VermontSTEAMEducation

EssentialElementsandStrategyGuidelines

April2025

IssuedbytheVermontAgencyofEducationProgram/StudentPathwaysDivision

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VermontSTEAM:EducationEssentialElementsandStrategyGuidelines

(Issued:April10,2025)

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TableofContents

Purpose 4

Introduction 4

ACallforSTEAMinVermontSchools 5

Science 5

Technology 6

ComputerScience 6

Engineering 6

Arts 7

ArtsEnhancement 8

ArtsIntegration 8

Mathematics 8

STEAMinAction 9

STEAMInstructionalPractices 10

TeachingPracticesSuitedforSTEAM 11

Interdisciplinary(TheRealityofSTEAM) 11

TransdisciplinaryLearning(TheDreamofSTEAM) 11

Project-BasedLearning 12

Design-BasedLearninginEngineering 12

CulturallySustainingPedagogy 13

CareerandTechnicalEducation 13

IncorporatinganEntrepreneurialApproachtoLearning 14

STEAMStories 14

ArtandTechnologyUnitedtoStrengthenStudentLearning 14

TheUseofSTEAMtoSolveaProblem 15

HighSchoolSTEAMIntegratedLesson 15

Assessment 16

AssessingSTEAMUnitsAcrossMultipleDisciplines 16

IncludeMultipleTypesofFormativeAssessmentLeadingtoaSummative

Assessment 17

FinalThoughts 17

AppendixA 18

STEAMProgramArchitectureToolforSchools 18

ProgramArchitecture 18

Vision 18

Accessibility 20

Culture 21

Sustainability 23

InstructionalApproaches 24

Assessment 26

AppendixB 28

AppendixC 29

STEAMContinuumCard 31

Enhancement 31

Theme-Based 31

Inquiry-Driven 31

Co-Taught 32

Integration 32

AppendixD 33

BibliographyofTextualReferences? 33

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VermontSTEAM:EducationEssentialElementsandStrategyGuidelines(Issued:April10,2025)

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Purpose

ThepurposeofthisdocumentistopromoteSTEAM(Science,Technology,Engineering,Arts,andMath)curriculaasbeingavitalevolutionofexistingSTEM(Science,Technology,Engineering,andMath)andartspractices.STEAMisasymbioticpartnershipthatbringstogetherdisciplinesthataretraditionallytaughtseparately.ByimplementingaSTEAMplatform,educationalequityisdevelopedbyprovidingopportunitiesforlearnerswithdifferentacademicpassionsandstrengthstoengageinacollaborative,creative,andinnovativeacademiccommunitythatwillbetterpreparethemtobecollegeandcareerready.

Introduction

STEAMeducationisanall-encompassingapproachforinspiringinquiryandcuriosityinstudents.STEAMeducationintegratesScience,Technology,Engineering,theArts,andMathematicsascorecomponentsofteachingandlearning.STEAMoffersaconnected,interdisciplinarycurricularstructure,drivingstudentstodevelopcriticalthinkingandproblem-solvingskillswhileexercisingcreativityandinnovationthroughreal-worldlearningexperiences.

ItisimportanttoemphasizethattheuseofSTEAM,ratherthanSTEM,isnotacompetitivenotion.STEMisnotdiminishedbutratherenhancedbyincorporatingtheartsinanintegratedapproachthatinviteseducationalparticipationbyalllearners.ByintegratingartintoSTEMeducation,weequipstudentswithaversatileskillsetthatmoreaccuratelyreflectsthedemandsofcontemporaryindustries.Thisholisticapproachnotonlyenhancestheirproblem-solvingabilitiesbutalsofostersthecreativityandinnovationnecessarytoaddresscomplexglobalchallenges.STEMremainsthemorefamiliarreferenceforinitiativesfocusedonbolsteringstudentparticipationinthesetargetedcurricularareas.Assuch,AOEalsosupportsinitiativesunderaSTEMbanner,butseekstoexpandthisengagementtoincludethearts.

