STE+AM
Knob Noster R-VIII School District
What is STE+AM?
STE+AM integrates creativity through the Arts with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as a cornerstone in developing career ready students who are able to compete in the global marketplace. Benefits to students are inclusion of integrated learning to allow students to make connections between content areas and develop innovative and creative problem-solving skills through problem-based learning.
Kindergarten Bugs
Flower Dissection
Project Lead the Way
STE+AM in Knob Noster RVIII
District Wide - Professional Learning to support Science, Math, Technology instruction has been provided for teachers. Additionally, teachers have had the opportunity to learn more about teaming and working with each other to analyze data, develop learning communities and share information. Also, Teachers have learned how to develop an integrated multi-disciplinary unit that allows students to make connections between content areas and enriches the learning experience to make it not only more rigorous but also more relevant. STE+AM integration is occurring in classrooms PK-12.
Career Exploration
STE+AM in the Classroom
Starburst Rocks
Knob Noster teacher, Mrs. Closen, explains STE+AM with help from her students
Musical Math
Active History Participation
Scientific Exploration of Nature
Anecdotal Evidence of the Positive Impact of STE+AM on All Students
Student B is an elementary student who might be termed an ornery boy. While the District STE+AM Director was observing in his class, he was fully engaged in the learning activity: coming over to discuss his project, explain his choices, working with his peers to offer suggestions and supporting comments and when a classmate started singing a song they had created to go along with the content he joined in.
Student C is a high achieving student who has had aspirations to be a medical doctor. Since she has been engaged in the Gateway to Learning classes, she is also considering engineering and how having both skill sets might positively impact future generations.
Classroom D is representative of the general education classroom. At the HS level, physical education students are engaged in an interdisciplinary STE+AM activity centered around golf. Students have learned about the health benefits and the science behind playing. They have designed their own putters considering their personal health statistics and are in the creation phase of engineering their own putters. The students will then use the putters when they engage in games of golf for the classroom. Classroom D is engaged in designing sporting equipment from found items to allow them to engage in life long health activities anywhere and at anytime.
Mrs. Sarah Willard named 2015 Air Force Chapter STEM Teacher of the Year
1.) Students were asked to formulate ideas about how the finished collaborative artwork would look in its final state.
2.) Where do they believe this artwork should be displayed.
3.) Should the artwork be sold, donated or kept at Whiteman Elementary?
4.) If the artwork was to be sold, how would this be done (live auction, electronic auction, eBay, etc...)?
5.) If the artwork was sold, where would the proceeds go?
The final project was a 3D sculpture of the word HOPE which was donated to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. The students incorporated STE+AM in the project in the following ways. Science: Color spectrum. Using a combination of colors to create an organized color scheme. Monochromatic, Analogous, Complementary and Triad. Technology: Man-made instruments (no digital media used). Pencils, paper, wood blocks, tempera paint, brushes, sandpaper. Engineering: Creating a workable design using all of the 4"x 4" wood block pieces of artwork from each 4th grade student in a collaborative format. Art: Art History with master artist, Wassily Kandinsky. Incorporating the following Elements and Principles of Design: Elements: Line, shape, color, form, space, value, Principles: Balance, movement, contrast, pattern, rhythm and unity. Math: Geometric and Organic shapes. Concentric shapes. The fourth graders contracted the art teacher to construct, frame and deliver the final product!
The students experienced great success in the project and Mrs. Willard and the 4th grade class was solicited to create another 3D sculpture for the education department of the hospital.HOPE 3D Sculpture
Student Artists with Mrs. Willard
STUDY 3D Sculpture
100% of KNR-VIII teachers who were STEAM Trained attained STEAM Certification!
Knob Noster RVIII
Moving Forward with Educational STE+AM!
Email: awilliams@knobnoster.k12.mo.us
Website: http://www.knobnoster.k12.mo.us
Location: 401 E Wimer St, Knob Noster, MO, United States
Phone: (660)-563-3186
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KnobNosterSchools
"Relevance makes rigor possible."
- Dr. Bill Daggett
International Center for Leadership in Education