Curriculum, Leadership & Innovation Lori Di Marco Superintendent

Gina Iuliano – Marrello Superintendent Joe Russo 21C Learning and ICT

Carmelo Cucchi STEAM Resource Rachel Allen Numeracy Resource

Bruno Pileggi Literacy Resource Mario Stamegna 21C Resource

2018

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Contents

What is STEAM?...................................................................................................................................................... 2

Design Thinking – A better way to problem solve ........................................................................................... 3

Empathy – Connecting and understanding the Other ................................................................................... 6

Creativity - Fostering creativity within the classroom to enable innovation ................................................ 8

How to Integrate the neXt Lesson in our Approach to Introducing STEAM ................................................ 10

How to assist schools in integrating STEAM – inspirational activities to spark ideas .................................. 15

Curriculum Connections for K-12 – ideas and projects to get schools activated! ................................... 16

STEAM ideas come from a variety of sources – here are some more! ....................................................... 18

The Arts within the curriculum ........................................................................................................................... 20

How the Arts skill set are essential to learning................................................................................................ 21

Transferable Arts skills into other subject areas .............................................................................................. 25

Integrated Learning through the Arts ............................................................................................................... 26

STEAM Resources ................................................................................................................................................ 27

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What is STEAM? STEAM is an educational philosophy where Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics are engaged as opportunities for students to develop skills within the 4Cs: Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Communication and Creativity. As part of a well-balanced school experience and a celebration of lifelong learning, STEAM affords school communities new avenues to foster appropriate skill development to problem solve real world issues and the use of created knowledge to support change. At the forefront of STEAM is Design Theory, a process that supports our students in becoming innovators. More information can be found here. How is this different from STEM?

STEM teaching is the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. It is a practical approach to learning these subject areas where student cohorts are engaged early on and provided strategies and tools to collaborate on projects. The inclusion of the Arts (and Design) in STEAM provides students opportunities not readily available in traditional STEM environments. STEAM allows for greater student input, and provides more expansive opportunities for unconventional approaches to education. Where STEM allows for the modification of existing ideas, STEAM allows groups to determine innovative solutions to real-world issues. More information can be found here. Furthermore, STEAM delivers a transdisciplinary1 approach where it begins with a social issue or real-world problem and draws on knowledge of the disciplines during the problem-solving process to find solutions. What is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking2 is a five step, problem solving process: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. As a process driven method, divergent paths along the path of discovery are welcomed and foster a wealth of possible outcomes. From these outcomes, students may find the solution they were looking for as well as ideas to support other similar issues. The use of created knowledge in one area provides a course and route to more solvable issues. More information can be found here. Project NeXT and STEAM

At the core of STEAM is the strength of Project NeXt and the 4Cs: Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Communication and Creativity. Going forward, STEAM also includes another 4Cs that further strengthen the ideals of the TCDSB Curriculum, Leadership & Innovation Department: Composure, Compassion, Curiosity and Citizenship. These tenets, as discussed by Sir Ken Robinson, offer a new layer of educational possibilities for our students. More information can be found here. 1Meeth, 1978; Quigley & Herro, 2016 2Design Thinking Stanford D.SCHOOL Hasso Plattner Institute of Design https://dschool.stanford.edu/

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Design Thinking – A better way to problem solve

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1. Empathize - The first stage of the Design Thinking process is to gain

an empathic understanding of the problem you are trying to solve.

Empathy is crucial to a human-centered design process and empathy

allows design thinkers to set aside his or her own assumptions about the

world in order to gain insight into users and their needs.

2. Define - During the Define stage, you put together the information you

have created and gathered during the Empathize stage. You will

analyze your observations and synthesize them in order to define the

core problems that you and your team have identified up to this point.

You should seek to define the problem as a problem statement in a

human-centered manner.

3. Ideate - During the third stage of the Design Thinking

process, designers are ready to start generating ideas.