Inrecentyears,recognitionoftheimportanceofSTEAMeducationhasgrownduetoseveralfactors.

Theglobaleconomy,becomingincreasinglytechnologicalandinterdisciplinary,requiresworkerstohaveawiderangeofskillsandknowledgeacrossdifferentdomains.

Innovationandcreativityarekeydriversofeconomicgrowth,andSTEAMeducationisseenasawayoffosteringtheseskillsinstudents.

GrowingdemandforworkersinSTEAM-relatedfieldsandashortageofskilledprofessionalsintheseareasisexpectedtocontinueinthecomingyears.

STEAMeducationprovidesstudentswithopportunitiestodevelopawiderangeofskills,fromanalyticalthinkingtocreativeexpression,thatarevaluablenotonlyforfuturecareersuccessbutalsoforpersonalgrowthanddevelopment.

ByprovidingstudentswithastrongfoundationinSTEAMeducation,schoolscanhelppreparethemforsuccessinarapidlychangingandincreasinglycomplexworld.

ACallforSTEAMinVermontSchools

TheAOEdefinesSTEAMas:

Anauthentic,student-centeredlearningexperiencethattargetstheapplicationandintegrationoftheknowledge,skills,andpracticesofscience,technology,engineering,thearts,andmathematics.

UtilizingSTEAMtodrivestudentlearning,biggerpictureoutcomesforstudentsareachieved.The

VermontTransferableSkills

areconsideredoverarchingskillsthatarecriticalforsuccessinpostsecondaryeducationandcareers.Theseskillsarelearnedandassessedthroughmultiplelearningopportunitiesthatrequireactiveengagementofstudentstodemonstrateevidenceofproficiency.ThetransferableskillsarethebuildingblockstotheVermontPortraitofaGraduate(POG).ThePOGplacesmeritinlearneragency,globalcitizenship,academicproficiency,well-being,criticalthinking,problem-solving,andcommunicationskills.The

attributesthatarefosteredthroughtheVermontTransferableSkillsandthePOGarecross-disciplinary.Awell-developedinterdisciplinarySTEAMcurriculumdirectlysupportsstudentsmeetingtheexpectationsofthePOGandVermontTransferableSkills.ForeducatorstoimplementSTEAM,itisimportanttounderstandhoweachsubjectbringsforth

thestrengthsneededtocreatetrueinterdisciplinarylearning.

Science

Figure1AOEIllustration.

Scienceisthesystematicstudyofthenaturalworldthroughobservationandexperimentation.Thedisciplineisfocusedondiscoveringfundamentalprinciplesandlawsthatgovernthenaturalworld,aswellasunderstandingtherelationshipsbetweendifferentphenomenainthephysical,life,andearthandspacesciences.Asidefromthe

connectionsofsciencecontentasacatalystfortheevolutionoftechnologyandengineeringfields,scienceasadisciplinealsoexercisesthepracticesofhypothesizing,testing,drawingconclusionsandargumentsfromevidenceindevelopingmodels.

Thesepractices,alongwiththecross-cuttingconceptsofpatterns,structureandfunction,systems,energyandmatter,andstabilityandchangebringinterconnectednesstoSTEAMastheyarefoundthroughoutthedisciplines.

Technology

Technologyreferstothetools,processes,andsystemsthatarecreatedthroughengineeringtosolvespecificproblemsormeetspecificneeds.Technologycanbephysical,suchasmachinesordevices,ordigital,suchassoftwareand/orartificialintelligence.Giventhatoursocietiesrunontechnology,itiscriticalthatstudentsbeginengagingwithtechnologyatayoungagetobuildfluency.Thisengagementshouldincludenotonlytheuseoftechnology,butalsotheevolutionoftechnologyanditssocialandculturalimpacts.TechnologyundertheSTEAMumbrellawillhelpstudentsbothunderstandandvalueinnovationwhileopeningavenuesforcooperativelearningandcomputer-assistedinstructionthroughhands-onorproject-basedlearningexperiences.

