JEROMESVILLE – Dave Baker stood outside a classroom next to the Hillsdale Local Schools library.
He was surrounded by machines made from K’nex blocks. A Ferris wheel was spinning, a car was going up and down a roller coaster, and all the machines made a soft “whirring” sound.
The walls were covered with painted gears and printed with words like “craft,” “innovate,” and “design.”
Baker began Friday’s class by explaining basic engineering principles and the six types of machines to the fifth-graders. He then distributed buckets of popsicle sticks to each table.
He gave the class the task of building a structure out of the popsicle sticks. Each student had to build their own part and then stack them. The goal: to build the tallest building out of popsicle sticks.
As students began construction, Baker walked around the classroom and gave feedback.
Baker is no stranger to teaching. He spent 45 years in the classroom before retiring for a few years. Now he’s come out of retirement and back in the classroom, leading Hillsdale’s new STEAM classes.
What is STEAM?
STEAM is an acronym and stands for “Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math”.
According to the Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM, there has long been a push to offer more STEM programs in schools, but, the institute argues, incorporating “arts” into this approach is key.
The future requires education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics as well as “application, creation and ingenuity,” the institute’s website states.
Other schools in the area are working on similar initiatives to move toward “STEAM.” St. Edward School, for example, placed a strong emphasis on “STREAM” education — adding the “r” for “religion” — when the school launched a year-long NASA science program last fall.
Baker is teaching STEAM courses for fourth through eighth graders at Hillsdale this year. He is assisted in the seventh and eighth grade courses by Hillsdale Talent Development Coordinator Andrew Lewellen.
According to Superintendent Catherine Trevathan, this is the first time these courses have been offered in the district.
“The idea is that we want to start STEAM and become a STEAM district,” Baker said.
What is covered in class?
Baker said he has carts filled with STEAM materials for students in kindergarten through fourth grade. These carts include materials like Legos, a Hot Wheels track and cars, PVC pipes and connectors, and more.
Fourth, fifth and sixth grade students receive a STEAM lesson from him once a week to get started in the program.
The curriculum for them includes learning the six simple machines, the acronym STEAM, building for strength and stability, and several basic principles of engineering.
Seventh and eighth graders build on those foundations, Baker said. In STEAM, the elective course lasts a quarter of the school year.
Seventh- and eighth-grade students can work with hand tools in the STEAM program. They also learn how to use equipment such as 3D printers and engravers, as well as skills such as computer graphics and television production.
Currently, STEAM courses are only offered to students through eighth grade, but Baker said he is working on developing course proposals that he could offer to high school students in the future.
These course suggestions include robotics, a drone licensing program, and a course that gives students the opportunity to improve their STEAM skills and use power tools.
Why STEAM?
During his class on Friday, students experimented to figure out the best way to build the tallest popsicle stick structure. Each group had different approaches to building a stable base.
For example, Willow Rieck’s group used a grid pattern to build the base for a popsicle stick and then build different sections higher.
Kylie Matheny, another member of her group, said just stacking the popsicle sticks made her fall over. It’s all about the base, Lacey Power said.
But the fifth-graders said they not only enjoyed building the tower, but also the opportunity to be creative at work, do hands-on work and collaborate with friends.
“I knew it would be fun, but not that much,” said Kennedy Hagenbaugh, the group’s fourth member.
That’s what STEAM is all about, according to Baker. It allows students to get hands-on and demonstrate their knowledge in a different way than they would in other classes.
All this is important for students both in school and for their future.
“We are training children for jobs that don’t yet exist,” Baker said.
He believes STEAM can expand their future opportunities – while providing them with hands-on fun.
This independent, local reporting by our Report for America Corps members is brought to you in part by the generous support of the Ashland County Community Foundation.
