ACCESS NL > Features > Building Skills for the Future Through STEAM
Building Skills for the Future Through STEAM
2019-09-18 | By Nord Anglia International School Rotterdam
The jobs of tomorrow have not yet been imagined. As the developments in science and technology continue to gather pace, it is of the utmost importance to nurture the skills that children need to succeed in the 21st century.
At Nord Anglia International School Rotterdam, we want our students to imagine a world of infinite possibilities. In line with Nord Anglia Education’s groundbreaking collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the school has implemented a new approach to teaching science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), which plays an invaluable part in helping children to achieve academic, social and personal success.
Through practical, hands-on problem solving, students will develop transferable skills such as creativity, curiosity, resilience, resourcefulness, collaboration and confidence to help pave the way to a wide-open future.
As part of the program, NAISR’s brand-new STEAM room is designed to spark students’ creativity in new ways through applications of technology such as 3-D printers, green-screen rooms and robotics.
We recognise that the world in which we live is evolving rapidly, and that schools must do everything possible to prepare students for the world they will experience when they leave. Succeeding in the 21st century means learning how to think, not what to think.
Inspired by MIT, a core element of NAISR’s STEAM program will encourage students to learn by doing, helping them to develop greater understanding of concepts by testing theories in practice and solving real-world challenges. These challenges are interdisciplinary, critical-thinking activities that will present students with the challenge of a modern day, real-world issue that has yet to be solved. Each will require significant levels of collaboration, experimentation and a solution developed through trial and error.
As Mark Orrow-Whiting, Director of Curriculum and Student Performance at Nord Anglia Education says, “Our role as educators is to inspire students to actively discover and persevere. We want to tell students to learn from their mistakes and find solutions, and that the greatest lesson they will learn is from the problem that they cannot solve.”
At NAISR, we encourage ambition and curiosity, challenge our students to reach for their dreams, and prioritise the development of real-world skills, thus preparing our students for future success in an ever-changing world.
Verhulstlaan 21
3055WJ Rotterdam
+31(0)10 422 5351
