Giving Compass' Take:

• Administrators from Walter Bracken STEAM Academy detail the process of introducing STEAM classes effectively into the school curriculum.

• Why is STEAM beneficial for students? How can it work with the advancement of tech in schools? 

• Read more about the popularity of STEAM projects in education.

Walter Bracken STEAM Academy is a public magnet located about two miles north of the casinos of Fremont Street and the downtown core. More than 60 percent of students are on free or reduced lunch, yet Bracken is one of the top performing elementary schools in the city and ranks in the top two Title I schools in the state.

“We became a STEAM academy five years ago and we knew the arts were really important,” explains Vice Principal Michelle Wheatfill, dropping the buzzword that stands for Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics. “But we weren't actually seeing how that was translating into general-ed classrooms.”

Students would attend special art and music classes weekly, but there was little thought given to how math or science class could benefit from painting or building with Legos in an integrated way. That all changed when the school took eight teachers to a Title I conference two years ago—a reward for its top performance.

Begun just last year, the creatED workshops mark a new focus for Crayola, which was founded as an education company before shifting gears to capture a broader consumer market.

If activities that involve making and painting volcanoes out of art supplies seem decidedly low-tech for a series so heavily invested in STEAM, that’s not by accident. The goal of the workshops is to get learners thinking about the concepts that power technology in a tactile, hands-on way, even when they’re not using any.

Wheatfill, the vice principal at Bracken, sees the hands-on focus on integrating the arts into core subjects as a confidence builder for educators, too. “Not everybody sees themselves is an artist or feels like they're creative or even knows where to begin,” she says. “That holds them back. That's where the mindshift is.”
Read the full article about STEAM classes by Stephen Noonoo at EdSurge