STEAM Day: ELT workshop by OUP
09/04/2018
To conduct a STEAM project in English lessons, it is suggested that students should first be exposed to some language input to establish a fundamental understanding of the content (through online videos, reading materials from the coursebooks, etc.) Next, in order to embrace the essence of STEAM education, students need to be encouraged to explore the ‘tricks’ behind the projects to find out the best solution, or outcome. Take one of the experiments in the workshop as an example. All the participants were provided with same materials to make a rainbow—a torch/flashlight function in smartphones, a mirror, a box, a piece of white paper, some water, and some blue tack. By adjusting the position of the mirror and by changing the amount of water, the outcome can be varied to a large extent. It is up to the students themselves to figure out the most effective way to make their rainbow, through trial-and-error learning. To wrap up the lesson, students are asked to share some reflections on the projects in a presentation or writing so as to consolidate their learning.
The well-received demo-teaching activity definitely helped to relieve any nervousness the teachers may have had towards the combination of STEAM education and English language teaching. After all, English is the common communicative medium that brings our students to other disciplines and possibilities.
Here are some snapshots of the seminar.
