PME2 Aobrien Reflective Blog: STEAM Curriculum Development

Case Study – Torriano Primary School, Camden, London.

The curriculum in Torriano focuses on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with an annual theme, such as ‘Making Connections, Making Changes’ in 2017/18. This theme was viewed through the STEAM lens during their Spring term. The school adopts a project approach to curriculum development, which allows the school some autonomy in their decision making process of what resources they can use (internally or externally). The staff discuss the project in a cross-curricular model. The school then assesses external resources, bringing in speakers in diverse fields and arranging school trips to associated venues of interest and events, Screen Shot 2017-01-28 at 13.58.18.png

such as the Wellcome Collection. The following link gives a detailed account of the programme envisioned:

https://torrianosteam17.wordpress.com/

The primary school by structure lends itself to cross-curricular learning, but this school takes further developments through school-wide discussion and divergent approaches to thematic learning projects. This model would be more difficult in secondary schools, but not impossible. Common threads in all subjects could be sewn together with a school-wide theme. This theme could link to the key skills of the Junior Cycle, for example. This school links their theme to the worldwide UNICEF SDGs, which offers a myriad of online supports for teachers and students. Further to this, the school is a 'Rights Respecting School', giving a tremendous sense of empowerment to their students and correlates with the 'wellbeing' focus of the Junior Cycle.

http://www.torriano.camden.sch.uk/school-ethos/rights-respecting-school/

The STEAM lens proved to be a stimulating learning environment for the students, with a programme that enhanced the arts in the school rather than 'watering down' the arts. This was helped by an artist-in-residence Jack Cornell, who has worked in the school for many years through a programme co-funded by the Tate. screen-shot-2017-03-01-at-23-03-14