3 Local Resources to Support STEAM Learning This Fall
It’s that time again! Parents and students are gearing up for the beginning of the school year. Classroom lists are being issued, supplies are being packed, and schedules are shifting back to accommodate early wake up calls and evenings of homework. More and more, those homework assignments center around STEM learning — the subjects of science, technology, engineering, and math. According to Edweek, private and public sectors agree that students need in-depth knowledge of math and science, plus the ability to integrate and apply that knowledge to solve the challenges facing our nation. But many have considered STEM education to be an incomplete model; arguments for STEAM learning have risen in response, incorporating the arts back into curricula. In West Michigan — where science, engineering, and the arts each have a wide network of working minds — many programs are doing the hard and innovative work of integrating these learning models together. Here we explore ways to support those programs and the students that learn through them.
Artprize
Custer is a sponsor (and big fan) of ArtPrize, international art competition and the most-attended public art event on the planet according to The Art Newspaper. Shortly after the school year begins, ArtPrize will launch its eighth annual competition, displaying work from local, regional, national, and international artists throughout Grand Rapids. As a radically open art event encouraging interaction and dialogue with the arts, ArtPrize also encourages learning through student participation. The resources for educators include guided tours, poetry workshops, STEAM activities, artist-led presentations, design challenges, and much more. In particular, the STEAM Village Learning Lab offers programs on coding, virtual reality, and tinker tables, to name a few. Several other diverse learning opportunities are available to students of all ages, and can be found here.
Higher education programs
Also in West Michigan, Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD) champions STEAM education both for its college students and younger minds. The college has partnered with MSU College of Human Medicine to offer a Medical Illustration program, wherein students work closely with medical professionals to communicate complex medical information through striking visuals. Further, in collaboration with ArtPrize Eight this fall, one of KCAD’s Art Education professors will bring STEAM learning experiences to K-12 students through the college’s ArtPrize Education Days programming. In this program, students of all ages will be guided through a lesson exploring the intersection of STEAM knowledge fields through the work of artist Leonardo Da Vinci. Afterwards, students will collaborate to create a public art installation integrating lessons from STEAM fields.
Active Learning Spaces
Lastly, supporting students in STEAM learning requires thoughtfully-planned spaces for learning. Steelcase and Custer have partnered to design learning spaces that help prepare students for any subject, from art to engineering to literature to history. Seeking to promote wellbeing and well-rounded learning, our spaces encourage activity, movement, and dialogue. Local educators and administrators can tour our active learning spaces at Steelcase, or visit Custer for a conversation on how we can work together to support STEAM learning in your classroom. What’s more, every year Steelcase seeks schools and institutions that are ready to use their physical classroom space to advance learning in new and important ways through the Active Learning Center grant. Sign up here to be notified when the grant application opens.
In what other ways are you supporting STEAM learning in your local community? Share with us in the comments below or connect with us here. We would love to hear from you.
