The SAM Blog

Incorporating STEAM Into Your Learning Environment

Incorporating STEAM Into Your Learning Environment

Wading through online resources to confirm they align with your standards to implement STEAM in your learning environment takes time you don’t have to spare.

For a successful implementation of STEAM, you need an all-in-one STEAM solution that is flexible, comprehensive, and focuses on student-centered learning. It should reinforce core subjects, but also be aligned to your specific needs. It is best if it can be used in various learning environments on your campus to extend learning to different parts of the day.

So how do you find this perfect solution? Find your learning environment below to help you identify must haves in a STEAM solution.

STEAM Learning Environments and Solution Must Haves

In-Classroom Learning

Students who use hands-on, in-classroom learning to explore and discover concepts retain 50 percent more information. That’s why your STEAM solution needs to include effective hands-on learning opportunities that allow your students to prototype solutions to real-world problems across a variety of content areas. This will bring those a-ha moments to student learning.

You need a complete STEAM solution that provides everything you need to support teaching and student learning, including:

  • Standards alignment
  • Pacing guides
  • Teacher slides
  • Assessments
  • Student facing materials

Innovation Lab/STEAM Classrooms

Working with multiple grade levels with quick turnaround between them can be tricky. You will need access to lesson content for multiple grades and multiple coding platforms that will allow you to scale learning with your students’ abilities.

You require a complete solution that provides everything you need to support teaching and student learning including easy to follow teacher guides, student facing materials, and product support that is easy to access, if necessary.

Makerspaces – In Your Classroom or In Your School

Keeping a makerspace innovative and student-centered is key to building 21st century and computational thinking skills. You need a solution that allows for easily adding open-ended challenges to your makerspace that will work with multiple ages. A bonus to the solution would be the addition of coding to step up learning levels and engagement.

A STEAM solution should also focus on supplementing individual core subjects with project-based learning to solidify lessons introduced in the traditional core curriculum. Whether you run a 5th grade classroom makerspace or are looking for open-ended computational thinking activities for your 8th grade science department on Fridays, your students need to have the opportunity to creatively problem solve and learn from their mistakes.

After School Clubs

Tackling a STEAM after-school club can feel overwhelming, but with open-ended challenges, you can inspire creativity and problem solving. Utilizing a STEAM solution already implemented in your school is the simplest way to tackle this challenge.

A STEAM solution that offers a variety of curriculum across grade and ability levels will be easiest to utilize in an afterschool setting.

Gifted and Talented Classrooms

Utilizing computational thinking, and engineering design to create student projects is the key to engagement and deeper levels of learning in gifted and talented programs. Students need endless possibilities without endless work for you.

Finding a solution with built in extension lessons and clear student directions will empower success.

Why SAM Labs STEAM Solution is Right for You

When incorporating STEAM, regardless of the learning environment, it should feel seamless and you should feel supported. SAM Labs STEAM educational solution helps K-5 teachers and educators prepare their students by introducing STEAM concepts in effective and meaningful ways. It uses easy-to-teach coding and prototyping solutions to teach science, mathematics, and critical thinking.

The SAM Labs STEAM solution provides everything you need, regardless of your learning environment. Our 75+ hours of lessons are designed to increase student engagement, decrease teacher workload, and build confidence. Standards alignment maps, tutorial videos, formative assessments, and grade overviews are included to support your planning.

Ready to see how SAM Labs STEAM Solution works in your learning environment? Book a personalized demo today! You can also review our lesson sample content here.