Recently, there's been a strong push to incorporate S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) lessons and activities in the classroom. But how can these multifaceted subjects benefit students?
STEAM empowers students to be curious learners and seek creative solutions to topics they can’t simply Google, allowing them to build soft and hard skills needed to thrive in college and their careers in the future. Here are some examples of how students at Emmanuel Lutheran School can benefit from our STEAM program.
When students participate in STEAM-related activities, they engage in learning by asking intelligent questions, uncovering answers, applying what they learn, and problem-solving creatively.
Students partaking in on-hand projects must ask questions about how it works, try different solutions, examine the meaning behind their artistic creations, and engage in the creative process as it develops from a concept on paper to a tangible, functional object.
STEAM projects challenge students to solve problems in unique ways by forcing them to use a variety of techniques to overcome challenges that arise during these types of activities. Students shift away from the widely used approach of applying a known method or formula to solve a series of problems in a step-by-step manner by thinking outside the box.
With STEAM, they can solve challenges in more creative, non-linear ways.
Many STEAM projects include collaboration and deliberate discourse in which students exchange ideas and discuss problem-solving strategies. Through these exercises, students learn how to share tasks, compromise, listen to, and encourage one another.
Grouping students together can result in a successful team in which students learn to help one another and figure out how to use their unique skill sets. Their knowledge, enthusiasm, and skill sets can be combined to help the team accomplish the project.
STEAM projects require students to think critically through problems and apply what they learned about technology and engineering along with the easy finding the best solution. Furthermore, cross-curricular projects allow students to perceive the project through a different lens, focusing on specifics while simultaneously learning to stand back and see the big picture.
Emmanuel Lutheran School in Asheville is western North Carolina's first and only Christian Parochial Christian STEAM school, employing technology and the arts to empower students and motivate them to do great things beyond their middle school experiences.
Contact us today to learn more about how Emmanuel is integrating STEAM into our daily curriculum and to book a tour!
