ExploraVision: Where Students, Teachers and STEM all Win!
By George Schauup, Hoover Math and Science Academy, Schaumburg, IL
As a first-year coach for the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision program, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The team of students I’m working with had experience submitting ideas for this project in years past.
Many years ago, I decided to change careers from electrical engineering to education. One of the main purposes for the switch was to teach children not just the typical subject lessons, but to take what I learned as an engineer and give kids the chance to explore science at a deeper level than just the standard curriculum. ExploraVision is the perfect forum to do this. I quickly realized my role in the ExploraVision project was to be a facilitator – to give the team some time, space, and maybe some questions to think about, but that’s about it – the kids took it from there.
It was quite inspirational to see the team of 5th graders come up with an idea to solve a problem that affected many of the children around them at school, ADHD. One team member also has a cousin diagnosed with ADHD. This idea motivated the team to research different technologies to make the FocusPro: ADHD Buddy Watch a very realistic and practical solution. As a former engineer, watching 10 and 11 year old children go through the engineering design process throughout the weeks was very rewarding. Each step had its challenges, but this gave the team many opportunities to collaborate and discuss or research modifications and enhancements.
If you asked the kids, they had the most fun creating the video and prototype to advertise and educate people about their idea. The moment that excited me the most throughout this project was during a schoolwide assembly, the team presented information about their idea and a student raised his hand for a question. After the team answered his question, the boy said, “I could really use one of these watches!”
ExploraVision does truly bring out the ingenuity, creativity, and excitement in students that crave opportunities to put their ideas to work, and I am grateful to be on the ride with this team. As a teacher, I can easily see the impact this team has had on their peers. Now that more students are aware of the ExploraVision competition, I can easily see this team growing or some new teams developing. I’ve had students come up to me with new ideas, or possible improvements for the FocusPro watch. I’m sure any teacher can think of a handful of students that would love to take part in a competition like ExploraVision.
For any teachers considering this, I would give it my highest recommendation. There are always a few students that want to do more than just what’s taught in school and ExploraVision will give them an opportunity to reach as high as they can, and at the same time, allow educators to expand the passion for science and technology within and beyond the walls of our classrooms!
To learn more about the 2025-26 ExploraVision program, visit https://www.exploravision.org.