STEAM at CHIS

What is STEAM and why should we include it in the curriculum?

Let’s dive in and explore STEAM at CHIS!

WHAT IS STEAM?

In short, STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths.

STEAM is an approach to education that empowers students to be curious learners who seek creative solutions to real-world problems.

STEAM-based learning gives students tools and methods to explore new and creative ways of problem-solving, displaying data, innovating, and linking multiple subjects. It teaches them how to think outside the box!

WHY INCLUDE STEAM IN THE CURRICULUM?

At CHIS, part of our educational philosophy talks about preparing students for the 21st century and developing those critical skills needed to succeed in an ever-changing world. We want to equip

students with the skills needed to succeed in life.

The four main skills highlighted that employers are looking for in candidates are those who are critical thinkers and problem solvers, people with good communication skills, people who can collaborate and work in a team and people who are creative and innovative- essentially- those who can think outside the box!

All of these important skills are developed through a STEAM-based approach to learning.

THE STEAM PROCESS

The STEAM process at CHIS is aligned with Apple’s Design Process which focuses on four key areas. Explore, Plan, Build and Evaluate.

Explore- Students are presented with a real-life problem. They need to explore the problem, and research how that problem could be solved.

Plan- Students design a solution to the problem, thinking about the resources and materials they will need and the steps they will need to build their design.

Build- During this phase the students will physically build/ construct their design.

Evaluate- the students will self-reflect on their design and model- does it solve the problem? Students are encouraged to think about what went well and what they could do to improve their designs and models.

In this learning cycle students from Year 1-6 are looking at projects with a focus on Art.

Here is a brief overview of each project they are doing

Year 1- Art in Nature

THE BIG CHALLENGE

This unit focuses on art that is inspired by the environment and landscape and may be made using natural, found objects around us.

The Art Museum is opening a new exhibition and is looking for artists to create a landscape picture using only natural materials.

Year 2- Still Life

THE BIG CHALLENGE

This unit focuses on the genre of still life, which has played a significant role in the art world for centuries. Children will develop their technique in sketching, considering how to incorporate tone, shape, and texture in their work. They will use a range of materials including art pencils, charcoal and pastels.

Challenge- We have received a message from an alien race who want to come and visit earth but they do not have computers or photos. So they need you to sketch important features of your chosen habitat so they understand what our planet is like.

Year 3- Printing and Pressing

THE BIG CHALLENGE

In this unit the children will explore the art of printing. The children will look at patterns found in nature and how they can be recreated. They will use a range of tools and develop their design skills to create their own printing plates.

Calling all fashion designers! We are looking for new prints for our T Shirts- our client wants to make printed T Shirts based on patterns in nature- your mission is to create a printing plate and print it on a t- shirt!

Year 4-

THE BIG CHALLENGE

In this unit we will learn about the design process and how technical drawings help when planning sculptures. We will use different materials for creating sculptures and learn

how to join them. We will make our own creative 3D sea creatures using clay, papier-mache OR paper sculpture

Challenge- The aquarium at Legoland Malaysia is creating a new exhibition of 3D models of sea creatures. Your challenge is to create a 3D sculpture of your favourite sea creature to display in their exhibition. You can one use of the techniques you will learn over the next few weeks!

Year 5- Movement in Art

THE BIG CHALLENGE

One of the principles of art is movement and its most interesting concept in art. How can you create the illusion of movement in an artist’s work that is stationary or even 2 dimensional? There is also art that actually moves- video art and performance art. In this unit, we are going to be looking at moving art, the illusion of movement in art, and using our own bodies to create art.

Your challenge is to make a piece of stationary art move using stop motion animation!

Year 6- Create from Waste

THE BIG CHALLENGE

Waste finds its way into nature, harming animals, plants and eventually us humans. More and more artists are using waste and discarded items these days to create powerful art. This art might be nice to see , but it also sends an important message. We can’t leave saving our planet to superheroes, we all need to get involved. In this unit we will be learning about what we can do with our waste instead of throwing it away.

Your challenge is to create an art sculpture for our school grounds using only recycled materials that sends an important message.