Here at Dover Court International School we are committed to providing a rich educational experience which develops both academic skills as well as the essential transferable skills students will need in the world ahead. A key component of this is our STEAM program which challenges students both in class and during focused STEAM challenges. By tackling real-world challenges across the subjects of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM), students are presented with situations that demand flexibility, creativity and communication.
One part of the STEAM program was the STEAM week which saw both Primary and Secondary students exploring, designing and making wearable technology; things which have the potential to revolutionize the medical and sporting world as well as everyday activities. This term it was Year 9’s chance to partake in the MIT challenge and they did so with great success.
Instead of a set of instructions, Year 9 students were given a broad brief, to design a piece of wearable technology which enhances performance. Through this, they had to use collaboration, sharing skills and knowledge to work out if and how their designs were going to work. This stage of critical thinking and creativity was incredible to watch as our students dreamt up a variety of ingenious inventions including a heart rate monitor which warns the wearer if they are over exerting or have an arrhythmia, shoes with motorized wheels and a diving mask which senses water and light and responds by lighting up. Most of the designs incorporated circuits and some of them utilized sensors and outputs controlled through an Arduino microcontroller board.
A key component of STEAM is that the projects are student led, this sense of ownership promotes creativity and a determination to be successful problem solvers. Sometimes the designs don’t work out as planned and it is in these moments of uncertainty that resilience and perseverance is needed. We are delighted with how well our Year 9 students did when facing all these challenges and eagerly look forward to Years 7 and 8’s STEAM challenges later in the year.
John Northridge
STEAM Specialist