You’ve grown to understand your users and their

needs in the Empathize stage, and you’ve analyzed

and synthesized your observations in the Define stage,

and ended up with a human-centered problem

statement. With this solid background yourself and your

team members can start to 'think outside the box'

to identify new solutions to the problem statement you’ve created, and you can start to look for

alternative ways of viewing the problem.

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4. Prototype - The design team will now produce a

number of inexpensive, scaled down versions of the

product or specific features found within the product, so

they can investigate the problem solutions generated in

the previous stage. Prototypes may be shared and tested

within the team itself, in other departments, or on a small

group of people outside the design team. This is an

experimental phase, and the aim is to identify the best

possible solution for each of the problems identified during the first three stages.

5. Test - Designers or evaluators rigorously test the complete

product using the best solutions identified during the prototyping

phase. This is the final stage of the 5 stage-model, but in an

iterative process, the results generated during the testing phase

are often used to redefine one or more problems and inform the

understanding of the users, the conditions of use, how people

think, behave, and feel, and to empathise. Even during this

phase, alterations and refinements are made in order to rule out

problem solutions and derive as deep an understanding of the

product and its users as possible.

“It is important to note that the five stages are not always sequential — they do not have to follow any specific order and they can often occur in parallel and be repeated iteratively. As such, the stages should be understood as different modes that contribute to a project, rather than sequential steps. However, the amazing thing about the five-stage Design Thinking model is that it systematizes and identifies the 5 stages/modes you would expect to carry out in a design project – and in any innovative problem solving project. Every project will involve activities specific to the product under development, but the central idea behind each stage remains the same.”3

3https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/5-stages-in-the-design-thinking-process

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Empathy – Connecting and understanding the Other STEAM provides greater latitude for staff and students to engage in topics. Due to its multi-faceted approach. Investigation of people, places and events provides depth of knowledge, understanding and empathy – all worthy attributes of our communities.

Dr. Riess is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She directs the Empathy & Relational Science Program, conducting research on the neuroscience of emotions and empathy, and is Co-Founder, Chief Scientist and Chairman of Empathetics, LLC. Dr. Riess has devoted her career to research on the neuroscience and art of the patient-doctor relationship and teaching psychiatry residents and medical students. Her research team conducts translational research based on the neuroscience of emotions.

Introspection is out, and is in. Philosopher and author Roman Krznaric explains how we can help drive social change by stepping outside ourselves. Roman Krznaric is an internationally renowned expert on empathy and author of 'Empathy: A Handbook for Revolution'. He is a founding faculty member of The School of Life and founder of the world's first digital Empathy Library.

Mark Ruffalo and Murray talk about the word "Empathy".

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The focus of Roots of Empathy in the long term is to build capacity of the next generation for responsible citizenship and responsive parenting. In the short term, Roots of Empathy focuses on raising levels of empathy, resulting in more respectful and caring relationships and reduced levels of bullying and aggression. Part of our success is the universal nature of the program; all students are positively engaged instead of targeting bullies or aggressive children.

In this discussion paper, the benefits of character education are addressed, and the importance of Empathy is not understated.

Author Lauren Owen discusses three advantages of teaching empathy for the classroom, community and student leadership.

In this article, empathy is treated as a subject to

be taught demonstrating its complexity, strength and ability to create, balance, and

sustain a mindset in a culture that doesn’t always value it.

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Creativity - Fostering creativity within the classroom to enable innovation The creative process comprises several stages:

• challenging and inspiring

• imagining and generating

• planning and focusing

• exploring and experimenting

• producing preliminary work

• revising and refining

• presenting, performing, and sharing

• reflecting and evaluating

“The creative process is intended to be followed in a flexible, fluid, and cyclical manner. As students and teachers become increasingly familiar with the creative process, they are able to move deliberately and consciously between the stages and to vary their order as appropriate. For example, students may benefit from exploring and experimenting before planning and focusing; or in some instances, the process may begin with reflecting. Feedback and reflection can happen throughout the process.” (Ministry of Education, The Arts K-8, Page 18-19)

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

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“Is creativity elusive? Is it exclusive? What factors may affect how imaginative you are?” This digital TED short demonstrates how creativity takes many forms and requires the use of the whole brain and is not a left hemisphere vs right hemisphere debate!

