Our Form 2 classes benefit from a Wednesday afternoon of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) every week throughout each of the three terms. The children are able to use the extensive facilities on offer at Senior House in our two Science labs and computing suite. Already this term they have carried out an orienteering session and as one of their first STEM teamwork missions, they undertook an engineering project which centred on working collaboratively to build the tallest freestanding structure using only 40 straws and 20 pipe cleaners.
For their tallest tower project, each pair worked on their structure in the space of the main Hall whilst the teachers measured the height of each one and updated the recorded results so the children could see how theirs compared with their peer's as something to aim for. Prior to the building stage the children used the school Chromebooks to research which was the tallest structure in the UK, Europe and also throughout the world and they looked carefully to see what 3D shapes made the strongest structures for the bases of these buildings. The children also considered what shapes the towers were and whether they were narrow or wide at the top and bottom. After a set length of time, the children were introduced to the concept of making an even sturdier structure using only one pipe cleaner, bent to make four joins. At the end of the afternoon, the children were given time to inspect each other's towers to evaluate not only their own but also which bases and general shapes resulted in the strongest towers.
STEM lessons (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) at St John's are predominantly aimed at children in Form 2, giving them the opportunity to take ownership of the curriculum and make connections across different disciplines with projects that often culminate in designing, building and testing a physical model. some Senior House year groups also benefit from STEM Faculty Afternoon sessions and, last academic year, enjoyed constructing their own marble runs with specific design requirements, as well as following instructions to build, test and modify their own Robot Duck.
STEM activities help the children to ask questions, problem solve, think creatively and produce innovative solutions. These sessions also encourage the children to build on critical thinking skills and they foster ingenuity and creativity leading to new ideas and innovations. One Form 2 child commented, "We started with a completely different base from our end tower structure as we quickly learned that a triangular-shaped base was the most solid and that it worked well to start wide and end up with a narrow tower top. I never knew you could use pipe cleaner to make such a strong join!"
