STEM Education
STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Learning is collaborative and project-based; students work closely together in a hands-on way to solve real-world problems. Rather than teach the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning model that is based on real-world applications.
The core themes behind STEM at Haygrove School
Engineering Design
STEM lessons are guided by the Engineering Design Process (EDP). The EDP provides a flexible process that takes students from identifying a problem, or a design challenge, to creating and developing a solution. Teams of students try their own research-based ideas, take different approaches, make mistakes, accept and learn from them, and try again. Their focus is on developing solutions to existing problems.
Immersive Education
STEM lessons immerse students in hands-on inquiry and open-ended exploration. In STEM lessons, the path to learning is open ended, within constraints. The students’ work is hands-on and collaborative, and decisions about solutions are student-generated. Students communicate to share ideas and redesign their prototypes as needed. They control their own ideas and design their own investigations.
Teamwork
STEM lessons involve students in productive teamwork. Helping students work together from all backgrounds to solve a common goal.
Knowledge
STEM lessons apply mathematics and science content. Students will begin to see that science and maths are not isolated subjects, but work together to solve problems. This adds relevance to their maths and science learning. In STEM, students use technology in appropriate ways and design their own products.
Developing Growth Mind-set & Creativity
STEM lessons allow for multiple right answers and reframe failure as a necessary part of learning. The STEM environment offers rich possibilities for creative solutions. When designing and testing prototypes, teams may flounder and fail to solve the problem. That’s great. They are expected to learn from what went wrong, and try again. Failure is considered a positive step on the way to discovering and designing solutions.