Radio host Julie Burstein talks with creative people for a living -- and shares four lessons about how to create in the face of challenge, self-doubt and loss. Hear insights from filmmaker Mira Nair, writer Richard Ford, sculptor Richard Serra and photographer Joel Meyerowitz.

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How to Integrate the NeXt Lesson in our Approach to Introducing STEAM Six Competencies in relation to STEAM learning: Collaboration

One of the competencies of 21c learning which can be easily integrated with STEAM learning is collaboration. Teachers can encourage collaboration by eliminating rows and setting up the classroom in groups. Also, it is important to give students the choice of where they can sit and not have assigned seating. Ideally this would work best by incorporating modular furniture and non-traditional seating (sofas, pillows, bean bag chairs, etc) into the classroom setting. WIth tables and chairs on wheels, students are much more likely to move around based on the given task.

Collaboration must first and foremost, be encouraged and integrated into curriculum activities by the teacher. Most curriculum based activities can be assigned as group assignments. The import thing to remember, as a teacher when encouraging students to work in groups is to have them set up clear and defined roles for themselves. These roles, as well as their demonstration of knowledge is what the students can be assessed on. Knowledge Construction

Knowledge construction with the 21c learning framework encourages students to interpret, analyze, synthesize and evaluate information or ideas. Interpretation means drawing inferences beyond the literal meaning. Analysis means identifying the parts of a whole and their relationship to each other. Synthesis means identifying between two or more ideas. Evaluation means judging the quality, credibility or importance of data, information, ideas or events. STEAM based activities will allow students to apply the knowledge they have constructed to support another knowledge construction task in a new context.

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Real World Problem Solving and Innovation

In a 21c classroom, problem solving involves a task with a defined challenge for the student. This can be integrated into STEAM learning because it is very similar whereas students are required to complete one or all of the following: Develop a solution to a problem that is new to them, complete a task that they have not been instructed how to do, or design a complex product that meets a set of requirements.

Students are often required to investigate the parameters of a problem to guide their approach to the problem. This will allow them to generate ideas and alternatives that they might have thought about in the past or in working in isolation. Many of these activities work very well in a group setting. They will then devise their own approach and explore several possible procedures that might be appropriate solution to to the given task. This will benefit them in designing a coherent solution. Lastly, students should be given the opportunity to test their solution and quite possibly go back and begin the process again or the desired result was not reached. Skilled Communication

In 21st Century learning, new technologies have created new opportunities for communication that is spoken, written, visual or multimodal. The active process of communication is sometimes seen as just as important as the end product. Digital communication has a much broader reach with far fewer barriers than ever before. Skilled Communication can take many different forms. Examples could include a Skype or Facetime conversation, an informal classroom discussion, a podcast, an email, a written document or a traditional presentation. Communication can also be with an expert of a given field related to classroom curriculum. In 21st Century learning, the

teacher is no longer seen as the person in the classroom with all the information on a given topic. A teacher has the ability to bring in an expert over skype to have a discussion with students on a given topic. This is called “The Third Teacher” where the environment or an expert can add to the student’s learning experience. Skilled communication is important to STEAM learning because it should produce an out that requires students to connect the ideas they have been discussing. Communication is multi modal when it includes more than one type of communication mode. Students might create a presentation or project that embeds video, text and photography. It is considered multi modal if it communicates a coherent message and if the elements work together to create a stronger message to demonstrate the learning of the given curriculum expectation.

