Lower School Full STEAM Ahead
by Lee Shawver, Design Technology Teacher & Full School Tech Assistant
The QAIS Design Department has expanded into the Lower School and is now serving students from Grade 1 to 12 (DP 2)!
At QAIS, we are inquirers, investigators, and innovators; and now students have more opportunities to develop those skills with science, technology, engineering, art, and maths (STEAM). Grades 1-5 are coming to the Design Shop weekly where they engage in exciting, hands-on projects. These projects will complement the Lower School’s units of inquiry, aligning mostly with the PYP Interdisciplinary Themes of How We Express Ourselves, How the World Works, and Sharing the Planet.
So far, excitement and engagement in the classroom has been high and teachers are thoroughly impressed by the knowledgeable young learners, and the expectations for student performance is being pushed higher and higher by the students themselves. For example, here are some of the vocabulary words that are being learned and reviewed in class: hypothesis, prediction, polygon, quadrilateral, and polyvinyl acetate – not sure what that word means? Ask a 4th grader! There are even MYP students supporting the program currently, by rewriting the MYP Design Technology Cycle using kid-friendly language. Students are creating the future!
小学部全力启动STEAM课程
Lee Shawver, 设计课程教师 & 学校技术支持
今年QAIS的设计课延伸至小学部，从一年级到十二年级的学生都要学习！QAIS的学生是探究者、调查者和创新者，有更多的机会通过科学、技术、工程、艺术和数学（STEAM）来发展这些素质。1-5年级的学生每周都要进入精心配置的设计课教室，动手参与令人兴奋的各种项目。这些项目同时与PYP跨学科单元主题“我们如何表达自我”、“世界怎样运作”、“共享地球”相关联。
开学至今，学生们在课堂上情绪高涨，非常投入，知识渊博的小学生们给老师们留下了深刻的印象，因此对学生表现的期望也越来越高。 例如，下面是在课堂上正在学习并复习的词汇：hypothesis, prediction, polygon, quadrilateral, and polyvinyl acetate（假设、预测、多边形、四边形和醋酸聚乙烯）……不知道这些词是什么意思？ 问问一个四年级学生！ 目前，甚至有MYP学生提供支持，使用适合儿童的编程语言，重新编写MYP设计技术学习流程。 学生们正在创造未来！