ComputerScience

ComputerscienceisanimportantsubsetoftechnologythatoffersablendofknowledgeandskillsthatareintegratedintoallSTEAMareas.Computerscienceisdefinedasthestudyofcomputersandalgorithmicprocesses,includingtheirprinciples,theirhardwareandsoftwaredesigns,theirimplementationandtheirimpactonsociety

(K-12Computer

ScienceFramework)

.Computationalthinkingisafoundationalskillincomputerscience.AsdescribedwithintheISTEstandards,computationalthinkingisthehighestorderofproblem-solvingandisacross-curricularskillthatisunderstandabletobothmachinesandhumans.Astudentcreatinganewapplicationwouldutilizetechnologicalskillsandartisticdesignapproaches.Dependingonthecontentoftheapplication,contentworkcouldincludemathematics,engineering,andsciencecurriculum.

Engineering

Engineeringistheapplicationofscientificandmathematicalpracticeswithtechnologytodesign,build,andmaintainstructures,machines,systems,andprocesses.AsshowninFigure2engineeringutilizesaprocessofiterativedesignthatinvolvesdefiningaproblem,proposingmultiplesolutions,andtestingandrefiningthosesolutionsovermultiplecycles.

ByintegratingengineeringpracticesintheSTEAMclassroom,studentsareencouragedtoapproachlearningwithflexiblethinking,creativity,andinnovation,andwithanopennesstorisk-taking.

Figure2AdaptedfromtheTeachEngineeringDesignProcess,fromtheTeachEngineeringdigitallibrarycollectionat

www.TeachE.

Allrightsreserved.

Arts

TheAgencyofEducationdefinestheartsinSTEAMas:

Theinclusionofhumanities,languagearts,dance,drama,music,visualarts,design,anddigitalmedia.

TheartswereaddedtoSTEMtorecognizetheimportanceoftheartsinfosteringinnovation,communication,andcreativity.ArtisanessentialcomponentofanySTEMfieldasithelpstovisualizeandcommunicatecomplexconcepts,encouragesproblem-solvingandcriticalthinking,andallowsforexperimentationandexploration.Byadding

the“A”toSTEM,STEAMeducationpromotesawell-roundededucationthatfurtherpreparesstudentsforthechallengesofthe21stcentury.

TheartsshouldbeappliedinSTEAMexperiencesthroughavarietyofartisticrepresentations.Considerationofhumanities,languagearts,dance,drama,music,visualarts,design,and/ordigitalmediainthedesignofSTEAMcurriculaisessentialforhowtheartsbenefittheuserexperience.Forthistohappenholistically,intentionally,andinameaningfulway,expertsintheartsshouldbeincludedinplanningSTEAMcurricula.

WhendesigningSTEAMexperiencesandinstruction,itisessentialtounderstandthedifferencebetweenartsenhancement,artsintegration,andSTEAM.Eachoftheseapproachesincorporatesthearts.ItisimportanttounderstandthesubtletiesanddistinctionstoensurethesuccessfulimplementationofSTEAMpedagogy.

Arts

Integration

usesthefollowingdefinitionstohelpdifferentiateartsenhancement,artsintegration,andthemoreblendedSTEAMapproachthatistheworkofthisresource.

ArtsEnhancement

Artsenhancementisusedtoincreasestudentengagement.Thelessonisnotalignedwithstandardsfromtheartsandisonlyusedtohelpthelearningstaywithstudents.Itcanincludeanyartsandcontentareaandisbroadinitsdesign.Anexamplemightlooklikestudentscreatinganartworkaboutananimaltheydidabookreporton.Thisrequireslearnerstousearttomakesomethingtogowiththeactuallearning.Itdoesnotrequirenewlearningofthecontentbeingtaught.