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Finally, students are required to design their communication or demonstrate their learning through the completing a given task for a particular audience. Students must select the tools, context and style to reach a specific audience. At the end of the process, a period of reflection or testing should be allowed for where students can refine their project if needed. Self Regulation

21st Century Learning and STEAM based activities should give students to acquire self regulation skills. They must last long enough for students to plan their work over time and offer clear learning goals that students can use to plan and monitor their own work. When students plan their own work, they make decisions about the schedule and steps they will follow to accomplish the task. Planning their own work may involve deciding how to break down a complex task into a simpler task. Deciding when students create a schedule for and setting deadlines. When

students working in a determine how to divide the work amongst themselves. Students can ultimately decide where and when a given task will be completed. Use of ICT for Learning

ICT (Information and Computer Technology) is becoming increasingly common in classrooms and learning environments. It is often used to present or consume information than transform learning experiences. Some examples of Integration of ICT are as follows; Teachers using tools Google to change the delivery method for curriculum materials. Flipped Math is a

method whereas teachers give students curriculum resource ahead of the lesson and also allow them to refer back to the material. Coding uses Swift Playgrounds and Minecraft can be used for problem solving and computational thinking. Stop Motion Animation can be leveraged by the student to communicate learning goals as a presentation platform. The same can be said for using a tool like Garageband which is an audio editing program. Use of ICT must deepen their interpretation, analysis, synthesis or evaluation of the curriculum material, not of the tool itself. Evaluation of internet resources is also considered knowledge construction. This could help students become intelligent, ethical users of internet resources rather than passive consumers. ICT is required for the knowledge construction when it allows students to do knowledge construction activities that would be impossible or impractical without the use of ICT.

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The NeXt Lesson and The 4 C’s in Relation to STEAM

Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity are collectively considered the 4 C’s of 21st Century learning. They can be explored individually or in conjunction with one another. All four of these ideologies are present in STEAM learning activities without teachers or

students actively identifying them. They are present organically and integrated throughout the STEAM based activity. Critical thinking can be considered the starting point to any activity for both the teacher and the student. The teacher must consider if the given activity is appropriate for the students’ ability level and of course, where it fits in the curriculum. The teacher must also consider how they will assess the given activity and under what subjects they will be assessed for. From a student's point of view, they must assess how they are going to approach the task, given the materials and the timelines. They must also consider if there are roles to be determined if a group project was assigned by the teacher. The most import thing for the students to consider and think critically about is how in fact, the assigned project will be completed. Communication is an extremely important component of STEAM based learning in the 21C classroom. It is the basis to how instruction is given and how projects get completed. Discussion amongst peers fosters understanding of a given topic whereas ideas can be exchanged and different ideas can come about. Once the project is completed, students must decide how the ideas will be communicated to a given audience. Collaboration can take many forms in the 21C classroom when integrated into STEAM based learning. There is the the obvious collaboration between students within a group dynamic. Other forms of collaboration present in 21C and STEAM based learning can be between teacher and student, teacher, student and the learning environment. Teachers and students can collaborate with an expert on a given topic being taught. Students can also collaborate with technology and learning resources. Creativity can be considered the most important aspect to show all learning. Students should be allowed to demonstrate their understanding of a given curriculum based topic being taught. Teachers should allow and encourage students to move beyond pen and paper and explore other forms of presentation tools. When students are allowed to use presentation tools they are comfortable and be creative in the process, they are much more likely to be very engaged in the task that is given. When students are encouraged and allowed to be creative, they are much more likely to take ownership of their learning.

