STEAM

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.

- Benjamin Franklin

STEAM influences nearly every part of our daily lives and is an area of industry set to escalate rapidly in the future. Here at Cove School, we intentionally embed STEAM skills into our curriculum:

• Ingenuity and Creativity – Leads to new ideas e.g. artificial intelligence and digital learning. These technologies were created by people who learnt that if the human mind can conceive it, the human mind can achieve it.

• Building Resilience - Students learn in a safe environment, which allows them to fall and try again. They realise the value of failure as a learning exercise. This allows them to build confidence and resilience, it enables them to keep going when the going gets tough. After all, failure is part of a process that ultimately leads to success.

• Encouraging Experimentation - Without a little risk-taking, and experimentation, many of the technological advancements that have occurred in the last couple of decades would not have been possible. Many of these innovations were created by people who were told that their ideas wouldn’t work and their response was, “Let’s try it and see.” This type of attitude is encouraged with STEAM learning in classes by allowing students to experiment and take risks during learning activities.

• Encouraging Teamwork - Students of all abilities work together in teams to find solutions to problems, record data, write reports, give presentations, etc. This encourages students to understand how to collaborate with others and thrive in a team-oriented environment.

• Encouraging Knowledge Application - Students are taught different skills that they can use in the real world. This motivates them to learn, as the skills that they acquire can be utilised immediately, and in ways that positively impact them and their loved ones. The ability to apply their knowledge to new and novel tasks will bode them well for when they enter the workforce.

• Promoting the use of technology - STEAM learning teaches us about the power of technology and innovation. When students encounter new technologies, they will be prepared to embrace them, instead of being hesitant or fearful. This will give them the upper hand in the global landscape, as the world is becoming increasingly tech-centered.

• Teaching Problem Solving - STEAM teaches students how to solve problems by using their critical thinking skills. By engaging in STEAM learn experiences, they learn how to examine problems and then create a plan to solve them.

• Encouraging Adaptability - To succeed in life, students have to be able to apply what they have learnt to a variety of situations. STEAM teaches them to adapt these concepts to various problems or issues that they will encounter in the future.