ArtsIntegration

Artsintegrationiswhencontentistaughtandassessedequitablyinandthroughthearts.Theartsstandardsareassessedalongwithothercontentstandardsthatnaturallyalignwithoneanother.Acentraltopicisusedtocreateaconnectivefocusthatallowsfordeeplearning,application,andcreativity.Anexampleofcommunicatinginformationthroughartwouldbestudentscreatingatunnelbookthatvisuallycommunicatesfivefactsabouttheanimal,includingsuchthingsashabitat,diet,adaptation,etc.Thisactivityrequireslearnerstoinvestigatetheiranimalslikescientistsandthencommunicatetheirlearningthroughthecreationofvisualartwork.

Pleasesee

AppendixB

foranillustrationonthedifferencesbetweenartsenhancement,artsintegration,andSTEAM.

Mathematics

Mathematicsisthestudyofnumbersandideassuchasstructure,order,space,andchange.Itisasubjectthatisubiquitouslyinfusedintootherdisciplines,anditiscommunicatedthroughauniversallanguage.

Inmathematics,therearetwosetsofstandardswithintheCommonCoreStateStandards,thecontentstandards,andthepracticestandards.Thecontentstandardsaddresstheskillsandknowledgethatastudentwilllearnateachgradelevel,andwhattheywillknowandbeabletodo.Thepracticestandardsaddressthehabitsofmindthatastudentshoulddeveloptoenhancetheirunderstandingofmathematicalcontent.

Thesepracticestandardsarelistedbelow.

Makesenseofproblemsandpersevereinsolvingthem.

Reasonabstractlyandquantitatively.

Constructviableargumentsandcritiquethereasoningofothers.

Modelwithmathematics.

Useappropriatetoolsstrategically.

Attendtoprecision.

Lookforandmakeuseofstructure.

Lookforandexpressregularityinrepeatedreasoning.

Thesestandardsarenotintendedtobetaughtinisolationbutratherwoventogethertoenrichthelearningexperienceofthestudent.Itiscommonforaparticularcontentstandardtobetaughtbyemployingmultiplepracticestandards;thishelpsstudentstobetterunderstandtheconcepts.Thepracticestandardscanbeappliedinmanydifferentcontexts,includinginSTEAMapplications.WhetheraSTEAMactivitywillformallyaddressmathematicalcontentstandardsornot,theeightstandardsofmathematicalpracticecanbeutilizedtodeepentheunderstandingofanytask.

STEAMinAction

AuthenticSTEAMinstructionincludesintentionaloutcomesthatalignwithstandardsfromdifferentcontentareas.Byaddressingstandardsfrommultipledisciplines,STEAMprovidesauthenticopportunitiesthatarerelevantandpowerfulandresultinlearningthatisgreaterthanthesumofitsparts.STEAMisaboutaskingquestionsandthengoingdeepintothosequestions.Itisrootedinstudent-driveninquiry,curiosity,beingabletoexploresolutionstoaproblemthroughmultiplelenses,applyingthosesolutionsinaniterativeprocess,presentingthem,andlinkingallthelearningtogetherintoaninterconnectedandintegratedexperience.

ThinkofSTEAMlikebuildingabridge.Asturdybridgerequiresboththestrengthofitsfoundationandthedesignofitsstructuretoworkeffectively.Thefoundation—likescienceandtechnology—givesthebridgestability,whilethestructure—likeengineeringandthearts—shapeshowitfunctionsandlooks.Withoutthefoundation,thebridgewouldcollapse,andwithoutawell-designedstructure,thebridgewouldn’tserveitspurposeorinspire.Bothpartsrelyoneachother,workingtogethertocreate

somethinggreaterthantheirindividualroles.STEAMoperatesinthesameway,witheachdisciplineenhancingandsupportingtheotherstobuildsomethingstrong,functional,andinnovative.

Tofurtherbuildfromtheearlierartexamples,inanauthenticSTEAMunitstudentsmightinventanimalsforwhichtheyidentifytheclassificationoftheanimal,thephysicalandbehavioraladaptationsoftheanimal,andhowthosecharacteristicsenabletheanimaltothriveinastudent-engineeredhabitat.Therearemanywaysthatstudentscouldshowcasethislearning.Forexample,studentscouldbehavelikeataxonomistandreleaseapuppetvideoexhibitingthenewdiscoveryofanimalstoanaudience.Thisunitrequireslearnerstorelyoncreativity,criticalthinking,problem-solving,andinnovationthroughinterdisciplinaryandinquiry-basedlearningexperiences.