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Our task is to educate their (our students) whole being so that they can face the future. We may not see the future, but they will and our job is to help them make something of it. Sir Ken Robinson

Ken Robinson’s Extension of the 4 C’s of 21st Century Education

Compassion, Composure, Curiosity and Citizenship has been identified by Sir Ken Robinson in conjunction with Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity as the 8 C’s of education. These four additional components can also be integrated into STEAM learning. Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to help the physical, mental, or emotional pains of another and themselves. Compassion, therefore, fuels innovation. It gives a motivation to find a solution to an existing problem. Finding a solution to an existing problem can also connect curriculum to real world problem solving. Composure is defined as the state or feeling of being calm and in control of oneself. This is very similar to the competency of Self-Regulation. This encourages students to be flexible when planning a given task. They can also be flexible with different ideas and approaches within a group dynamic. Ultimately composure will allow students to direct their own behavior towards a given goal. This gola could be a task set out by the teacher or a real world issue that has been researched. Curiosity is a key ingredient of learning. It is having a strong desire to learn or know something. Teachers can develop this in their students by encouraging questions and finding media that stimulates curiosity. Teachers can also help model finding credible sources to help students build their knowledge. Curiosity, coupled with compassion will result in students taking ownership of their learning. Students will eventually begin to test assumptions and look for new learning opportunities without a teacher bringing a topic forward. Citizenship is ultimately what we are preparing our students for. It is the culmination of the learning done in the classroom that has prepared students for the real world. Students will eventually become more aware of the world around them. Through their learning in the classroom and their awareness of the world around them, they may be more inclined to do something innovative in order to change it for the better.

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How to assist schools in integrating STEAM – inspirational activities to spark ideas Makerspace Ideas

https://cooltoolsforschool.wordpress.com/makerspaces/ This website includes links to many different sources of information about how to transform a space (such as a library/learning commons) into a makerspace.

https://www.theedadvocate.org/what-you-need-in-your-makerspace/

https://www.theedadvocate.org/creating-makerspace-budget/

MakerTub or Makerspace on the Go: Don’t have room for an entire Makerspace or the thought seems overwhelming? Start small with a MakerTub for your classroom. Ideas of things to include: buttons, pipe cleaners, bottle lids, cotton balls, straws, cupcake liners, popsicle sticks, index cards, string, tape, etc. You can use this MakerTub as an activity for early finishers or a station in your classroom. Challenges could include: “Make an animal with a moving body part” or “What is the tallest free-standing structure you can make?” “Create something the main character from your novel might need/use” You could include these idea cards in the tub to give the students an idea of where to start!

The Project Planner is a PDF form that helps chart the progress of projects!

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Curriculum Connections for K-12 – ideas and projects to get schools activated!

Ontario curriculum connections for STEAM Tools such as: • 3D Printing • Circuits and Arduino • Robotics • Green Screen • Augmented and Virtual Reality

Within each of these tools the curriculum connections are broken down by curriculum component of STEAM. Also includes examples from Ontario classrooms! Lesson Plans and Activities

Consider these a place to start for inspiration or lesson plans for bringing or enhancing STEAM in your classroom.

UOIT STEAM Lab Lesson Plans

A great resource for lesson plans! This website includes Ontario Curriculum based lesson plans for Grades 1-8. They were collected by the STEAM-3D Maker Lab team at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa. They also have some lesson plans in French!

Ring Wing

Looking at “paper wings” past the basic paper airplane for Grades 3-8. Step by step instructions and folding template for younger students and/or students who need additional supports.

Robotic Arm Challenge

Using simple machines to create a functional Robotic Arm for Grades K-8.

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DiscoverE

You can filter for Grades K-12 lesson plans, hands-on activities, videos websites etc. You can also filter your search by grade level, subject matter or length of time. Some activities even have French handouts! You will initially need to provide an email address to access the activities, but you can select what, if any, kind of emails they can send you.

Coding without a Computer

This is a great Grades K-12 introduction activity to the idea of coding, without the need for computer! And even better, this activity has a handout available en francais! (And also in other languages like: Arabic, Russian, Spanish etc.)

Grade 10 Science: SNC 2D1 Physics strand (optics) and TDJ 20 (technological design) This includes a culminating task for the Physics strand of SNC 2D1 that includes some support from the TDJ 20 curriculum, making it a great STEAM activity.

