STEAM Night Showcases Project-Based Learning
Chandler students in every grade level, from kindergarten through eighth grade, spend two weeks dedicated to a STEAM project. STEAM projects at Chandler allow students to consider real world problems, develop design-thinking and collaboration skills, and apply many of their academic foundations to a practical challenge.
Chandler students in every grade level, from kindergarten through eighth grade, spend two weeks dedicated to a STEAM project. STEAM projects at Chandler allow students to consider real world problems, develop design-thinking and collaboration skills, and apply many of their academic foundations to a practical challenge.
Chandler's fourth grade, for instance, designed toys for visually-impaired kids as their STEAM project. They interviewed children with sight impairments and then brainstormed original toy ideas. Using science, technology, engineering, art and math skills, they worked in groups to design and build real, playable toys.
Today, those Chandler fourth-grade students re-visited the classroom for vision-impaired students and played with the toys together - an authentic field test for their inventions.
That's the epitome of what STEAM projects at Chandler are all about: students learn not for a test or a grade, but to make the world a better place for someone else.
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Chandler's fourth grade, for instance, designed toys for visually-impaired kids as their STEAM project. They interviewed children with sight impairments and then brainstormed original toy ideas. Using science, technology, engineering, art and math skills, they worked in groups to design and build real, playable toys.
“It’s fun to work together and to turn a not so good idea into a great idea,” said one fourth grade girl whose group had designed glasses with snap circuits to help visually impaired students play ball games. “I like to take charge, and I learned that one person does not have to do everything to be part of a successful team.”
As part of her project to design a card game for visually impaired students, another fourth grade girl said that her role was to be the ‘moral compass’ of the group. Before her classmates came up with a blueprint for their project she visited a school for the visually impaired and interviewed students. She was chosen by her group to be the ‘moral compass,’ because, “I am a good listener and I show empathy.” The students fixed braille lettering onto game cards and designed their own game.
Learning collaboration skills rates as one of the most important, and difficult, aspects of the project. “I have more control when I’m working by myself,” said a fourth grader, “but with more people you can be more productive and have more ideas so I guess it's not so bad.”
Today, those Chandler fourth-grade students re-visited the classroom for vision-impaired students and played with the toys together - an authentic field test for their inventions.
That's the epitome of what STEAM projects at Chandler are all about: students learn not for a test or a grade, but to make the world a better place for someone else.
