Shift: From Knowledge Delivery to Student Sensemaking in K–12 Science invites Idaho educators and leaders to rethink how science learning takes shape in real classrooms under real constraints. Drawing on classroom examples, professional learning research, and leadership work across rural and geographically diverse contexts, this keynote reframes sensemaking as both an instructional and leadership practice that helps teachers adapt curriculum to local phenomena, community knowledge, and limited time.
The session is informed by Idaho-focused research, including the Shields et al. report on contextualizing STEM, which highlights how time, access, and local relevance shape what is feasible in classrooms across the state.
Rather than focusing on new programs or materials, the session centers on what changes when students are positioned as sensemakers. Curiosity drives learning, evidence becomes the engine for understanding, and collaboration deepens thinking. Participants will experience a short sensemaking routine and examine facilitation moves that make this approach feasible and sustainable in Idaho schools, including those serving rural, agricultural, and resource-based communities. The talk speaks directly to challenges Idaho educators identify, including coverage pressure, curriculum usability, and access to meaningful professional learning, and it offers leaders concrete strategies for supporting instructional shifts without adding burden. When learning is built from students’ questions and local contexts, understanding sticks because it is built, not borrowed.