STEAM Education Lessons

Creating a lesson is a skill that educators should make part of their best practices.  Lessons provide an opportunity to present themes, ideas, and concepts to those who are attempting to learn them.  Below are five steps which should be included as part of planning lessons.  They represent the various stages that educators should take into consideration when creating STEAM Education Lessons.  Taking these five steps can help educators create successful Lessons that engage the learner.  Make them a part of the best practices used for planning a great STEAM Education Lesson.

1) Plan, Research, Implement

Create a plan for your lesson and do research on it.  This will help you make sure that you are presenting the best known data available.  Design a road map that can guide you through toward the implementation of your lesson.

2) Strand Flexibility

STEAM gives you the flexibility to use many strands.  You can choose to focus on a particular strand that is most directly related to your lesson, but remember that you can borrow from the other strands, and be creative.

3) Student Diversity

In the classroom, student diversity is going to be a fact.  There will be students who have been introduced to advanced concepts, and there will be other who may be lacking in basic skills.  Take into consideration your classrooms student diversity.

4) Resources, Off-Site Connections, Real Life Application

Present students with a variety of resources accessible to them.  Field trips and off-site connections are a great way to show students how the lesson can be applied to real life situations and encourages them to explore their communities.

5) Evaluation and Review

Do your own analysis of the lesson. After you have implemented it, take the time to do an thorough evaluation, and review all aspects of it: What worked, what didn't, and what needs to be improved upon for the next time.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

STEAM Education Curriculum

The creation of a STEAM Education Curriculum is the most challenging step in the process of STEAM education.  The challenge lies in two of the principal aspects of creation.  First, the endless number of possibilities we can come up with using our vision, imagination, and knowledge.  Second, the reaching of an agreement, by all involved, on which curriculum is the best, and most suitable, to implement.  Three areas to keep in mind when creating a STEAM Education Curriculum are subject, grade, and age.

Each strand of STEAM can be broken down into many pieces which we can use to design a framework that will support the curriculum being created.  Care must be taken to ensure that, as the framework is design and the curriculum created, the appropriate subject matter to be presented to students is appropriate to the grade level in attendance and their age.  From the most basic concepts, like counting and the ABC's, to the most complex ideas, like calculating the amount of water needed to support a civilization, a series of logical sequential steps need to be develop in order to create a curriculum that allows the student to proceed on an educational path that takes them from the basic, to the complex, and back again.

As stated, it is not only about creating a curriculum that is filled with knowledge, is imaginative, and presents a clear vision, but it must also be agreed upon to be the best and most suitable to implement.  The creation of a STEAM Education Curriculum is an endeavor that should be carefully planned, prepared, and researched, for it is expected to have an immediate and long-lasting effect in the education of our students.  When creative individuals come together to collaborate toward an innovative goal, the two principal aspects of creation can truly be achieved.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

STEAM Education Benefits

STEAM Education is beneficial.  It is good for those who are educated under its principles, guidance, and framework.  Some of those who are benefited from STEAM Education include: students, teachers, parents, the community, and education.  Here is a closer look at how each of these groups benefit from an education based on STEAM.

• STEAM Education benefits students by offering them a diversity of knowledge and skills which they can cross-reference for multipurpose applications.

• STEAM Education benefits teachers by allowing them to reach across the curriculum and team-teach lessons with availability to various resources and support.

• STEAM Education benefits parents by giving them a chance to show how they apply the subject areas and have the opportunity to help the student be better prepared for life.

• STEAM Education benefits the community by developing the skills of leadership and teamwork where creative thinkers have a flexible approach to problem solving.

• STEAM Education benefits education by furthering current knowledge through the development of new skills that are essential for future growth.

There are many benefits to a STEAM Education as illustrated in the examples above.  It is worth taking the time to research how we can best integrate STEAM Education into our classrooms, schools, districts, homes, communities, and life. 

