Bobcat Stories

Middle School STEAM:

 

This year, Bosque piloted a new way to teach science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) at the middle school level. After digging into research on STEAM best practices, we agreed that a STEAM curriculum is most meaningful when there is an element of exploration and creativity woven in. To meet this end, the Academic Leadership Team, along with members from the art, science, and math departments, collaborated to find a way to develop a curriculum that could inspire students’ curiosity and innovation. As a result, the STEAM curriculum has become an integral part of the middle school arts experience. Starting in 6th grade, students learn the basics of digital media to create stop-motion animations. In 7th grade, students get an introduction to robotics, where they make their 3D creations come to life. Finally, in 8th grade, students learn the basics of HTML to create a website that allows them to showcase the work they do over the year in a digital portfolio.

 

Overall, the STEAM integration has been an enormous success. The teachers collaborating on this endeavor have reported that the STEAM integration has put an exciting twist on a core course and are advocating that any additional STEAM course in the upper school should exist in tandem with art. Furthermore, teachers have noted the positive impact the STEAM curriculum has had on students. Those teaching the middle school STEAM integration note that the model has engaged many students who may struggle in other classes or are not always excited about academics. As we look forward, we are excited about the many opportunities this STEAM model has for potential upper school courses.