STEM and STEAM are acronyms for two of the most exciting, forward-thinking concepts in education today. St. Thomas began working with the STEM concept in 2012 with the dedication of the Symbiosis STEM Lab. During the 2013-14 year, the STEM concept was expanded to STEAM as the basis for integrated education by adding “A” for “The Arts.”
A Little History The STEM concept resulted from national studies showing that the United States was rapidly losing a competitive edge in education.The STEM initiative was born, emphasizing the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math as integrated curriculum rather than as stand-alone classroom subjects. STEM was originally a vision for middle schools, high schools, and colleges. St. Thomas was one of the first elementary schools in our area to bring the concept to the elementary level.
Students Need 21st Century Skills The STEM/STEAM approach reflects the thinking of educators that certain skills are critical for the 21st century. They have been designated the “Four C’s”: • Collaboration • Critical Thinking • Creativity • Communication Developing these four skills in an educational environment where academic disciplines are integrated is considered the best preparation for further education and for professional life.
The Arts Integrated to Produce STEAM Once the STEM vision of integrating the science/technology/engineering/math subjects took hold in the minds of leading educators, it became obvious that the arts are also integral to the majority of science/technology projects. Students in a STEAM-driven program begin with real-world problems – like a bridge needed in a newly developed area or levees that have to be re-built to better standards after a hurricane. Clearly the design aspect (visual arts) and clear communication (language arts) are essential to the project. The STEAM dream is ever-increasing integration of academic disciplines in the school setting in order to reflect the real world.
Integrated Curriculum—the Challenge and the Joy For teachers, the goal of integrating their disciplines with other disciplines is a challenge. Some subject areas and concepts lend themselves more readily to integration than others. Those are the starting places. The STEAM articles that follow focus on the STEAM letters, one at a time. But note the creative, innovative approaches being designed by teachers in each subject area to achieve integration among subjects. The STEAM engine at St. Thomas has started down the tracks, and we’ve planned the first few stops along the way. As education and technology continue to evolve, tracks will be laid to explore places and spaces we can’t even imagine today.
IS FOR SCIENCE Science Curriculum Stepping Forward in 2014-15 St.Thomas has a rich history of innovation in elementary school science. In the early ‘80s, students took field trips to the Everglades and learned about environmental concerns before “green” was a word that meant more than a color. The Robotics program and the STEM Lab put St. Thomas in the forefront of elementary school science education more recently. Eco-Art projects and the Fairchild Challenge brought science and the arts together. Now those facets of the science program that have been developed through the years will remain integral components of the science curriculum as they are updated and shifted to align more closely with the Next Generation Science Standards, a process that will take the next two years to implement fully.
Next Generation Science Standards The updated science curriculum for St. Thomas is adapted from the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which reflect “a new vision for American science education…the interconnected nature of science as it is practiced and experienced in the real world.” These standards are a nationwide effort resulting from collaboration by top scientists and educators. The approach and vision go hand-in-hand with the STEM/STEAM concept. One important focus of the NGSS is that while the content in any field of science changes, the skills students need to acquire should reflect how science is practiced in real-world experiences. Those skills are meant to foster “higher order thinking,” which invites analysis, interpretation, argument, evaluation, comparison/contrast, and planning or construction.
Spiral Curriculum Accompanies Student Development Science studies in kindergarten through 5th grade will follow a spiral curriculum in which concepts introduced in the lower grades are studied again with more depth and sophistication as students mature developmentally.The spiral curriculum follows curriculum maps that specify the content, the essential questions for different concepts, and the basic skills students should acquire at each grade level.Teachers follow these guidelines and have the flexibility to determine which instructional methods, which resources, and which connections with other subjects will make a particular unit most effective for their students.
