Meet Dalton School HK, a dual-language primary school that used Big Bang Academy to fulfill STEAM needs

‍

PLANNING A NEW KIND OF STEAM LEARNING

Incorporating STEAM education in a cramped curriculum through workshops

‍

‍

In a world that is changing at a pace like never before, STEAM is the thing that will keep kids afloat. But there’s only so many hours of the day and so many teachers, how can schools efficiently prepare students with the skills to succeed in the future?

Dalton School HK looks to empower students to thrive in a global, technological society. Recognizing the importance of immersive STEAM learning experiences, the school invited Big Bang Academy to host workshops as part of their STEAM day, which was open to both students and visitors.

workshop date: 11/2021

The school wanted educators who focused on the hands-on, practical side of STEAM — Big Bang Academy was brought on for this exact reason. We worked to find resource-efficient arrangements and designed experiments that suited the school’s objectives best.

‍

IT’S TEACHING TIME

Small booth teaching to cater students with all needs

‍

We set up experiment booths and hosted 3 different grade-specific workshops for students grade 1-6. Moreover, our classes of 20 allowed for an optimal 1:8 teacher student ratio ensured that every child received the attention and guidance they deserved.

Here’s what they learnt:

Grade 1-2

Scientific concept: Acid and base
Experiment: “Melt your brainz — DIY bath bomb”

Grade 3-4

Scientific concept: Potential and kinetic energy
Experiment: “Olympian for a day — DIY bow and arrow”

Grade 5-6

Scientific concept: Electrical engineering
Experiment: “Big Bang Wizards — DIY LED magic wand"

We made hands-on experiments the centerpiece of our lessons, and demonstrated scientific concepts in a way kids would find amusing and easily understand.

Beyond the fascination factor, hands-on experiments let students learn through trial and error, challenging them to identify mistakes on their own and learn how to correct them independently.

In traditional school systems, science concepts are taught through textbooks, lectures and other “hands-off” means. This style of knowledge regurgitation rarely enables students to become independent thinkers and problem-solvers.

Hands-on experiments hold the key to effective science learning — there’s never a failed experiment, just one that uncovers new knowledge. Such a spirit inspires students to learn with perseverance and remain curious despite the unexpected outcome!

‍

‍

HOW IT TURNED OUT

The school features that made the STEAM Day a success

‍

Through our collaboration, we noticed several things that Dalton School HK did to facilitate and enhance STEAM learning.

Firstly, the school had a dedicated lab-styled STEAM classroom. As our experiments tended to get messy and sometimes require water, this made conducting STEAM experiments and activities a lot more convenient.

Secondly, the school had a dedicated time-slot where students could learn an extra-curricular subject within the school day, called “X time”. We believe this feature facilitates students’ learning well and equips them with more hands-on experiences, especially in science.

‍

150+ happy students and growing…

In the end, over 150 students and visitors joined our workshop and claimed a trial pack to Big Bang Lab. Kids really enjoyed learning science through experiments and crafts.

“I really liked the workshop because I do not do many experiments in class normally.”

“I learnt that the harder I pull my bow, the farther the arrow goes!”

“I can decorate and make my wand even brighter by adding another coin battery!”

Hands-on experiment and crafts compliment learning, allowing students to be creative in the process!

Teachers also expressed that we saved their precious time and energy to deliver an exceptional STEAM learning experience.

After the success of the STEAM day, we are providing ECAs for Dalton School HK’s 2022 spring term. Dalton has also agreed to collaborate with us on future workshops and camps that promote STEAM to both students and even non-students, as we share the vision to provide STEAM education to children from schools that may not have sufficient resources to do so.

‍