K-1 Ditches STEM for STEAM
Primary Teacher Brings Higher Order Learning To The Littlest Brains At OVS
OVS’ tradition of progressive education is about to get even more progressive thanks to Dana DeYoung, one of two K-1 teachers at the Lower Campus. DeYoung, along with Nicole Ferro, work together to provide the primary students a challenging and enriching educational experience. Ferro heads the Language Arts side of the curriculum while DeYoung develops Math and Sciences. Experiential learning mixed with progressive education is one of the key components to the OVS philosophy. OVS can easily thrive for another 100 years by continuing to raise the bar in the educational programming offered to each individual student.
With the Primary Division being at the heart of the Lower Campus educational journey, DeYoung, Ferro and Gartrell (Pre-K) have one of the biggest challenges of the three Lower Campus divisions. And that challenge is: How do we begin?
How does a writer begin telling a story? How does a composer begin a symphonic masterpiece? And how does an educator begin the journey of learning and discovery? As humans and technology evolve it’s important to find new ways to reach the students inside today’s classrooms and that’s exactly what Dana DeYoung is integrating into her K-1 curriculum.
DeYoung’s solution is STEM. And soon she’ll be upgrading her classroom operating system to STEAM. STEAM is an even more comprehensive curriculum encompassing the standard Science, Technology, Engineering and Math areas of study but it incorporates the Arts into the fold for a completely well-rounded education. STEM’s been a hot topic in the world of education for many years, but educators have only recently made the connection between the form, the function, the structure and the design elements which only the Arts can contribute to STEM. Stay tuned for updates on the exciting scientific adventures that will be explored during the Spring Term.
Click here to see pictures from the K-1 classroom and Middle School Tech classes.