From left, Harrison Elementary fifth-graders Anna Allebach, Adrian Frederickson and Nolan Driscoll work with Josh Wall, STEM instructional coach.

WARSAW — A kindergarten student exploring engineering skills. Several years ago that would have not entered the thinking of public educators.

But not so in today’s public school classrooms where project based learning, teamwork and collaboration, thinking outside the box and solving real world problems are emphasized. And Josh Wall sees it unfold daily.

Wall is a STEM instructional coach for three elementary schools in Warsaw Community Schools: Jefferson, Harrison and Leesburg. He spends a day or two in each building each week supporting teachers, helping them think of unique programs, providing resources and also co-teaching in classrooms. STEM covers the subjects of science, technology, engineering and math.

He has been involved in public education since graduating from Saint Francis University in Fort Wayne in 2011, but being a teacher was not his original career choice. After graduating from Whitko High School in 2007, he originally enrolled at Purdue University with the intent on entering the engineering program.

But then thinking of times he worked as a counselor at Camp Whitley, a youth camp in Whitley County, “spurred me to change my college major.” Wall said he really enjoyed working with the kids when he was a counselor.

Wall began teaching second grade at Washington Elementary in Warsaw at the start of the 2011-12 school year. There was also a six-month boot camp with the U.S. Army Reserve in 2012.

He remained at Washington Elementary through the 2018-19 school year until being hired as a STEM instructional coach this year. “Washington is a STEM state certified school with a big focus on project based learning,” he said. “I thrived on that type of stuff and loved it,” so when the opportunity to become a STEM coach became available, he took advantage of it.

Instructional methods have especially changed within the last five to 10 years and will likely continue to change in the future. Wall, himself only out of high school for 12 years, noted teaching methods have changed much even since he was in high school.

Beginning in kindergarten, students are taught to work together in collaboration, to think creatively and outside the box and to address specific real world questions. “We start with a real world question and let the students drive the learning,” he said. “They do the research and learn from experts in those fields.”

Everything ties in together and is woven into reading, writing and math. “We want it to all connect,” he said.

More schools are working toward become state certified in STEM and the state has realized the importance of STEM, Wall noted. “(STEM) fields are exploding, especially in jobs,” he said. “New jobs are being created and we need to prepare kids for the jobs not even existing yet.”

For just one example, he noted the iPhone only came on the market 10 or 11 years ago, but it seems like it has been around longer. One can only guess at the next developing technology with smartphones.

Wall said his top three priorities as a STEM instructional coach are to help students, help teachers and engage the community more. “I want to bring the community in and let them see what is going on here,” he said, as well as bringing in experts in STEM related fields “who are hungry to talk about what they know.”

Josh and his wife, Gabi, live in Warsaw and have a 4 month old daughter, Hannah. Josh enjoys fishing and running and has spent a lot of time fishing in Michigan. He has ran in some half marathons and has a goal of running in a full marathon.

The family attends Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Warsaw and Josh is still in the Army Reserve.