In a social studies class in a school in the future, students may learn about dragon imagery across various cultures. The teacher, after imparting the necessary specifications to fly might ask her class, “Of all of these cultures, whose dragon could come closest to achieving flight?” This is part of the vision of Cindy Moss, Director of Global Science Technology Engineering Math (STEAM) Initiatives for Discovery Education, a transdisciplinary approach to teaching STEAM. “We’re all STEAM teachers…it’s a culture, not a class,” she said.
Tuesday, leaders in education, business, and the community came together at the Santa Rosa County School District’s Berryhill Administration building to look at the necessity of Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math (STEAM) education and how the county can prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow. Partner to the district for 10 years, Discovery Education, hosted the event under keynote speaker, Cindy Moss. During the workshop attendees learned two things coming to the county, the STEAM Leader Corps and winning the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant covering close to $2 million over five years with a $400,000 initial award.
Dr. Karen Barber, Director of Federal Programs for Santa Rosa County School District announced before Moss spoke, the SRCSD won the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC). The 21st CCLC initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to afterschool programs and is a function of the No Child Left Behind Act. According to the grant abstract provided by Barber, the 21st CCLC, entitled CreationStation, “engages students in four thematic areas, each of which includes STEAM and literacy as well as the arts and lasts for a quarter of the school year. These themes – ‘Grow! Tech! Build! Animate!’ – draw on SRCSD’s unique features, from its agricultural economy to its technology future. Student goals include academic improvement as well as the development of resiliency and persistence in participating students.”
Throughout her talk, Moss stressed the importance of encouraging students in STEAM interests and endeavors. Moss said in her home state of North Carolina, 84 percent of students drop out of high school due to failing math. She also cited a study entitled “Ready, Willing, and Unable to Serve,” which determined “75 percent of young people ages 17 to 24 are currently unable to enlist in the United States military. Three of the most common barriers for potential recruits are failure to graduate high school, a criminal record, and physical fitness issues, including obesity.”
Getting children involved in STEAM at a young age is high on Moss’s priorities as well. She said “Students decide if they’re good at math and science by sixth grade.” She added “Eighty percent of inventors had their idea before they were 10 years old.” She played a clip from the Ellen Degeneres show in 2013 when then preteen Payton Robertson presented three inventions: a golf ball temperature preserver, retractable bicycle training wheels, and light but effective sandbags. “Kids shouldn’t be playing other people’s games. They should be making their own.,” Moss said.
Of the STEAM Leader Corps, Moss said it will be a five-year system of cultural change putting teachers and students at the center of change. Twenty schools in Santa Rosa County will be involved with their principals picking four teachers they believe lead the way in STEAM education. These 80 teachers, after intensive training with Discovery Education, will then be responsible for taking the message back to their fellow teachers in their schools. “It’s bigger than an initiative. It’s a transformation,” Moss said.
Check out a video clip here of the workshop where Moss guided the assembly in a brain training exercise.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Students can grow in STEAM with $2 mil grant (VIDEO)