STEAM project plays it forward

The Chicoine children found Popsicle sticks and Plasticine under their Christmas tree.

Grandfather Rene Chicoine dismissed the videogame aisle before Christmas Day, and bought gifts he said he “would’ve never dreamt of buying,” had it not been for a new extracurricular program in the Winnipeg School Division.

This winter marks one year of Young Designers — a play-based learning project that invites families into inner-city and central classrooms to encourage student imagination, collaborative building with unique toys and materials, and bonding over community meals.

“The incentive to come is that joy the kids get from learning and the experience the parents get from working one-on-one with the kids and what the kids can teach you — the humility, the self-esteem that builds for them, as well as you,” said Chicoine, a caregiver for two students in the STEAM initiative at Weston School.

STEAM — science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics — is an interdisciplinary approach to education that uses student voice and choice and hands-on exploration as access points to academic lessons.

Rather than starting with pen and paper, teachers leverage students’ curiosity, as well as manipulatives and technologies, to capture their attention and explore the curriculum after hours at Young Designers.

The facilitators — a trio of STEAM support teachers — travel from school to school to provide the six-week program to a group of 15 nursery-to-Grade 2 students.

Each 90-minute weekly session, which typically runs from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., begins with free play and ends with a group dinner. Participants spend the bulk of the time in a group read-aloud and a related STEAM design challenge inspired by the week’s storybook.

One fall assignment involved brainstorming about a fictional species and accompanying habitat. Chicoine’s youngest child came up with a creature who is half-dinosaur, half-gorilla and lives in a forest surrounded by an abundance of grass for the fantastic vegetarian to eat.

“Getting him to focus on something is a challenge and this has worked like a charm,” said the grandfather, who teared up as he spoke about the elementary schooler’s newfound confidence and budding leadership skills, both of which he attributed to the program.

At Young Designers, children and their caregivers play with light tables, robots, gear-building kits, pipe cleaners and geometric puzzles, among other crafty and constructible items that promote creativity and fine-motor skill development.

The division received $500,000 via the province’s strengthening student support and learning grant program to get the extracurricular off the ground. Participating schools receive STEAM kits, books and professional development. In addition to being fed, every family takes home a copy of the storybook of the week.

Teacher Adam Charbonneau said the initiative was designed to “dispel” the myth that play can only happen between children and to make learning — in particular, developing collaboration, oral language and negotiation skills — fun.

Charbonneau noted his goal is to ensure STEAM is “alive and well in a building once we’ve left.”

City teachers were experimenting with the contemporary approach long before Young Designers’ launch in February 2023 and the WSD board’s summer appointment of a leader who proudly champions STEAM.

However, chief superintendent Matt Henderson recently bolstered the division’s commitment to inquiry-based learning by creating a management position dedicated to it. WSD has had an assistant superintendent of innovation, STEAM and engagement since Oct. 30.

Weston School’s principal welcomed that development.

Not only does STEAM promote curiosity and critical thinking among students, but it also requires adults to “really, truly listen to what kids want to share in their learning,” said Lisa Richardson, who oversees the nursery-Grade 6 school on Logan Avenue.

“(Young Designers) builds bridges. It builds the bridge for parents to come in and have conversations,” she said. “The doors become more open, and that really impacts our student learning.”

The program is slated to run at Tyndall Park, Strathcona, LaVérendrye and Glenelm elementary schools before the end of 2023-24.

Sargent Park and Weston hosted sessions in autumn.

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