When I first stumbled upon the concept of STEAM a few years ago, I was so psyched to see an alternative way for all my students to be engrossed in their learning and art making. For me STEAM would represent so much more than Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. Rather, it would be synonymous with the 5 Ps: play, perseverance, proficiency, pride and passion!
Why do I love STEAM so much? That’s easy: I love integrating STEAM into my art classes because students are:
- Actively and purposefully engaged in a task
- Learning how to communicate effectively with their peers & classmates
- Exercising their critical thinking skills
- Hands-on in their problem solving
- Learning independence & building trust in oneself
- Being innovative & thinking outside the box
- Learning 21st century skill sets (that they’ll need later on in life
There are so many ways you can integrate STEAM into your elementary and middle school curriculum. Below you will find 3 simple ways YOU can do just that starting as soon as tomorrow, honestly!
Firstly, you can engage your students with STEAM group challenges. These can take place on a weekly or monthly basis.
Personally, I like to use challenges at the beginning of the school year to break the ice and build teamwork between students.
This can be done by assigning your groups/students random challenges using task cards OR by assigning the class a challenge as a whole and making it into a competition.
You can find many of so many creative ideas online by simply searching for “STEAM Challenges” on Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers.
Secondly, offer your students opportunities to tinker in a “makerspace” during down-time or as a means for respite aka brain break.
That may mean creating a small space within your classroom or putting together a “makerspace bin” if you are on a cart like me.
Furthermore, ask parents to donate makerspace materials so you can get it going and you won’t break the bank!
For great advice on how to start your very own makerspace and how to facilitate the learning process, I highly recommend the book: Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom by Sylvia Libow Martinez & Gary Stager, Ph.D.
Lastly, another way to integrate STEAM into your classroom is through larger in-class projects.
As an elementary art specialist, I have done this through robotics, podcasts, stop-motion, and documentary film-making with students grades 4 to 6.
These projects are usually done with a partner or small groups of 3-4 students. Because I’m a specialist, this usually means working on the project in class over the next 1-2 months (i.e. I only see my students 1 hour/week).
However, if you are a generalist/homeroom teacher, STEAM projects are so much easier to facilitate and fit into your timetable.
You can even make them cross-curricular, integrating them into language arts, history & social studies, science & technology, and so many other disciplines!
Students love learning how to experiment and use new creative technology!
As an art teacher, you can see that I have a soft spot when it comes to STEAM projects. STEAM creates opportunities for students to problem-solve & troubleshoot issues as a team. It also allows students to acquire real-life skillsets when it comes to technology and the arts!
Looking for some great ways to integrate the STEAM projects into your curriculum? Check out my entire collection of my STEAM resources (3 of which are featured above) over on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Happy tinkering!
Cheers,
Stephanie