On target

Minimal equipment required. This activity for Grades 6 -12 will really require students to work on the design process. They will likely need to test it multiple times as they are dealing with a number of variables (slope of zip line, release of marble, hitting the target). Student worksheet even explicitly supports design process thinking.

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STEAM ideas come from a variety of sources – here are some more! “The arts nourish the imagination and develop a sense of beauty, while providing unique ways for students to gain insights into the world around them.” (Ministry of Education, The Arts, K8, Page 3) There are no challenges to providing a traditional school experience with STEAM integration. The Arts plays a vital role in ensuring the harmonization of multiple subject areas being engaged. For Staff, the development towards an aesthetic is a chance to see curriculum as a multiple entry program, where work can be viewed not as a single course area but as a myriad of ideas ripe for student benefit. For example:

A. Structured Debates

1. Debates are rigorous, research-rich events where students and staff determine the subject areas. Topics should include both school material as well as current events.

The Toronto Debate Society is a non-profit organization that offers opportunities to “improve public speaking, develop leadership skills…build the confidence to pipe up in a meeting.”

The Ontario Student Debating Union is “the only province-wide, bilingual debating organization dedicated to increasing participation an achievement in high school debate.”

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B. SOLE – Self Organized Learning Environments

SOLE is a research and presentation model that asks students to develop their curiosities and wonderings. It allows for co-created content and knowledge, and

provides a chance for students to work within the structure of school, yet present ideas not from the textbook.

C. The Toronto Science Fair

The Toronto Science Fair program “encourages Kindergarten to Grade 12 students to undertake genuine scientific inquiry and technological innovation. Students begin with a question, problem, or idea that emerges from their everyday experience or through their work at school.” The fee for this event is paid by the TCDSB, therefore entry is free!

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The Arts within the curriculum The Arts play a vital and integral role within the curriculum. It is a well-defined, rich and impacting part of a student’s growth years in education. The arts play a significant role not solely in its subject areas, but as a complement to the others. Skills developed within the Arts

Education in the arts involves students intellectually, emotionally, socially, and physically. Learning through the arts therefore fosters integration of students’ cognitive, emotional, sensory, and motor capacities, and enables students with a wide variety of learning styles to increase their learning potential. For example, hands-on activities can challenge students to move from the concrete to the abstract, and the students learn that, while the arts can be enjoyable and fulfilling, they are also intellectually rigorous disciplines. Students also learn that artistic expression is a creative means of clarifying and restructuring personal experience. (Ministry of Education, The Arts 9/10, page 4)

Draw With Jazza: How to Practice – Improve your Art Skills, the Smart Way! In this tutorial, Jazza provides a practical and knowledgeable plan of action required for skill development in visual arts. The discipline requested from this tutorial is applicable to any art form and any other subject area.

Andrew Price at Blender Conference 2016 – The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Artists Artist Andrew Price discusses the Seven Habits that provide discipline for artists to become successful at the craft. Despite the belief that art is innate or inherited, it is a skill to be developed and can be learnt provided the necessary supports are in place to nourish the student.

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How the Arts skill set are essential to learning The Arts, Dance, Drama, Media or Visual, provide a unique set of skills that are required for our students to be successful. These skills can be found in other subject areas, however, in the Arts, they are intrinsic. The skills developed are constantly and consistently monitored in the Teacher-Student relationship through feedback. As students are working on their assignments, their teacher is noting successes and lessons to be demonstrated.