STEAMInstructionalPractices

StudentsbenefitfromanintroductiontoSTEAMasearlyaspossibleintheireducation.ResearchshowsthatpreschoolersarenottooyoungtounderstandwhatistaughtinSTEAM(

Bagiatietal.,2010

;

BybeeandFuchs,2006

;

DeJarnette,2012;

McLureet.al,

2017

).STEAMtapsintoayoungchild’sinnatecreativity,curiosity,andpersistence,andallowsthemtoworkcooperativelyandcommunicatewiththeirpeers.ThroughSTEAM,youngchildrenareexposedtoworkingwithitemsandmaterials,problem-solving,andtestingdesigns—allofwhicharekeyelementsofengineeringinstruction.STEAMconceptsaresecondnatureforyoungchildren,astheyliketoexploreandexperimentwithintheirnaturalenvironment.InclusionoftheartscomponentprovidesadditionaloptionsforeducatorstopresentSTEMconceptstochildren,especiallyatearlychildhoodlevels.WhenstudentsareintroducedatayoungagetoSTEAMpractices,theytakethatknowledgeandexperienceandcontinuetogrowintransferableskillsfromSTEAMthroughouttheirentireeducation.

Foryoungchildrenwithspecialneeds,STEAMoffersastrength-basedapproachbyencouragingeducatorstofocusontheirstrengths,ratherthantheirdisabilities.Adaptingtheenvironment,materials,andinstructiontoensureeverychildcanparticipateandfullyengageinSTEMlearningopportunities,cancreateanequitableSTEAMenvironment.TheSTEMInnovationforInclusioninEarlyEducation(

STEMIE

)CenteroffersprofessionaldevelopmentguidesandSTEAMactivityideasforyoungchildren(0-

withdisabilities.

STEAMisintendedtobetaughtcollaboratively.Educatorsarenotexpectedtobecomeexpertsinallfields;instead,theybecomeknowledgeableaboutwheretheirexpertiseintersectswithotheracademicareas.CollaboratingwitheducatorswhohavedifferentareasofexpertiseenhancesthedevelopmentofstrongSTEAMpracticesandimplementation.EducationalleadersareencouragedtopromotealleducatorsasessentialcontributorstoauthenticSTEAMlearning.

WhenSTEAMisisolatedintoasiloedclasswithateacherlabeledasthe“STEAMteacher,”itdefeatsthepurpose.However,havinga“STEAMteacher”laythefoundationworkandbegiventimetocollaboratewithothereducatorsisastart.Ideally,alleducatorsincorporateSTEAMexperiencesintheirteachingandhaveaccesstoaSTEAMcoordinatororcoachtoassistthem.

Pleasesee

AppendixC

foranillustrationtakenfromArtsIntegration,withpermission,thatshowsthecontinuumofSTEAMinpractice.

TeachingPracticesSuitedforSTEAM

ThefollowingpracticesaresuitedforSTEAMbecausetheybreakthemoldofthetraditionalclassroomandcurriculumdevelopmentpractices.Instead,thesemethodologiesemphasizethepedagogythatwillbetterprepareourstudentstobecollegeandcareerreadyinthe21stcentury.

Interdisciplinary(TheRealityofSTEAM)

Aninterdisciplinaryapproachtoeducationintegratescontent,skills,andperspectivesfrommultipledisciplinesintoacohesivelearningexperience.Itallowsstudentstoengageinalearningprocesstoexploretopics,thinkcritically,andsolveproblemsthatreachbeyondthescopeofasingledisciplineandenablesstudentstopracticeusingskillsinreal-world,authenticcontexts.Keyknowledgelearnedandexploredininterdisciplinarylearningshouldbesymbiotic;whenstudentsareengagedininterdisciplinarylearning,theyarelookingatacommonthemeorissuethroughthelensesofdifferent,individualdisciplines.Thisresultsinmorethanonesubjectareabeingevidentinafinalproduct.

