Overview/Programme

STEAM Focus: Technology, Engineering and the Arts.

Tool Focus: 3D Design and Laser Cutting. Robotics.

At the heart of an authentic inquiry or STEAM project is the technological process of Design Thinking.

Students need to recognise and empathise with an authentic need in themselves or others. They then move on to research, ideate prototype and test a solution before implementing that solution.

Computational Thinking principles can help this process.

Algorithmic thinking, abstraction, decomposing a problem, recognising patterns, logical thinking and evaluation are all cross-curricular concepts that can help solve problems.

Cardboard fabrication, 3D design and laser cutting will introduce and expand the design thinking process for all learners in the cluster.

Robotics is a superb platform to introduce computational thinking.

STEAM Focus: Science & Maths

Tool Focus: Microcontrollers, electronics, data collection and analysis.

In our second year, schools will start to define and implement STEAM into their local curriculums. There will be an emphasis on strategic planning and creating units of learning.

We can use science and math to help solve real world problems. Utilising microcontrollers (such as makey makey, microbit and picaxe) we can gather data from the real world and use it to research and analyse it.

We can create electronic solutions to real world problems.

Gathered data can be analysed using statistics to see patterns and insights into the world around us.

STEAM Focus: All areas

Tool Focus: School Choice

In our third year, schools will be in a place where they can independently choose the tools they wish to focus on.

By this stage, cluster schools will have identified a range of authentic contexts they can explore in their classroom programme and STEAM/PBL should be embedded into school culture.

Classrooms and teachers should be regularly connecting to other learners and experts using digital collaboration tools.