Three General Areas of Science Study In each grade, students will cover three major fields of study during the year. Life Sciences include plants and animals, habitats, environment, and eco-systems. An example of the spiral curriculum in the second field, Physical Sciences, is the kindergarten study of “Pushes and Pulls” which leads to the more sophisticated 3rd grade study of “Forces and Motion.” “Light and Sound” in 1st grade is further developed in “Energy and Waves and Information” in 4th grade. In Earth and Space Sciences, “Weather” is introduced in kindergarten and studied more deeply in “Weather and Climate” in 3rd grade. “Sky Patterns” in 1st grade sets the stage for “Earth, Moon, and the Stars” in 5th grade. The new curriculum builds on the best of the past science programs at St. Thomas while using the research from NGSS and STEM/STEAM education to further integrate subjects across the curriculum and to teach skills necessary in the 21st century.
IS FOR TECHNOLOGY Glance at the Past St.Thomas has been a leader in elementary school technology since 1982 when headmistress Shirlee Stradley purchased six Commodore computers and introduced 5th and 6th graders to the new world of computer technology. In the late ‘90s, the Laptop program for 5th and 6th graders was another bold move into the future of educational technology for elementary students. In the last decade, St. Thomas has grown so accustomed to technology in education that students and parents assume the presence of Smart Boards, ceiling-mounted projectors, scanners, document cameras, and color printers along with laptops and Technology Lab classes.
And Now… Another step was taken in 2013 with the re-instatement of the position of Education Technology Integrator (ETI). In 2014, one ETI will work with Sr. Preschool through 2nd grade, and a second with 3rd through 5th grades. Both ETIs will spend time in the lab and in the classroom with the classroom teachers. In 2013, teachers of younger students were trained by the ETI in integrating technology into their classroom curriculum with the addition of iPads, and they learned to design creative ways for students to research and present material. Apple training was provided for teachers in the use of educational apps.Younger students had instruction in the Technology Lab each week, availability to iPads with apps like Puppet Pals and 30 Hands in the classroom, and teachers trained to guide in research, collaboration, and presentation. With the addition of an ETI specifically for the upper grades, a parallel track will be in place for older students.
Behind the Scenes in Technology For St. Thomas students to pursue the integrated curriculum in the STEM/STEAM approach, continual monitoring and upgrading of the technology infrastructure must go on behind the scenes. In 2013-14, the school set the goal of becoming a “hybrid environment.” By the time children have gone through grades K-5, they will be comfortable with both Apple and Windows platforms and will be fully equipped for both the educational and the professional worlds ahead. In the fall of 2013, all teachers were provided with iPads. The initial iPad program trained 1st and 2nd graders as well as students in STEM classes and the Center for Excellence to use iPads. Plans were made for 4th graders to begin using Microsoft Surface tablets in 2014 to provide continuity in using touchscreens. The first Tekboard – combining a Smart Board, a computer that runs Windows 8.1, all apps, and a camera – came to St. Thomas in the spring of 2014. To support the Internet use of the new iPads, six additional Meraki Wireless Access Points were mounted in the walls, one between every two classes using iPads.These give 150 feet of wireless access in each direction.The broadband speed was also upgraded with a switch to Comcast, making Internet access faster than DSL. Digital phones replaced analog phones, providing new diverse features including remote access. The faster and better technology actually saved money rather than adding expense.
IS FOR ENGINEERING The World of Robots at St. Thomas Robots have been coming to life at St. Thomas since 1999 when the Lego League was designed for middle school students. Tom Bales—scientist, parent, and board chair—decided that St. Thomas students could also master Lego Robotics. With an engineering degree from M.I.T. and a career in bio-medical engineering, Tom had previously worked with inner-city high school students to interest them in engineering through robotics. He was committed to all the educational characteristics of Robotics: The activities are hands-on and team-based, and projects require collaborative work for problem solving. He started the after-school Robotics program for older St.Thomas students. Some years later, he and fellow scientist Kevin Smith provided the initial vision, sponsorship, and funding for the STEM program and the Symbiosis STEM Lab.
The Robotics Program Today The Robotics program is offered in the Math Lab two afternoons a week. Fourth and 5th graders can participate the entire year, with 3rd graders beginning in January. Using Vex I.Q. robots designed for the STEM concept of integrated curriculum, student teams begin by designing the bases of their robots. After they draw the bases on plywood, the teacher (with sharp tools that the students cannot use) cuts out the bases. Students then attach battery packs, wheels, and radio controls. They build up the sides of the robots, keeping them each under one pound. Some teams attach a spinning sword blade for Robotics Cage Match competition. In this end-of-the-year event, robots are put into a cage for two-minute BattleBots competition. Competitors try to push opponents’ robots down a trap door in the floor of the cage in order to win. The engineering skills, collaboration, team work, creativity, and critical thinking required in these activities make Robotics a perfect example of the STEM approach.
