From Curiosity to Discovery
From Curiosity to Discovery
One of Brenda Kaufmann’s favorite memories from her decades-long teaching career is a recent one.
A few years ago, Kaufmann learned from Beth VanMeeteren, director of the Iowa Regents’ Center for Early Developmental Education and professor of literacy education, about adapting her classroom environment to support integrating STEM and literacy. Kaufmann, a second grade teacher at North Tama County Community School District, and her colleagues were able to test the STEM materials themselves before introducing them to their students.
“I still remember the excitement as we imagined the possibilities ahead for our students,” Kaufmann says. “I remember the first time my students unpacked a huge box of wooden blocks and created their first ramps during the Ramps & Pathways center. I can still see them learning to work together. I can see the sparkles in their eyes as they discovered how to create turns or jumps for their marbles.”
For Kaufmann, who inherited a love of science from her mother and grew up playing with toys like blocks and tinker toys, this memory exemplifies her passion for STEM education. Her list of accomplishments in this area affirms how this passion shines through to her students.
Brenda Kaufmann
‘21, MAE, Early Childhood Education
Kaufmann was a finalist in the 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year recognition by the Iowa Department of Education and also the Iowa finalist for science education for the 2024 Presidential Award for Mathematics and Science Teaching. She’s an experienced presenter at the local, state and national level about STEM in the classroom, a member of Iowa Leadership in Engineering Design and has authored three books integrating math and literacy.
This past April, Kaufmann was the featured guest at UNI’s Elementary STEM Expo for Emerging Educators (PreK-6).
“The teacher panel was great,” she says. “It was interesting to hear and answer questions university students had about not only my lesson, but the other educators’ lessons as well. We can all learn from each other, and I always enjoy meeting new people.”
Since 2022, Kaufmann has served as an adjunct instructor during the fall semester at UNI, preparing pre-service educators for teaching elementary school science.
“Being able to bring experiences from my second grade classroom to share in my university classroom—sometimes the same day!---helps my university students really understand what I am teaching them about,” she says. “I love being able to answer their questions not only about teaching science, but about other topics in teaching, too.”
What Kaufmann enjoys most about working with students — both elementary and college students — is the chance to learn from them. But being able to share a love for STEM with them — something she believes is especially important for young children because it gives them hands-on experiences and practice in communication and collaboration — is perhaps the best part.
“They engage in critical thinking. They learn how to agree or disagree respectfully with someone else’s ideas. They learn perseverance and resilience as they test out ideas that may or may not work,” she says. “Students answer their own questions and share what they discover with others. They use speaking, listening, writing and reading skills — and so much creativity — while learning and sharing about STEM.”
Kaufmann adds, “STEM sparks curiosity, and they have so much fun.”
