Starting STEAM education early

A field trip to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in 2019 presented students from the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM middle school in Akron with a problem to solve — ridding the park of invasive voles. The seventh grade science class was brainstorming about how to control the vole population that kills trees by eating their roots. The rodents have a sharp sense of smell, and that prompted students to implement a humane solution. They placed scents voles don’t like, including mint, castor oil and garlic, around the trees, and voles stayed away.

This is one of many hands-on, problem-based lessons Akron Public Schools students learn in STEM-focused schools, which include the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM middle and high schools and LeBron James’ I Promise School. Rather than straightforward lectures about textbooks, teachers use experiential lessons to teach science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics and coach students to make discoveries.

“In the middle of a problem, students are guided through questioning,” says Sam Crews, Ohio STEM Learning Network Akron hub manager at Akron Public Schools. “The learning emphasis is placed on the student as opposed to the teacher being the one providing the information.”

Crews tells us more about what STEAM learning looks like at these schools and how it can help students thrive.

Great Exposure

Children today have been raised with phones and other tech devices to play games, watch videos and more. Teachers at the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM middle school lean into that, offering a fifth and sixth grade digital literacy course to teach educational components of technology, including keyboarding, website evaluation, cyber safety, coding and quality research pathways.

“Digital literacy is basically a transition from toy to tool,” says Crews.

STEM schools offer other specialized classes including biotechnology, music theory, Chinese, app creation and environmental engineering. At the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM middle and high schools, an engineering program offers classes that build on each other. For example, fifth grade students learn principles of the engineering design process and sixth grade students focus on robotics and coding. In seventh and eighth grades, a Gateway to Technology course helps students trace the history and  development of automation and robotics, and they use a robotics platform to design, build and solve problems. These STEM classes all follow the problem-based model to encourage kids to think through real-world issues using four components: questioning, investigation, presentation of discovery and reflection of the work.

“In really good STEAM schools, the learning is very authentic,” Crews says. “Teachers go from expert lecturer to learning coaches and are more of a guide.”

While in high school, most students take advantage of College Credit Plus, which allows them to take college courses. Students can also take high school classes during middle school, including algebra and world language.

“Many of our juniors and seniors are on campus full time at The University of Akron,” Crews says, “and can potentially leave with an associate degree.”

STEM schools also offer out-of-the-classroom learning opportunities. At the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM high school, there is a competitive robotics club, in which members learn how to assemble robots, code and network. The high school team placed first in the state championship this year for robotics and has made it to the world championship.

Path Way

Rather than only core subjects, all Akron Public Schools students choose a career pathway and take relevant classes as part of the district’s College & Career Academies of Akron. The process of identifying career interests begins in middle school and continues into freshman year. All Akron Public Schools students take freshman academy, where students focus on college and career exploration. By the end of freshman academy, they decide which career academy to sign up for. Several academies immerse students in real-world partnerships, including the advanced technology and design one at the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM high school. It offers classes in cybersecurity, biomedical technology and environmental engineering, which can lead to jobs like microbiologist, computer network architect and engineer.

Camryn Woodley, a recent Muskingum University engineering graduate, attended the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM middle and high schools, and took specialized courses like engineering, environmental science, accelerated math and biochemistry. Her classes worked with companies to answer real-life problems. For one project, she worked with Gojo to help get younger students to sanitize more, and she says the lessons she learned stuck with her.

“Teams had to communicate their ideas in front of students and stakeholders,” says Woodley. “STEAM education allowed me to gain social skills.”

Her team won and got to tour Gojo’s facilities. Her career-specific education gave her experience with industry language, networking and other social skills.

Starting young with a STEAM education helps shape youth into leaders and future innovators who are prepared to enter the professional world.

“You gain tons of opportunities to build the skills that will help guide you through life,” says Woodley.

Students can experience STEAM education through these opportunities.

Akron Urban League

Sometimes students don’t get many STEAM lessons or need more help with those subjects, so the Akron Urban League STEAM Academy offers third through fifth grade students in-person and virtual science, technology, engineering, arts and math programs that involve after-school discussions and projects from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Research-based curricula are used through activities to develop understanding and follow STEAM principles such as problem-based learning, creativity and critical thinking. akronurbanleague.org

Akron Zoo

Animals make STEAM learning fun with the help of  the Akron Zoo. Its ZooMobile summer camps bring zoo animals to schools for lessons about wildlife with hands-on activities like creating habitats for the animals. The zoo also recently developed new programs for Stark County students, including one for fourth and fifth graders that teaches STEM themes and lessons about inclusion, communication and empathy. It has partnered with the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM middle school for a STEM Enrichment Challenge, which tasks students with brainstorming animal enrichment stimulation ideas. The zoo offers several other summer camps, after-school events and programs about animal care, conservation and more. akronzoo.org

Hartford STEAMM Academy

At this middle school, medicine is an important part of STEAMM education, which is why there is an extra letter in the acronym. The school, a part of the Canton City School District, teaches STEAM-based learning and career tech to fourth through eighth grades. All students take Gateway to Technology courses exploring flight, medicine, nanotechnology, environmental conservation, robotics and other topics. Specialized courses include agriculture, computer programming, strings orchestra and more. A Career Connections class also prepares students to enter the workforce by developing interview and email skills, among others needed to become an employed adult. ccsdistrict.org