STEAM Learning

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM ) is an educational discipline that aims to spark an interest and lifelong love of the arts and sciences in children from an early age. Teaching relevant, in-demand skills is important not only for the future of our students, but the future of the world.

BY CHAKRIS KUSSALANANT

STEAM learning takes place at all grade levels inside Springfield Public Schools (SPS); from learning how to use a microscope and understanding basic biology, to building custom robots and analyzing the biodiversity of our local forests. All SPS students have access to different learning opportunities that highlight our district’s commitment to meeting Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

“Most folks know that STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math, but what we're really talking about is creating an experience for students that is more real world than what some of our traditional teaching methods have brought them,” explains Dara Brennan, Science TOSA. “A teacher might choose to bring together multiple concepts or standards from these different disciplines to create a learning experience that students then get to explore and expand their knowledge through some hands-on learning and possibly engineering as well, depending on the types of goals that the teacher has for the students.”

For example, Brennan leads an experience called Micro Explorations, which brings microscopes to elementary schools in our district to introduce children to the device and some basic concepts of science research, but does so using some very fun and creative lessons that match NGSS concepts at every level.

“It’s so weird,” said with amazement seven-year-old Lily Sorensen, a second grader at Page Elementary, when she first saw the structure of a feather up-close through a microscope. She and others in her class got the opportunity to learn about the different parts of a microscope and then inspect all sorts of items using the tool, including small fossils, wood cuttings, rocks, pieces of electronic boards, and even their own fingernails. 

Traditional science learning focused heavily on ensuring students had a common body of knowledge and understanding of the historical figures that influenced scientific discoveries. Today, with NGSS there is a greater focus on the process of doing science, learning about engineering practices, conducting chemistry experiments and finding ways to connect big scientific concepts with everyday life.

To advance a more hands-on and pragmatic STEAM learning approach, a Curriculum Adoption Committee that included teachers and administrators was formed in 2024 and conducted a review of different instructional options for the district’s middle and high school science curriculums. SPS chose Stile for middle schools and Patterns for high schools.

The adoption of Stile in particular generated a lot of enthusiasm from many SPS science teachers, who love the science curriculum for its interactive activities, easy to use interface and customization of lesson content. The curriculum was originally developed in Australia and has been around for a decade. Stile has their US headquarters in Portland, which means support for our teachers is close at hand. In 2024, a total of 22 school districts in Oregon adopted Stile, making it officially the state’s favorite science curriculum for middle schools. 

 “One thing that Stile does really well, is they have their lessons outlined,” explains Sarah Sperry, sixth grade science teacher at Briggs Middle School. “They also have what's called a X Stile textbook. It's basically like a workbook for every unit that we cover. The book has everything from a related coloring page to glossary pages, fill in the blanks sections and even generating your own information—so students can conduct their own independent study.”

Stile units also focus on hands-on collaborative team experiments. Sperry recently adapted a Stile water cycle and condensation experiment (meant to be done outdoors) to the inside of her classroom, students worked in teams to setup the experiment using beakers, glass marbles, rubber bands, shrink wrap, water and heat lamps. 

However, sometimes science learning is not all about experiments or phenomena, but more about learning and making sense of things that happen with our bodies. During a recent Stile lesson, eighth grade science teacher Scott Olds at Agnes Stewart Middle School was teaching students about genetic mutations, and what happens when our cells become corrupted and grow out of control, and discussed the differences between a tumor and a deadly cancer.

“It is somewhat of a brutal lesson, since some students know about it or have a loved one struggling with cancer,” explains Olds. “Bringing-up a topic like cancer helps give them knowledge, and knowledge is power. If they understand more about this awful disease, it helps them understand and cope with it better. Any time we can find something in the curriculum that touches them at a personal level, the students are more engaged and the outcomes are better.”

In addition, Stile provides a lot of opportunity for students to share answers to questions with the class and the teacher, either for open or private review, allowing students to receive feedback about their language use, sentence structure and logic. As a secondary benefit, the curriculum helps students improve their language skills while learning about science.

The value of science learning lies in its ability to cultivate critical thinking skills, foster curiosity, encourage problem-solving, provide understanding of the world around us, enable informed decision-making, and drive innovation through the development of new technologies and solutions to practical problems.

In 2020, SPS adopted the Patterns High School Science Sequence; a three-year course pathway and curriculum aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The sequence consists of freshman physics, sophomore chemistry, and junior biology courses. Each course uses common instructional strategies, real world phenomena, and design challenges to engage students and support their learning.  Developed in Oregon by teachers from the Beaverton School District and Portland Metro STEM Partnership, the curriculum is a combination of teacher-generated and curated open-content materials.

“Our high school science program Patterns is truly a testament to our approach of having all students have access to all the standards,” says Brennan. “With three science credits required for graduation, we made sure that all of the science standards fit into those three credits so that all students receive an education around all of the high school science standards, and that allows for further advancement in AP classes and college.”

Chemistry teacher at Thurston High School, Jon Hornung has seen first-hand the benefits of implementing Patterns and an enrollment increase in College Now Chemistry and science courses. Hornung joined the district in 2021 and had to teach College Now Chemistry online to both Springfield and Thurston high school students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. At the time, he had 20 students from Springfield and only three students from Thurston. Today, Hornung has a class with more than 40 students and a total forecast of 65 students for 2025-26. College Now Biology at THS has increased from barely 10 students in previous years to a projected enrollment of 25 for next year.

“What I really appreciate about it is that I work with two awesome chemistry teachers and we are all on the same page about what needs to be taught, how it needs to be taught and when we are going to teach it,” says Hornung. “We’ve been able to make sure no matter what classroom you are in you're going to get the exact same chemistry instruction and it helps the Chemistry Now classes because each student is going to come with the same understanding. It is really nice because I don’t have to back-fill anything!”

When it comes to the future of science learning in Springfield Public Schools, teachers have different opinions on investments and refinements. Several want to see more well-defined science curriculum at the elementary level, while others wish to have more content resources for secondary classes and more science-related CTE pathways in high schools. 

However, perhaps the most basic shift and simplest investment proposal came from chemistry teacher Jon Hornung, who has made it his personal mission to focus on bringing a love for science to those students struggling with school and low self-esteem.

“The goal I have is getting kids who traditionally wouldn’t consider themselves scientists to take the advanced level classes,” says Hornung. “We have a lot of students who just see themselves as just a kid from Springfield and they don’t view that as powerful. And I want them to know that going through this program is going to set them up for success. I want them to know they can take the knowledge they learn here and go anywhere!”