A. Dance – students are asked to create a short performance using a contemporary issue and an instrumental piece

1. Collaborating together, students select an issue and music, and provide a clear

understanding of why they have chosen them 2. Critically thinking about their issue and performance, they begin to curate ideas until

they have a few that provide the most potential 3. The Creative process begins as the movements are demonstrated within the group and

in tempo; more successful ideas come to the forefront 4. The success of the piece is whether the group was able to effectively communicate

their contemporary issue to the audience through dance 5. Skills developed: interpersonal relationships, spatial awareness, using music to enhance

performances

Image courtesy of https://www.therecord.com/photogallery/4365657 - TCDSB Annual Dance Festival

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B. Drama – students are asked to participate in a mock trial

1. Collaborating in teams consisting of the prosecution, defendant and defense, jury members, and the judge

2. Critically think about how to best present their roles; their parts require considerable research to be best prepared for the proceedings

3. The creative process evolves from a shared commitment to see the mock trial be successful

4. The success of the performance has many angles: did the prosecution convince the jury? Did the defendant and defense provide enough support to dismiss claims? Did the judge and jury perform their duties in learning about the criminal code and how it affects this case?

5. Skills developed: inter- and intra-personal relationships, effective listening, action-reaction thinking.

Image courtesy of TCDSB Madonna CHS

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C. Media – students are asked to create a photo-journal about immigration

1. Collaborating in groups or working individually, students look for not only images of the

immigrant experience, but may use their own story 2. Critically think about the push and pull factors of immigration that required their

movement (factors include: economic, social, religious, refugee, etc.) 3. The creative process provides ample means to deliver a photo-journal; paper media,

digital media, website, blog, vlog, etc. 4. The success of the work is in not only providing a W5H of the immigration protocol, but

also the story behind the move, the successes and struggles of the individual(s). 5. Skills developed: investigation and fact checking, effective listening, persuasive writing,

and media technology

Image courtesy of Msgr. Fraser College – Isabella Campus

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Visual – students are asked to create a fact rich graphic novel about the person of their choice

1. Collaborating in groups, students discuss the graphic novel format and a list of possible people based on co-determined criteria

2. Critically think about the specific roles each member will undertake. Determine timelines and check-in points to keep everyone on task

3. The creative process evolves as each member brings information and work together to highlight the chosen person. Ideas about format, style, content, etc. are discussed and decisions are made

4. The success of the work is based on how successful it is in being fact rich and easy to understand, amongst many other criteria.

5. Skills developed: use of an agenda, dedication, responsibility, and research

Image courtesy of https://www.catholiccompany.com/the-life-of-jesus-a-graphic-novel-i125371/

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Transferable Arts skills into other subject areas “Links can also be made between the arts and other disciplines. For example, symmetry in musical structure can be related to mathematical principles. Mathematics skills can be applied to drafting a stage set to scale, or to budgeting an arts performance. Students taking a history course can attempt to bring an event in the past to life by reinterpreting it in their work in drama. Because all the arts reflect historical, social, and cultural contexts, students taking history, geography, and social sciences can gain insights into other cultures and periods through studying the arts of those cultures and times. Arts students can also apply their knowledge of historical and cultural contexts to enhance their understanding and appreciation of works of art. Dance students can make use of scientific principles of physical motion in their choreography.” (Ministry of Education, The Arts, 9/10 Page 4)

Dragons' Den is an investment opportunity program “where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business concepts and products to a panel of Canadian business moguls who have the cash and the know-how to make it happen.” In this article, the core ideas of Empathy, Trust, Clarity, Value and Closure are emphasized. While many can create a product, the sales pitch is where the action is – and those are Drama skills.

Transferable skills into job / family / life opportunities (EQ not IQ) “Learning through the arts develops many skills, abilities, and attitudes that are critical in the workplace – for example, communication and problem-solving skills; the ability to be creative, imaginative, innovative, and original; the ability to be adaptable and to work with others; and positive attitudes and behaviours. For example, participation in arts courses helps students develop their ability to listen and observe, and thus to develop their communication and collaborative skills.” (Ministry of Education, The Arts, 11/12, Page 4)

In this article, published by the Appalachian State University, there are 25 Life Skills that the Drama curriculum fosters; such as: initiative, respect for colleagues and authority, concentration, dedication and leadership skills. By any measure, all are useful for a successful life.

