Putting STEM In Context At Brune Park Community School
At Brune Park Community School the importance of putting learning in context is never underestimated, as Stephen Shaw explains
- by Stephen Shaw
The subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) can pose challenges to some students, especially when considering abstract concepts and theories, if not considered within a context of learning.
In light of this, as part of the school’s STEM strategy, we promote the idea of applied context and use real-world examples to enhance the learning experience which, in turn, reinforces understanding and boosts logical and creative skills alongside the goals of the curriculum.
For example, in design and technology, we encourage students to identify needs and opportunities in the community, considering not only aesthetic and technical aspects of their designs, but also cultural, health, industrial and environmental implications. In science, we try to foster students’ curiosity about the phenomena of the world around them by working objectively and exploring ideas, whereas in mathematics, ICT and computing, the focus is around building logical thinking, evaluating problems, and developing a conceptual understanding.
I’d first heard of LEGO® Education a number of years ago as part of a Specialist Schools Academy Trust (SSAT) project, and we wanted to replicate the same tangible, hands-on experience at our school to increase engagement and reinforce learning outcomes.
First steps
We started off by using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 and participating in events such as the Tomorrow’s Engineers Robotics Challenge, developed in partnership with NASA. This saw the students working together over 10 weeks to research, design and create autonomous robots that had the ability to complete a series of space-related tasks. Following this, we also hosted our own STEM days, where students from Portsmouth University brought their own kit with them, with us running large scale workshops to get the students experimenting with robotics to solve science and maths problems.
Hands-on learning has a very clear link with science and technology, as the construction elements help students to visualise and test concepts and hypotheses, but the possibilities are unlimited; it can also be applied to English and maths with tailored resources. For example, you can ask students to build or recreate a scene, from a fiction book or to demonstrate an idea from history, geography or a number of other subjects.
Not only does this increase engagement and understanding, but it can also help to develop language and communication skills: if we can get students to build their ideas, we can encourage them to talk and write about them too!
Building bridges
The next step was our recently launched LEGO® Education Innovation Studio. With this project, we wanted to extend these benefits and work with our seven feeder schools: Brockhurst Primary, Newtown Primary, Elson Junior, Elson Infant, St Mary’s Catholic Primary, Siskin Federation and St John’s CofE Primary. These schools are keen to boost their STEM provision, and the resources provide the cross-curricular learning environment that’s so crucial to Key Stages 1 and 2.
We’ve also got two local post 16 colleges, St Vincent Sixth Form and Fareham College, involved with the Innovation Studio. Cross-curricular learning is often lost beyond primary education, but the increased variety of subjects at KS 4 and 5 can benefit greatly from the approach, and we believe that the versatility of LEGO Education can facilitate that.
The schools have all contributed to the project and can visit the Innovation Studio to try a variety of different activities as well as work with our students across a number of subjects to share experiences and learning outcomes.
Education for employment
At Brune Park Community School, we are committed to extending education beyond academic progress, with the belief that all students should have access to work related learning, which develops key skills, increases commitment and supports career awareness. Part of this is done through work experience and career sessions in Key Stages 3 and 4, but the Innovation Studio will help us to apply work related skills to a wide variety of subjects and lessons. There are a number of soft skills that can be developed through the hands-on construction approach, including teamwork, problem-solving and pragmatism, all of which are crucial skills in the context of future employment.
This has been bolstered further through the interest of some local companies who were keen to develop links with students and promote the idea of a career in technology or engineering. Amongst our sponsors are a construction company who aided in the redecoration and refurbishment of the studio, and an electrical installation company who also offered its expertise. One of the interested parties is a high-end engineering firm that is currently doing cutting edge research and development work, and another is a local robotics company. These companies really want to foster a love of STEM with young people in the area, and they see LEGO Education as a good way of doing this. For their contributions, we’ve also offered them corporate use of the studio for their own workshops and teambuilding exercises.
Inspiration and innovation
The Innovation Studio was launched in early July, 2016; our teachers are all really enthusiastic about the project and even before its arrival were thinking about how they could use the resources in their own subjects and lessons.
By creating the links with various industries, the students have an even greater opportunity to explore ideas and increase knowledge in a real-world context, as they can see how subjects link to business first-hand. For the companies, there are distinct benefits in encouraging this type of learning; it has the potential to bring more prospective employees towards their industry, as well as reducing the skills gap that prevents many young people from entering the working world.
We are creating something that will benefit the entire community, whether that’s the prospects of our students, our relationships with local businesses and the community, and our teachers’ potential to think outside of the box and teach creatively and effectively, providing lessons that contextualise topics and engage our students in STEM.
About the author
Stephen Shaw is the innovation and development manager at Brune Park Community School in Gosport, Hampshire