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

STEAM Education Definition

To define STEAM Education you must do research to become informed.  With research done by you, and published by others, one can begin to define STEAM Education.  Each one of us can define STEAM Education as we understand it, and as we see it best, to be applied to our current educational needs.  While the foundation of STEAM Education must be defined by its five strands (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics), the definition for that which is constructed upon this foundation is entirely up to each one of us: how we view STEAM Education, what is our vision, what can we achieve, how do we reach it.

To help with the defining of STEAM Education we take a look at three styles: Linear, Cyclical, and Linear-Cyclical.  Linear STEAM Education can be defined as a set sequential curriculum which requires the learner to successfully complete a defined subject prior to proceeding to the next one.  This style requires that the faculty be specialized in a specific set of sequences withing the curriculum.  Cyclical STEAM Education can be defined as a complete set of ongoing standards which the learner is achieving constantly as they grow with the help of the faculty as a whole.  Linear-Cyclical STEAM Education can be defined as a paced curriculum with a set of standards to be acquired with the help of the faculty over a defined period of time.

These three STEAM Education styles can be of help to us in our research to understand the definition of STEAM Education.  They can help us visualize the framework of a path that leads today's learner toward tomorrow's education.  We can begin to see the many different pieces of STEAM Education which are available to us, and how to customize them so they help us create a concrete realization of our vision.  As STEAM Educators part of our job is to define and publish it for others to research, while also been engaged with them through open argumentation.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

STEAM Education Introduction

STEAM Education is founded in a learning process that incorporates science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.  Students who learn by using the STEAM Education process have the benefit of developing skills which allows them to draw from all strands.  By drawing from all strands students develop a multiple subject approach which they can apply to academic and real life challenges.  Educators benefit from STEAM Education by having the opportunity to teach by creating lesson plans that reach out beyond the limitations of a single subject.  Faculty members can work together and develop a collaborative curriculum that breaks the walls of independently structured subject based frameworks.

STEAM Education should be carefully planned and researched by a STEAM team.  The STEAM team should also seek the support of administrators, parents, students, and community leaders to develop the best possible plan for the school.  By having an open dialog with these various sources of knowledge and experience, the STEAM team cam make the best possible recommendation for the school to implement and the students to succeed.  With continued support, the STEAM team should be able to continue the development and growth of the program.

The importance of STEAM Education to our community is in the preparation of students with today's knowledge and skills for tomorrow's education and careers.  STEAM Education will allow today's students to face tomorrow's challenges not just by thinking outside the box, but by reaching to other boxes for ideas.  They will have the opportunity to be flexible in their problem solving approach by drawing from establish core areas of study which have been proven to be fundamental since past time to a diverse number of professionals, and have allow for the development of some of the world's great cultures.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

STEAM Education

We should begin by understanding that STEAM education incorporates five strands: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics.  Each strand has unique knowledge and skills which are part of, and can be applied to, the other strands.

It is an academic collaborative effort requiring the development of a curriculum in which students gain knowledge and develop skills based on the strands that STEAM incorporates.  Students can then apply STEAM knowledge and skills to further their education and future professions.

By learning from the strands in STEAM students can acquire the opportunity to develop a strong, secure, and solid foundation.  With such a foundation, upon which they can stand up on, students can begin their educational path and be able to complete this journey successfully.

STEAM education provides students with set knowledge and skills which helps them face future challenges.  It is an important part of the educational process and the future of our nation. 

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

February 2014

STEAM Education is the theme that MRCR Education will address this month of February.  It is our belief that STEAM Education is an important part of the overall process of a student's educational path. 

STEAM (which incorporates the strands of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education can become a valuable component of a classroom, school, or district, and serve as a foundation upon which students can design, build, and maintain a life long educational path.

Throughout the month of February MRCR Education is going to be publishing various posts that will cover different aspects of STEAM Education including an introduction, definition, benefits, curriculum, and lessons.  

We are also honored to have been selected as a presenter for the 4th Annual San Francisco Bay Area STEAM Colloquium hosted by the Contra Costa County Office of Education.  This event was attended last year and became a valuable source of information on STEAM Education.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.