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Integrated Learning through the Arts Various aspects of the arts can also be used to illuminate other aspects of the school curriculum or to help develop students’ skills in other subjects. For example, teachers may have students demonstrate their learning in other subjects by using artistic modes of expression. Through integration of the arts with other subjects, students can also develop broader abilities – for example, communication skills. In arts education, this is often referred to as “learning through the arts”. (Ministry of Education, The Arts K8, page 6) The arts nourish the imagination and develop a sense of beauty, while providing unique ways for students to gain insights into the world around them. All of the arts communicate through complex symbols – verbal, visual, and aural – and help students understand aspects of life in a variety of ways. Students gain insights into the human condition through ongoing exposure to works of art – for example, they can imagine what it would be like to be in the same situation as a character in a play, an opera, or a painting, and try to understand that character’s point of view. They identify common values, both aesthetic and human, in various works of art and, in doing so, increase their understanding of others and learn that the arts can have a civilizing influence on society. In producing their own works, students communicate their insights while developing artistic skills and aesthetic judgement. (Ministry of Education, The Arts 9/10, page 3)

Education is not the learning of facts,

but the training of the mind to think.

Albert Einstein

Thinker

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STEAM Resources Note: this list is nowhere near exhaustive. There are so many great STEAM picture books you can use in the classroom at any grade level! STEAM Book Review Vlogs: https://www.youtube.com/user/STEAMPoweredCR Beaty, A. (2007). Iggy peck, Architect. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Beaty, A. (2013). Rosie Revere, Engineer. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Beaty, A. (2016). Ada Twist, Scientist. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Berne, J. (2013). On a beam of light: A story of Albert Einstein.

San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. • available via TPL online

Berne, J. (2008). Manfish: The story of Jacques Cousteau. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

• also available online via TPL Blackburn, B. R. (2018). STEM/STEAM: Not just for high school http://www.edcircuit.com/stem-steam-not-just-high-school/ Retrieved on April 19, 2018 Browning, P. (2017). Why we should be thinking steam and not stem https://idealog.co.nz/design/2017/03/why-we-should-be-thinking-steam-and-not-stem Retrieved on April 19, 2018

Cronin, D. (2005). Diary of a spider. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books. DiOrio, R. (2010). What does it mean to be green? Belvedere, CA: Little Pickle Press. The Independent. (2016). Stem vs steam: How the sciences and arts are coming together

to drive innovation https://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/Studies/stem-vs-steam-how-the-sciences-and-arts-are-coming-together-to-drive-innovation-a7047936.html Retrieved on April 19, 2018

Kutner, L. & Slade, S. (2014). The soda bottle school. Thomaston, ME: Tilbury House. Lachman, R. (2018). Steam not stem: Why scientists need arts training http://theconversation.com/steam-not-stem-why-scientists-need-arts-training-89788 Retrieved on April 19, 2018

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Laden, N. (2000). Roberto: The insect architect. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books Okimoto, J. D. (2007). Winston of churchill: One bear’s battle against global warming. Seattle, WA:

Sasquatch Books.

Robinson, K. & Aronica, L. (2009). The element: How finding your passion changes everything. New York, NY: Penguin Books. Robinson, K. 2017). Out of our minds: The power of being creative. 3rd edition Mankato, MN: Capstone Publishers. Shaffer, T. (2017). STEM vs. STEAM: Why the “A” is Essential

https://naaweb.org/professional-development/item/773-stem-vs-steam-why-the-a-is-essential Retrieved on September 02, 2018 Smith, D. (2014). If: A mind-bending way of looking at big ideas and numbers.

Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press. Trilling, B. & Fadel, C. (2009). 21St Century Skills. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Van Dusen, C. (2007). If I built a Car. New York: Puffin Books. Yamada, K. (2014). What do you do with an Idea? Seattle: Compendium Inc.