TransdisciplinaryLearning(TheDreamofSTEAM)

Transdisciplinarylearningtranscendsthepedagogicalpracticesthathappenintraditionalschoolsubjectsandsettings.Educatorsfromdifferentdisciplinescollaborativelyleadstudentstoworktowardacommonend-productorgoal.Learningisdirectlyappliedtoareal-worldcontextandistaughtthroughacohesivecurriculuminwhichstudentsworktogethertosolveamultifacetedproblem.Atransdisciplinarycurriculumisinnovativeandbuiltonafoundationofcooperationandintentionalityinitsdesign.Theseexperiencescanbeviewedascollaborativelearningopportunitiesbetweenteachers,students,fieldexperts,andthecommunity.

Figure3AOEIllustration.

Project-BasedLearning

STEAMpedagogyoffersastrongavenuethroughwhichproject-basedlearning(PjBL)canoccur.SimilartoSTEAMpractices,successfulPjBLreliesonauthenticandculturallyresponsivelearningopportunitiesthataremeaningfulandrelevanttostudents’livesandprovideopportunitiestopresentevidenceofstudentlearningincreativeways.ByaligningaPjBLunitwithaSTEAMplatform,studentscanapproachaprojectorcommunity-basedissuethroughtwoormoredisciplinarylensesinwhichtheyresearchtheproblem,ideate,thencreateasolution,andassess(andimproveupon)theirdesigns.EducatorsshouldknowthatPjBLcanbeSTEAMbutthatSTEAMisnotnecessarilyPjBL.IntegratingSTEAMwithPjBLreinforcesthepremisethatreal-worldproblemsdonotexistinasubjectsilo.Rather,effectiveproblem-solvingoccursthroughcollaborationandbyutilizingtheknowledgeandpracticesevidentininterdisciplinaryortransdisciplinarylearning.

Design-BasedLearninginEngineering

Design-BasedLearning(DBL)inEngineeringprovidesstudentswithopportunitiestodeveloptechnologicalimprovementsand/orsolutionstoproblems.Drivenbydesignandinquiry,DBLinEngineeringprovidesenvironmentsthatallowstudentstofeeltheyhavechoiceandfreedomintheirdesign.DBLprovidesopen-endedengineeringdesignproblemsthatcanintegratetheotherdisciplinesofSTEAM:science,technology,thearts,andmath,enablingacohesive,connectededucationalexperience.Studentscomeintoourclassroomswithdifferentinterestsandstrengths.IncorporatingSTEAMinto

DBLallowsstudentstohighlightthesestrengthsandengagesstudentsincontentandskillsthattheymayotherwisenotwillinglyaccessoracknowledge.

CulturallySustainingPedagogy

InterdisciplinarylearningexperiencessuchasSTEAMcanplayasupportingroleinculturallysustainingpedagogy(CSP).Mostbroadly,CSPisa

pedagogy

thatseeksto“fosterandperpetuatethelanguagesystems,literacies,andculturesofdistinctgroups,especiallymarginalizedcitizens.”ThesedistinctgroupsincludeallwhoareminoritizedandunderrepresentedinSTEAMfields(e.g.,youngwomenandgirls,LGBTQ+community,BIPOC).

Aculturallysustaininglearningenvironmentneedstoapproachindividuals’culturesasanassettotheeducationalexperience.Throughthearts,studentsbecomeawareofthedifferencesinthehumanexperience.AlthoughSTEMisvitaltotheprogressionofhumanexistence,theartscanprovidetheabilitytounderstand,communicate,andeffectivelyinteractwithpeopleacrosscultures,essentialforcollaborativeproblem-solving.

