STEAM Fair 2015!

 

Over the course of several months, the students worked together in small groups to build and test their interactive and innovative projects, engaging in problem solving along the way. Creativity was also a critical component of their work in the labs, and the Lower Campus art and science teachers worked together to help the students collaborate on their projects. 

 

When the day of the STEAM Fair arrived, the Sky Room was filled with eager students who served as hosts and experts for their projects. As parents, faculty, staff, and other students visited each table, the student hosts happily shared their knowledge. 

 

Project based learning is marvelously messy and complicated. It lies at the heart of RCS because it builds the habits of mind that are essential to learning. This is abundantly evident in the STEAM Fair projects. The students are given the gift of time to struggle a bit to figure things out and make them work. As they do so, they express their ideas artistically, as well as verbally and in writing; they apply scientific concepts as they build models that represent their ideas; and they negotiate leadership roles around a common goal through collaborative teamwork. Each lesson learned builds the foundation that will sustain a passion for exploration and problem solving throughout their lives.