Learning and Teaching

Making it! STEM in Year Prep, 1 and 2

STEM education covers the specific knowledge and skills found in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics disciplines. It also covers the interrelationship between these areas, allowing learning to be delivered in an integrated way, helping a deeper engagement in the four disciplines. STEM is an important part of our curriculum as it prepares learners for an increasingly globalised world in which technology is dramatically altering the nature of work and daily life. In this complex environment, connecting knowledge and skills across discipline areas is vital. 

For Foundation to Level 10 (F–10) school students, STEM knowledge and skills are embedded within the Victorian Curriculum, in Mathematics, Science, Design and Technologies, and Digital Technologies. STEM education also develops capabilities such as critical and creative thinking, collaboration and ethical decision making.

The Prep and Year 1 and 2 Communities have been focusing on the Design and Technologies Learning Area of our Curriculum in Term 4 which incorporates aspects of STEM. This means they have been learning about creating different solutions to problems by drawing, modelling and explaining design ideas, following directions to complete their own or group design ideas or projects, and managing their own role within team projects.

The Prep Community have been solving problems for characters from Fairy Tales. They have built a new chair for the Three Bears, made a carriage for Cinderella and last week they needed to make Rapunzel’s Tower. The children worked independently or in pairs to think about what they would like to make, they then drew a plan of their idea and identified the materials needed to create it. The next day they worked together to make the planned design. The images below show the Prep Community working hard to create Rapunzel’s Tower. 

The Year 1 and 2 Community have been learning about how products are made for different audiences and purposes. They have looked at how things move and what materials work best for different purposes. This week, they learned about Rube Goldberg machines. They watched a video ‘Princess Machine’ for inspiration and then applied what they know about forces making things move. 

The students drew plans of their machines and then created them using a range of materials they had. What was pleasing for the teachers and the students was the persistence shown by everyone in the community. When the initial design didn’t work, they made changes to the plan and recreated the Rube Goldberg machines until they worked.  You can see some images of the Year 1 and 2 children creating their machines on the Wellbeing page of this Newsletter issue. Some videos of the Year 1 and 2 children testing their machines are below. Click on each image to view the video.

To find out more about STEM visit the VicSTEM site. 

Deborah Courtney

Director of Learning and Teaching