Knowledge is a lifelong process. Observations, interactions, and assessments of daily encounters guide us through a constant state of learning. Through interactions with other people, individuals learn about their immediate surroundings and the world beyond. Discovery occurs with acceptance or rejection of common held beliefs. Exploration while in isolation or community is a very personal journey. An odyssey of the mind. A great teacher provides a challenging and inspiring learning environment in which children and adults alike can find commonality on an ever-changing planet. But, how do educators take the next step? How do discrepant events and scientific inquiry take the leap into STEM? or should I say STEAM?
One-way for children to understand and accept their place in their community and the world is to have a pupil-centered classroom. Open-ended questions should be posed to individuals as well as collaborative groups. Science opens the door to another dimension, a very different world if learners are not led but simply provided coordinates. Students learn best when they can rely upon and trust one another as well as their teacher. Knowledge seekers need to find out what is true for them individually instead of conforming to what may be true for others. Inquiry presents a road map to identifying and solving problems. What begins as a laser point of light, broadens into a directional flow of photons and ultimately a beacon drawing in spectators from every corner of the classroom. Once the guidepost is illuminated, inquiry begins. It is a teachers’ job to guide students to understanding. They should provide familiarization and create a web of unearthing and cohesion. Only then can true learning occur.
A STEAM educator provides challenging learning experiences that promote strong academic development, critical thinking skills, and personal responsibility, while ensuring the opportunity to explore strengths and develop individual creativity. Enlightenment is the seed of freedom. Freedom comes from knowledge. A growth mindset will ensure the development of a critical and open mind. Failure needs to become second nature, seeking opportunities to recognize and strengthen personal goals. Learning from setbacks and speed bumps are essential to maintaining a growth mindset. “In the 21st century, scientific and technological innovations have become increasingly important as we face the benefits and challenges of both globalization and a knowledge-based economy. To succeed in this new information-based and highly technological society, students need to develop their capabilities in STEM to levels much beyond what was considered acceptable in the past.” (National Science Foundation) STEAM lessons provide an outlet for creativity and innovation through independence, choice, and problem-solving analysis. Technology is only one aspect of an ever developing STEAM based world.
The very best teaching practices include patience, a variety of informational techniques and helping students learn to the best of their ability. Instructors can use lesson plans, and follow academic standards, but they need to be flexible. The once traditional lecturer and "sage" of the stage should be extinct. In its place a docent of inquisition and questioning. A docent that displays surface landscapes and allows their students to determine what is behind the curtain. That sacred place of lesson planning that a student was forbidden to cross into. Now should be the foyer they enter where they are greeted, where they are invited in. But, then they have the choice of which room to venture into, each providing a unique strategy: the use of technology allowing for more student interaction and less lecturing or a variety of hands-on activities as well as readings and visual aids used to incorporate all students’ learning abilities. A makerspace encompasses both.
By evaluating truth through the education process we come to find our place in the world. Inquiry is structured around curiosity and interest. But also self-confidence and a sense of security and community. Instructors can create a safe and effective learning environment by promoting respect, individuality, and self-discipline. A comfortable classroom fosters collaboration and innovation. A challenge for educators is to find a balance between classroom management and nurturing self-expression. Providing situations that harvest students’ intellectual and societal development promotes strong academic skills, critical thinking, and personal responsibility. A STEAM based curriculum has real-life situations to help students learn. STEAM activities provide hands-on, minds on, active, authentic, learning opportunities. The best career options, problem-solving and critical thinking skills all solidify in a STEAM classroom. A balance between inquiry, STEAM, technology and personal growth comes when a student-centered classroom is put in place. When a written quiz becomes a collaborative assessment, when a worksheet is transformed into a student-written lab or activity and when lesson plans are not teacher written but a collaborative map drawn by both student and educator. When every voice becomes one the only road to traverse is one based on inquiry and STEAM.
No comments:
Post a Comment