STEM Education
Pak Kau College (Hong Kong)
With the Government of the HKSAR allocating funds to local primary schools for the development of STEM education, its popularity has further enhanced and it seems to be an inevitable trend in the future educational development. Yet what schools do to fully cater for students’ needs and unleash their potential? A primary school in Hong Kong shares their experience.
William Wong, Principal of Pak Kau College said education should always keep up with the times. Therefore Pak Kau College decided to introduce STEM education to the students thereby to cultivate them for a scientific mind, related skills, and eventually encourage more positive personal development.
Pak Kau College has incorporated an individual STEM subject into its curriculum. STEM education is conducted by infusing the concepts and ideas into different subjects. This will not only facilitate learning and teaching but will also arouse students’ interest in STEM, according to Mr. Au Hoi Kin, Chief Academic Development Master of Pak Kau College.
“For instance, students were given iPads and holograms when they learnt about the features of ocean animals. When they placed the holograms over the iPads, the videos playing on the iPads would become 3D,” said Cheung Wing Tai, Academic Development Master of Pak Kau College.
“It is an interesting way to motivate students to learn. And the 3D videos can definitely provide them with better and clearer ideas about the animals. It can also make them curious about the mechanism of holography and 3D imaging,” said Au.
After arousing students’ interest in STEM, the college further cultivates students through different STEM activities in serving two purposes: providing an equal chance for all the students to understand STEM, and training the more ambitious students for further development.
Now the students from Pak Kau College are particularly good at programming, 3D design and printing, robotics, mobile application and game design. They also have great exposure in worldwide innovation and technology competitions which allow them to practise what they have learnt in school.
Explaining the strategies for introducing successful STEM education, Au said what Pak Kau College had done was to make STEM education a school policy, so that teachers would know they must get involved.
Au continued that the cross-curricular approach was an ideal way to unite all the teachers together to work on STEM education. This would not only create a sense of belonging for teachers but, due to its integration with various subjects, would also enhance the penetration of STEM education in the school-based curriculum.
William said STEM education was now developing fast in the education community. There were a lot of schools making remarkable achievements. He looked forward to seeing schools sharing their success stories, challenges and resolutions with each other, thereby helping to promote further development together.
Au also suggested that schools could partner with each other to enhance STEM education. Recently Pak Kau College has cooperated with The University of Hong Kong to share experience and innovation ideas. Now the college is exploring opportunities to cooperate with primary schools, including the provision of training to their teachers, in order to support the development of STEM education in the primary school sector.
(Excerpt and article on STE(A)M Education from the Learning and Teaching Expo 2016)
Canadian International School (Singapore)
Some schools in Singapore are incorporating arts into their STEM education, known at STEAM education. An example is the Canadian International School.
The philosophy of STEAM at CIS is to provide:
An engaging interdisciplinary approach that integrates the areas of science, technology, entrepreneurship, arts and mathematics.
An inquiry-based approach that helps develop critical thinking, creativity and spur innovation and invention. Students are empowered to take control of their own learning, preparing them to be problem solvers in the real world.
Innovative and enlightening learning experiences that are transformational for both students and educators.
Our brand-new makerspaces, equipped with cutting-edge equipment such as makerbot 3D printers, a newspaper styxx rolling machine and little bits, provide students with outstanding hands-on learning experiences that challenge inquisitive minds, fuel innovative thinking and create a culture of teamwork and collaboration.
Quatama Elementary School (USA)
When the majority of governments and schools from around the world are promoting STEM education, some schools in the United States incorporate ARTS into their STEM education, known as STEAM education, which is not just making STEM education content more fun and attractive, but also enhancing the whole brain learning in childhood education.
Quatama Elementary School, one of the STEAM schools winning the INNOVATION STEAM Grant Award 2016 in the United States is one of the first school introducing STEAM education.
Quatama has been in the process of transforming into a STEAM school for the last four years. We partnered with The Portland Metro STEM Partnership (http://pdxstem.org/) and our school district joined the partnership. It takes the dedication of these two entities coming together to help make transformation possible.
Over the last four years, the teachers at Quatama have slowly been implementing NGSS standards more deeply. We started changing our practice even before the NGSS were nationally adopted. It takes a lot of dedication from the school staff to make this work happen.
Now the students at Quatama are involved in STEAM learning every day. Units have been integrated so that the topic from NGSS is revisited throughout the day in different subject areas. We also are implementing several Right Brain Initiative strategies within the context of STEAM learning. The arts is not just painting, or coloring even though that could be a part of art. What we try to do is include music, movement, sculpture and more around the content of science, math or other areas.
By linking content to the arts students are more likely to remember what they are learning because they are using their whole brain to make meaning around their leaning.