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Pros- Enhanced practical problem solving and learning motivation

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Planning time so we can actually work with cross-curricular teams! The model with schools grouping teachers by departments is good for sharing resources and collaborating in course teams, but falls apart when you want to collaborate with different departments.

Resources and funding will also be good! To run these activities and build models and engage in inquiries, teachers and students need supplies. I feel like "build with items around your home" is inherently inequitable, especially to students from low-income households. Schools should be responsible for supplying any and all materials needed for projects like these.

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Pros - Inquiry based learning, Enhanced critical thinking, diversity in methods of assessment

Cons - timetable coordination

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I echo what my colleague has stated in terms of planning, and in terms of supplying materials.

One other factor I think is the environment. What does the classroom setting include? Is a shop, or any tools available? Ensure safety concerns are all addressed and documented.

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A very small one - a paper airplane competition. I have used primarily to introduce the design process, but includes a discussion of forces such as thrust, lift, drag and gravity.

Mousetrap cars - potential energy, kinetic, conservation of energy, energy loss, inertia, mechanical advantage (gear ratios). Students can calculate the theoretical minimum distance their car should travel based on string length, axle diameter, and wheel diameter (and any intermediate gearing), and then discuss why their car traveled less or more than this calculation.

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[Roshen Hasan] - I haven't tried this, but have been introduced to the concept by a colleague. Students would use a combination of insulating and conductive dough, wires and LED lights, to create fun shapes with the dough, and make their shapes light up. Students would then provide a drawing of their shapes and the underlying circuitry. It's a fun way to learn about circuits.

Note: teachers can prepare the conductive/insulating dough or buy readily made kits. Depending on what the teacher wants to accomplish, the students can also be involved in preparing the dough.

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[Roshen Hasan] - As my colleagues mentioned, teachers will need time to plan STEAM activities, and the space to run them. Furthermore, they will need resources which may not be readily provided by the schoole dependig on budgeting, and may need time for teachers to look for the materials and order them/buy them.

Furthermore, PD on how to effectively incorporate STEAM into the curriculum is essential, as not all teachers are familiar with this, and may not be confident enough in implementing it. Furthermore, support throughout the year is also needed by teachers. Giving teachers opportunities to collaborate, troubleshoot and listen to opinions and ideas is also essential in building teachers' confidence in implementing STEAM.

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[Roshen Hasan]

Pros -

curriculum that allows for more differentiation of lessons and assessments to cater to students’ diverse interests and needs.

Development of creative problem solving skills, and collaboration and communication skills, which students will need to later on in life.

helping students feel connected to the curriculum through hands on activities, and incorporation of personal strengths and interests.

Cons -

needs a lot of support from teacher and resources.

More planning by the teacher.

Teachers may not be familiar with all aspects of STEAM (ex. being good with T and A, but not M), or they may not feel confident enough to incorporate STEAM into their teaching practice.

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Pro:

Continual building of problem solving / inquiry / project based skills across the school year. Makes it easy to carry them over to the following year, as there will be greater retention / less loss over summer.

Con:

For some students, this style of learning might not be their learning preference.

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Admin support and teaching colleagues who are up to the challenge. Planning time would be needed to collaborate with them. Like other have noted, materials are also a factor. This would require a significant budget, as a lot of materials would get used.

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I haven't done anything STEAM related yet myself, but we have a school in our board that used to do a lot of cross-curricular projects that I think may have also been following the STEAM model. I haven't been there for some time, but their tech department was big on collaboration, and really students in all departments were encouraged to make their final projects count for as many courses as they wished. It was student-centred learning at its most free.