The term STEAM is an acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. STEAM education is designed to promote interdisciplinary learning through an applied approach which focuses on problem-based learning.
The study of scientific and technological disciplines is essential to becoming professionally competitive. In addition, through art and engineering we incorporate innovation and creativity. Thus, by connecting all disciplines we are able to develop problem solving skills and foster imagination and curiosity.
This approach is reinforced within the curriculum through the quality of the teaching strategies set out by the International Baccalaureate Programmes in all educational stages. In Primary, Secondary and Baccalaureate Education the design cycle is used to structure problem investigation and analysis; the development of workable solutions; and the creation, testing and evaluation of a solution (models, prototypes, products…) proposed by students.
As part of our drive for continual improvement, we have decided to fully incorporate information and communication technology into our curriculum, in order to be used as a tool to facilitate the learning process and to keep us in close contact with the technological evolution that has occurred in our society during recent decades.
As a result, we have installed the INTEGRA operating network and equipped all classrooms with interactive digital whiteboards. All this helps students through the inquiry process and allows them to keep up-to-date with the units of work and the homework which teachers upload to the digital platforms accessed by students and their families.
This programme was initiated in the academic year 2013-2014, in Preschool and Primary Education, with the objective of incorporating these touch-sensitive devices into all units of inquiry of the international studies Primary Years Programme. Through the application of constructivist teaching methods students are able work at their own individual rhythm to explore freely and independently within the structure of the interdisciplinary units, and as such fostering the development of the multiple intelligences as described by Howard Gardner.
Tools that help us to develop creativity, facilitate teamwork and allow us to give more attention to student diversity.
Nuestro impulso nos ha llevado a implantar de manera decidida e integradora las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación dentro del currículo, como vehículo para facilitar el proceso de aprendizaje y conectarlo más si cabe con la evolución tecnológica acaecida en nuestra sociedad en las últimas décadas.
De este modo, el Colegio ha implementado el Programa INTEGRA de empleo del netbook, de la tablet o del iPad en las aulas, equipadas con Smart TV y pizarras digitales interactivas. Todo ello favorece a los alumnos la indagación, el seguimiento de las unidades didácticas y las tareas que los profesores cuelgan en plataformas digitales con acceso de las familias.
In the digital age in which we live, it is vital that we move forward to incorporate new learning models which allow students and teachers alike to develop ICT skills and provide an opportunity to acquire transversal skills (other than the purely technical skills), social and civic ICT skills, STEAM skills and professional development for a digital society.
School is a makerspace where students learn by doing. In robotics and programming students focus on developing plans, designs and creating products. In interdisciplinary projects and other subjects included in the curriculum, such as design.
BEE BOT in Preschool
Students begin to familiarise themselves with programming language in a natural and enjoyable way, allowing them to overcome daily challenges and put concepts and cognitive skills gained in different subjects into practice.
LEGO Building Blocks in Primary
Robotix in Secondary
Students work together in groups to construct and programme robots, using a variety of different tools.
Using project based learning strategies, students use design and 3D printing technology to overcome multidisciplinary learning challenges.
The use of this technology helps to foster creative thinking and problem solving skills while at the same time encouraging student participation, engaging and focusing their interest and developing important teamwork skills.
It is clear that digital manufacturing, from the initial design process to product creation, is an important aspect of science and creative investigation.
It is extremely useful in the classroom in subjects such as Biology (parts of the anatomy), Geography (topographic maps), Industrial and Architectural Design, Art and Graphic Design and History (replicas of tools and constructions).
The DroneBlocks application we use is a drag-and-drop block programming environment that supports many of the major DJI drones.
Our goal is not only to make students interested and motivated with STEM, but also to teach real applications of drone technology.
Science is an essentially practical subject, which makes the laboratory a fundamental part of the teaching-learning process. The principal objective of the practical tasks is to foster personalised, participative and active learning where the focus is on developing scientific approaches and critical thinking skills.
At school, Preschool, Primary and Secondary students have access to different laboratories for the Applied Sciences: Physics, Chemistry, Biology; and which are comparable to those of the most prestigious universities in terms of infrastructure, resources and materials.
In 2010, we became one of the first schools to introduce the innovative programme of mental arithmetic using the abacus, in Mathematics in Primary Education. This method strengthens conceptual understanding through a multisensorial process that aims to stimulate the senses of sight, hearing and touch simultaneously.
This method is taught as part of the Primary Education curriculum and has been resoundingly successful in helping students to improve their concentration and mental arithmetic skills and their overall academic performance.
Construir un robot submarino ROVs programable operado de forma remota, a partir de herramientas de bajo coste, con hardware y software libres.
El Colegio Arenas Atlántico, dentro de su línea de introducir a su alumnado en el estudio de la programación y la robótica, ha trabajado durante el curso escolar con alumnos de 3º de ESO para construir su propio robot, capaz de sumergirse y navegar propulsado por dos motores de movimiento controlados por dos joysticks y por una placa de Arduino.
Each year we hold the Human Ingenuity Route; a week to celebrate human achievement in the fields of science and humanities. On the open day families are invited to view and take part in the experiments, work, activities, games and projects that have been displayed in Spanish, English, French, German and Chinese by our Primary, Secondary and Sixth-Form students.
The work and experiments created by the students in the fields of science and humanities are displayed throughout the school in the laboratories, assembly rooms, classrooms and playgrounds.
El alumnado del Colegio Arenas Atlántico dispone de dos nuevos laboratorios. Uno, de Física y Geología; otro, de Biología y Química. Los modernos recursos de los que se les ha dotado favorecen la realización de prácticas. Con ellas, se potencia la curiosidad de nuestro alumnado (de 1º de ESO a 2º de Bachillerato), el pensamiento crítico, la capacidad de razonamiento, la creatividad, la objetividad y la capacidad para resolver problemas y compren der fenómenos de la vida cotidiana.
ARENAS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL GRAN CANARIA