CareerandTechnicalEducation

CareerandTechnicalEducationcentersplayacriticalroleinprovidingopportunitiesforSTEAMlearningtotakeplace.Theseprogramspreparestudentsforsuccessfulcareersinhigh-demandindustriesandhelptobridgetheskillsgapintheworkforce.CareerandTechnicalEducation(CTE)Centersaredesignedtoprovidestudentswithhands-onexperienceandreal-worldtraininginSTEAMfields,preparingthemforcollegeandcareersinhigh-demandindustries.CTEcentersprovidestudentswith:

Currentfieldspecifictechnologies;

Problem-basedinstruction;

Longerclass/instructionalperiods;

Deliverymethodsthatrequireacademicknowledgeforskilldevelopment;and

Partnershipswithlocalbusinesses.

Historically,CTEcentersprovidestudentswithamostly“l(fā)earntobuild”modelofeducation.However,byprovidingstudentswithmoreopportunityfor“buildtolearn,”studentswillgainessentialskillstoenterthecurrentworkforce.Makingthings,(i.e.,project-basedactivitiesthatincorporateallfiveelementsofSTEAM)istheon-rampforproducingwell-rounded,multidisciplinaryemployees.

CTEcenterscanadoptaSTEAMrichenvironment.AseducatorTonyWagnerexplainedinhisbookCreativeInnovators,aSTEAMmindsetcanbecultivatedbymovingfrom:

individualachievementtocollaboration;

specializationtomultipledisciplines;

riskavoidancetoexperimentation;

consumingtocreating;and

extrinsicincentivestointrinsic.

Byprovidingmore“buildingtolearn”opportunitiesusingaSTEAMproject-basedlearningapproach,studentswillnaturallybecomemoreflexibleproblem-solversandresourcefulinnovators.Theywillbecomemoretech-oriented,greaterrisktakersandgreatercollaborators.CTEcentereducatorsareencouragedtobuildSTEAMcurriculaintotheircurrentpracticestobetterpreparestudentsfor21stcenturyworkforceneeds.

IncorporatinganEntrepreneurialApproachtoLearning

Tomorrow’strendsandgreatideasareoftencreatedbychildrenandyoungadults.SomeVermontmiddleandhighschoolshavebegunincorporatingelementsofentrepreneurialactivitieswithameasureofsuccess.STEAMeducationasaninterdisciplinaryapproachisakeycomponenttoathrivingentrepreneurialecosystemthathelpsinventorsandaspiringbusinessmindssucceedindevelopingnewideasandbringthoseideastomarket.STEAMeducationinpubliceducationisthebasisforbuildingamakermindsetandthe“onramp”forinnovation-drivenentrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurshipisthe“whatwewilldowithourcreation/solution”aspectofSTEAM.

STEAMStories

ThefollowingexampleshighlightapproachesandopportunitiesthatemphasizeinquiryandsupportSTEAMoutcomes.ThesestoriesaretakenfromrealclassroomshereinVermont.

ArtandTechnologyUnitedtoStrengthenStudentLearning

ThearteducatoratSwantonElementarySchoolwasplanningaunitonshapeandformwithkindergarten,first,andsecond-gradestudents.Theartteacherwantedtheunittostretchstudents’understandingandapplyittoreal-worldsettings.Itwasanaturalfittotalktotheschool’seducationtechnologyintegrationistabouttheidea.Byworkingtogether,whathappenednextwas“magic.”

Studentswereintroducedtoshapeandformthroughavirtual,hands-onlearningexperience.TheyusedaVirtualandAugmentedRealityprogram(VR/AR)calledMergeEDU.VR/ARcanbeanengagingwayforstudentstolearn,aswellasameansforbuildingstrongerretentionofcontentandskills.ThestudentsatSwantonElementarySchoolusedathree-dimensionalshapesimulationtoexploreandengageinthischallenge.

Mergeusesacombinationofthree-dimensionalviewingonaniPadscreen,holographicimagingprojectedontoaMergeCubethroughQRcodetypetechnology,andAugmentedRealitywherehologramsareprojectedintothesurroundingspace.

Studentswereabl