Achievement Challenge Three: S.T.E.A.M
Achievement Challenge Three
To improve achievement by developing and strengthening an integrated approach to learning through the application of S.T.E.A.M.
Shared Description - a shared definition of what the achievement challenge means.
Te Kaahui Ako o Manurewa understand that improved outcomes for students within the intent of the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa will be achieved through meaningful learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.
S.T.E.A.M. is intentional integration through authentic inquiry; connecting curriculum with creativity, wonder, and innovation; and through which students solve real-world problems using hands-on learning, design thinking and real-life connections.
Our students will benefit from this through:
Increased choices and chances for students to engage with S.T.E.A.M-related knowledge, skills, and practical experiences
Engagement in authentic and relevant learning experiences linked to their personal interests which will provide exciting learning challenges
Exploring design thinking, collaboration and resilience
Opportunities for networked and collaborative learning within and across schools and in the community
Connections with community organisations and businesses
Rationale - a narrative around why
Our students face an unknown future where innovation, critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving is a key to unlocking their aspirations and local and global prosperity. We wish our students to be confident, connected, actively involved lifelong learners. The NZC and TmoA provide the mandate for this future-focused learning to occur.
By utilising STEAM principles in delivering the curriculum, Te Kaahui Ako o Manurewa will teach students to be creative, critical thinkers, flexible problem solvers, to explore different ideas, to recognise setbacks in learning as opportunities for discovery and to effectively communicate and work with others.
Currently, we believe our students do not have the foundational knowledge that leads to success for the future, particularly where the context includes science.
None of the five schools with Year 0-8 students collect science data and we are not yet able to reliably assess student progress and achievement. All these schools have their own student inquiry processes.
When our students move to high school, data show that priority learners underperform in science across all levels. The high school science department note that for Year 9 & 10 students topics need to be made more relevant to students’ lives, that they should have the chance to work on projects for social change, involve more practical tasks and look forward to increased independent learning. In the senior school, there are high pass rates for internal assessments but low pass rates for externals. Recommendations include more practical experiences, a differentiated scheme, and plans to increase teaching for the literacy demands. In addition, there are plans to ensure that curriculum backward mapping leads to senior science concepts.
We believe that by building capability for STEAM through inquiry in Years 0-8, we will build skills and knowledge across these learning areas and allow our students to:
think outside the box
feel safe to express innovative and creative ideas
feel comfortable doing hands-on learning
take ownership over their learning
work collaboratively with others
understand the ways that science, maths, the arts, and technology work together
become increasingly curious about the world around them and feel empowered to change it for the better.
Our ultimate aim is to develop in our students an expectation of real-world learning for secondary school and beyond.
In 2019, the Kaahui Ako STEAM team conducted research into the perceptions and needs of staff when it came to STEAM Education and Integrated Curriculum. Across the board, we found a lack of consensus among staff as to what STEAM and Integrated Learning was. On the whole, staff believed that these educational approaches had value, however they were unwilling to attempt them in their classrooms as they perceived they lacked the resources and support to do so effectively. This website is a response to these findings and is an attempt to make STEAM Education more accessible to staff in our community.