Parent Teacher Magazine Union County Public Schools September 2017 | Page 13

New Town Elementary goes full STEAM ahead
On any given day, New
Town Elementary teacher
Bryan McKenzie’s classroom
could look like an art studio.
The next day, it could be
mistaken for a math class.
The day after that? An
engineering lab.
That’s the beauty of
the school’s new science,
technology, engineering,
arts and math (STEAM) lab,
a place where New Town
Elementary students in
kindergarten through fifth
grade are spending their days
developing a lifelong love of learning.
“Inquiry, curiosity, collaboration and being creative at finding
solutions are at the heart of our STEAM approach. The future
is continually developing and we know that it’s critical to our
students’ success that they have a strong foundation in a lifelong
love of learning,” said New Town Elementary Principal Catherine
Perry. “I feel strongly that play is critical in early development
stages because that’s how children learn. That’s why we provide
them with the time to collaborate and work with blocks and
technology – that lifelong love of learning is what this STEAM lab
fosters.”
Located in the school’s former computer lab, the new and
growing STEAM lab offers every student the opportunity to
explore technology tools, conduct their own research and test out
their engineering skills with building kits. Art supplies are also
interspersed throughout the room and student artwork is adorned
on the walls.
The lab is a work in progress, Bryan said, as future items on
their wish list include a smart piano and an Apple TV to showcase
student work and instruction as well as more coding kits and
building materials.
However, Bryan added, the goal isn’t to have the lab filled with
so many items that the students work in isolation during class.
“As you can tell, there’s not a technology tool for every child
and that’s purposeful because you want a variety of resources
that encourage them to be collaborative and work together,”
he said. “We live in a world of kids on devices by themselves.
They’re conditioned to always have something in their hands and
to not share, but this lab is about getting them to work together
with other people and use resources together.”
After Bryan demonstrated one of the brand-new coding tools
to a class of students who were practically begging to tear into
the boxes and start coding on their own, fifth graders Jason Hea
and Addison Kee said the STEAM lab is one of their favorite fine
arts classes offered this year.
Although they have differing future career goals – Jason
wants to be a software developer while Addison wants to be an
eye doctor – the two were unanimous in their love of the hands-
on STEAM lab where they’re both able to test out their problem
solving skills.
“I love coding, it’s my favorite thing to do because I like to
direct whatever we’re working with to success. I like solving
problems,” Jason said. “I really feel like everyone should have the
opportunity to experience a class like this.”
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Parent Teacher Magazine • Nov/Dec 2018 • 11