Engineering in Science Classes The engineering component of the STEM initiative involves hands-on activities. During the 2013-14 school year, second graders studying tornadoes in a weather unit each built a tornado out of a liter bottle. With water and debris in the bottle (and tiny plastic objects if they wished), they learned to shake the bottle into a spin so they could see the vortex form with the violent effect of a tornado. In 3rd grade, the study of Newton’s Laws of Motion resulted in rockets made from 1- or 2-liter bottles, duct tape, clay taped inside for a center of gravity, and fins on the outside for direction. With water sealed in the bottom, the rockets were pumped with air to create enough pressure to shoot them off from a specially-built stand. In 4th grade, kinetic and potential energy came to life as each student made a Rube Goldberg machine that contained four sequences of motion. Not only in the after-school Robotics program, but in all grade levels of science classes, engineering skills are now in the curriculum.
IS FOR THE ARTS The Arts in the Very Beginnings of Curriculum Integration In 2008, Great Art Day featured an eco-art project led by nationally recognized Xavier Cortada. The west wall of the courtyard became an artistic display of mangrove seedlings, an eco-art project to reforest our coastal areas. About the time that art was combined with environmental science in that project, a new visual art program was designed, based entirely on integrated curriculum. The language arts program has for some years worked in conjunction with other subject areas, with students writing, producing brochures and maps, and creating PowerPoint programs that present material for other classroom subjects.
The Four C’s in the Arts Long before the “Four C’s” were identified as the basic skills needed for the 21st century, St. Thomas students were practicing them. Critical Thinking: Students start projects in the arts with activities like planning, sketching, cutting, drafting, revising, analyzing. Collaboration: Many projects in the arts require collaborative efforts by the entire class or by a student group. Creativity: The basic projects – whether in visual arts, performing arts, or language arts – start with the teacher’s direction, but students’ ideas and imagination take the projects in different directions. Communication: Effective oral and/or written communication is emphasized in all projects in the arts. Communication goes hand in hand with collaboration and teamwork.
Projects in the Arts Integrated with Classroom Curriculum Kindergarten science includes a unit on Pets versus Wild Animals. The National Gallery of Art website offers an interactive jungle based on Henry Rousseau’s jungle paintings. Students in art class collaborate to create a jungle. Then, using oils and watercolors, each student creates animals. In the computer lab, children create their own jungle background and add the cut-out animals. The project is an integration of science, technology, and art. First grade’s Community Project in social studies focuses on places and institutions in the local community. For art class, children bring photographs of the place they have chosen (and visited with the help of their parents), then make a paper blueprint, and then make and paint the wooden sculpture. The Community Project culminates in a Publishing Party featuring each child’s written brochure created to persuade people to visit the place they have presented. Second grade’s creation of ceramic looms and actual weaving accompany the social studies unit of Life on the Prairie, and 3rd grade’s Cave Art projects (pictographs and petroglyphs) accompany a classroom history unit on Prehistoric Times. Math and science are integrated with art in projects like Cardinals in the Snow as kindergarteners study shapes in math and habitats in science. The 5th grade Microscope Project integrates science as students study the microscope and its functions, language arts as they research and write about a related topic, and engineering as they build a replica microscope from recycled materials.
IS FOR MATH New Directions of Singapore Math After a year of study in 2011-12 by the Math Committee, the series Math in Focus using Singapore Math methodology was chosen for St. Thomas. Singapore Math begins with a concrete approach, moves to the pictorial, and ends with the abstract. Rather than beginning with a workbook, children work initially with concrete objects and learn to “see, do, and draw a picture for themselves.” Although memorization is still needed, students learn different strategies that help them understand “fact families.” Singapore Math starts in kindergarten, with students learning basic math concepts through discovery, exploration, and application.
