STEAM week in the Junior School
It is that time of year that I love. Why do I love it? Because our girls get a chance to learn new knowledge out of the confines of silos of subjects. St Mary’s Junior School comes alive and wherever you look our girls are busy… busy problem solving, learning new information, using technology, collaborating and designing.
Nothing beats the experience of walking into the Grade 3 class and they have just coded and created a Lego model depicting a responder to a natural disaster. Oh no the code is not working. Friend one, “Wait let me see. Ah here is the problem…the arrow…”
“I see it” Great excitement and the vehicle now moves forward instead of reverse.
My travels around the classes continue and I see the joy of learning coming alive. Bots and drawings and houses. Another highlight was the Grade R class “buying” recycled material at the Bophelo Recycling Center. Jane and her team all invested in seeing that the girls had bottle tops to “pay” for their purchases. Making Steam Week tangible to everyone. And the Grade R girls learn not only about buying but about waterproofing their houses, the value of manners and how to work together.
Onto Grade 4 classes where ‘Sew Smart’ is happening. In a world where children seldom experience the satisfaction of making something they are learning to sew but also about natural dyes – science in action – types of materials and shapes. Their final product – a purse- that I am sure will remain a treasure much like my first coat hanger cover that still has a place in my cupboard.
As I continue walking around, I learn about water purification and colonies of bacteria and the way the heart pumps blood around the body, insects and classification of animals 3D printed and shared using QR codes. I share in the presentations of these topics and am astounded by the knowledge being imparted so freely and in depth. The fear of an assessment forgotten but the retention of knowledge grappled with and assimilated clearly visible. Students who never really get it right on paper yet articulately describing complex processes and details. And all accompanied by models to explain. All made by the students themselves. The culmination of these presentations is the appreciation given by parents. A lovely way for a special family moment.
In Grade 7 I so often hear “What?” “I can’t do this!” “How?” and I stand back and watch as teams form collaborative units, as ideas evolve, as the end conversation sounds like; “Wow I did it” “I can do difficult things” “I learnt to listen”. And after the inevitable splinter and hammered finger, a wooden pallet transforms into a beautiful planter to plant flowers into that attract the insects studied in Natural Sciences and on our outing to Moreletta Conservation Area.
And this is why I love STEAM Week.
