Subscribe to the Excalibur Solutions STEM Academy

All our content is designed by educators who are passionate about ensuring that every student has access to high quality STEM instruction.  Our founder is a former middle school math teacher with degrees in Secondary Mathematics Education and STEM Leadership, as well as extensive experience as a professional computer programmer.  Our Director of Elementary programs is a former elementary school teacher with a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction.  She is ESL-certified and has taught students with special needs.  

Unlike traditional curricula that often introduce theory and concepts up front and before the student even understands why these things will be important, our approach is context-based.  We start with the outcome: “Let’s build a game!” or “Have you ever wondered how a traffic light works?  Let’s find out!”  Concepts and explanations are provided as needed by the project.  In other words, instead of, “This is a variable, and it has a specific data type,” we might say, “We need a way to keep score in our game.  What kinds of values would we expect the score to have?”

We focus on the "T" and the "E" in STEM - Technology and Engineering.  We use platforms like Tinkercad to teach electronics and 3D design; Scratch to teach blocks-based programming; and Replit for Python and web development.  No prior experience is assumed or required!  In addition to guiding students through completing the projects, we teach concepts like Ohm's Law, principles of 2D and 3D geometry, and standard practices associated with being a professional computer programmer.

One of the hallmarks of STEM education is its interdisciplinary approach to instruction.  Solving problems in the real world requires people to integrate knowledge drawn from different content areas.  Many of the projects and lessons included in your subscription reinforce concepts from core subject areas like algebra, geometry, trigonometry, biology, and physics.  Others make connections with non-technical subject areas like language arts and social studies.

Projects are grouped into thematic modules like “Let’s Play It,” a collection of projects focused on creating games; “Let There Be Light,” which contains projects that show students how to create circuits involving LEDs; or “Seasonal Creations,” a group of projects that relate to different times of the year.  Sometimes, students will complete the same or a similar project in a different language or technology, thus being able to compare and contrast multiple approaches.

Many lessons include downloadable reference materials that supplement or highlight key points.  For example, several of the programming projects have screenshots showing the code as it should be at the end of each lesson.

Having trouble getting a project to work?  Have questions about a concept explained in a lesson?  No problem!  Leave a comment in the lesson, post a question in the Subscribers Forum or the private Facebook group, or send us an email.  We'll be happy to help in any way we can.