Math Lab Integrated with Math Class and Other Subjects Classroom math for 1st through 4th graders is furthered in Math Lab by real-world connections and hands-on activities. Second graders studying solid shapes during 2013-14 photographed examples and then used toothpicks, straws, and pipe cleaners to build shapes. They were not thinking about the words “engineering, math, and design,” but they were experiencing the integration of concepts from those fields. When they studied money in math class, they opened a checking account, made deposits, and cashed checks.The Product Day Sale connected the math unit to the social studies unit on producers and consumers. In art class they made wallets, and at home they created products to sell. They became producers and consumers. Cross Country Math involved a series of tasks to help students make connections between math concepts and the real world. After studying probability, for example, 4th grade students took a virtual trip to Las Vegas to determine the probability of winning. The Math Lab is a natural part of the Symbiosis STEM Lab, where tables, chairs, and desks are all on wheels so that when floor space is needed or when collaborative groups need to be formed, the room can be reconfigured in an instant. Tables and chairs can be raised and lowered for multiple uses. STEM Labs are designed to encourage continual creativity and collaboration.
5th Grade Math Beginning the year with an ice-breaker activity, students compete to construct the tallest structure consisting of dry spaghetti and tape, with the assistance of one hand of one team member holding part of the structure together – a collaborative engineering project.The Real-Life Project continues through most of the year. Students identify jobs they find interesting. Guided to career websites for their research, they apply for and land jobs and then receive salaries (imaginary but in real numbers) deposited into their accounts every 15 days. Using Microsoft Excel, they manage checking and saving accounts, calculating what percentage of their salaries should go for rent, health care, income taxes, etc. Using actual websites for Miami real estate, they learn the cost of renting and explore ways to meet a budget. The entire year of 5th grade math (place values, decimals, percentages, negative numbers, etc.) corresponds with life in the real world, using an approach that integrates math, technology, and language skills.
SEE WHERE ST. THOMAS IS HEADED WITH STEAM St.Thomas Episcopal School Teams with the University of Florida in STEAM Education
As St. Thomas Episcopal School was designing its STEM Lab three years ago, the University of Florida’s College of Education was expanding its K-12 STEM teacher training programs. The two institutions have now agreed to join forces to take STEM education at the elementary school level to new heights. At St. Thomas, STEM has evolved into STEAM (with the addition of the Arts to the four original subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). The concept of teaching these subjects through integrated, hands-on, community-based service-learning projects rather than as stand-alone disciplines has been at the educational forefront for many middle and high school programs in recent years. Developing a full STEM/STEAM program at the elementary school level, however, is a pioneering adventure that St. Thomas and UF are both excited about. UF faculty consultants from the College of Education’s mathematics and science education programs are now evaluating St. Thomas’s current STEM/STEAM program in order to develop a two-year plan to move forward. After they make a complete inventory of what St.Thomas already has in place in terms of facilities, faculty training, resources, and equipment, they will determine what is needed to implement a school-wide STEM/STEAM education program. The consultants will collaborate with faculty and administrators to set goals, create an integrated curriculum map, and provide teachers with STEAM-focused professional development, training, and resources. After the program has been launched, St.Thomas will sponsor a STEAM Education Institute to train other interested elementary school educators from all over the state. “Our collaboration with St.Thomas will provide participating students with opportunities to put their STEAM-related knowledge and skills to practical use by addressing real-world science-related problems and issues in their local community,” said Linda Jones, UF associate professor of science and environmental education, who is coordinating UF’s activities in the project. “Collaborative efforts like this benefit everyone involved including students, teachers, parents, and the local community. ” UF CONTACT: Linda L. Cronin Jones, Ph.D., UF College of Education: lcjones@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4223 ST.THOMAS EPISCOPAL PARISH SCHOOL CONTACT: Linda T. Johnson, M.Ed., Director of Advancement: ljohnson@stepsmia.org; 786-268-3496
POWERED St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School 5692 North Kendall Drive, Coral Gables, Florida 33156 Phone: 305-661-6246 FAX: 786-268-3486 www.stepsmia.org