STEAM Design Principles
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics
STEAM Learning
In Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics (STEAM) Learning, students apply:
- Engineering Practices with Computational Thinking
- Connections Across Content Areas
- Portrait of a Graduate (POG) Attributes
to develop problem-solving skills to lead for tomorrow’s innovation.
Engineering Practices
In STEAM, students investigate, define, and solve problems with many possible solutions. They use engineering practices and computational thinking to design solutions in innovative ways.
- Ask questions inspired by nature, existing designs, and connections across content areas.
- Define the problem, its parts, and missing information.
- Consider possible root causes, impacts, and user needs.
- View the problem from different perspectives.
- Explore how an object, tool, process, or system can be part of a solution.
- Recognize that problems have many approaches and solutions.
- Analyze patterns in data to develop and share hypotheses.
- Generate ideas and organize thinking through representations like drawings and models.
- Incorporate user feedback, experience, and expertise into ideas.
- Predict how ideas will perform and their impact.
- Develop a plan using content knowledge and many perspectives.
- Align plan with criteria and constraints.
- Determine how to collect needed data.
- Identify and describe steps for prototyping a solution.
- Create a prototype of the solution using constraints and criteria.
- Collect, organize, and communicate data using tables, charts, and graphs.
- Identify, analyze, and interpret patterns in data to explain the solution.
- Ask more questions based on analysis and interpretation of results.
- Ask questions related to problems revealed during testing.
- Consider the relationship between model parts and test results.
- Consider ideas and data from peers to improve solutions.
- Imagine, plan, and create an improved design. Test how improvements impact end users and society.
- Justify and communicate proposed changes to the design.
Content Knowledge
STEAM integration across subjects empowers students to explore real world problems and see themselves in STEAM careers.
- Students apply science concepts to define and solve problems.
- Technology and computer science help optimize solutions and bring ideas to reality.
- Engineering practices are used across content areas to design and test ideas.
- Arts practices and creative expression enhance designs.
- Math is used to understand the problem, make predictions, and design solutions.
Portrait of a Graduate
STEAM experiences accelerate the development of Portrait of a Graduate attributes.
- Students collaborate in groups, ask questions, think critically, and communicate their thinking.
- Students persist through challenges to develop resilience and goal directed skills.
- Students develop creative solutions to benefit the community.
- In the process, they explore STEAM careers and develop as ethical and global citizens.