STEAM/PBL in the Classroom - A Hands-On Experience

Facilitators: Paula Marra, UNIS

STEAM activities cross silo boundaries and we believe it can be much more effective to show someone a
STEAM project than to explain it in a lecture format. The hands-on format is impactful both because the
participants can see how their students would experience the project, and also because they can more
easily visualize how they could execute something similar themselves.

This workshop combines a hands-on activity where participants will observe the lesson being given
to students at AS Barcelona or at Benjamin Franklin International School. The activity we will use is
one we have developed at our school, which we call iCity: using a differentiated approach, the
students will work together to develop and build a model city using various materials: recyclables,
art materials, and appropriate technology.

We will spend at least the first part of the morning with the students, followed by a 2 hrs session
with the delegates to unpack the learning.

During the project, the students will discuss geography, urban planning, engineering, architecture, geometry,
the atmosphere, weather, and urban plants and animals, all in context. If possible, the children should do
two activities beforehand: a neighborhood walk (they should take pictures of what they see); and making
recordings of city sounds. All material can be shared with us via Google Drive. The delegates, too, should
prepare beforehand, by identifying a unit they would like to work on.
After the workshop with the children, we will unpack the session with the delegates who observed the lesson
and discuss how they can develop their own STEAM unit using the example of iCity. We will show how
subject areas such as technology, math, science, and art can be integrated in a PBL experience; how
teachers can collaborate to develop and extend their own STEAM projects; and how to design innovative
units together with students, making them stewards of their own learning. We will discuss the use of Design
Thinking in addressing implementation challenges.
iCity, at its heart, is built around an exercise where the students build a model of a city. We look forward to
sharing this with you all.
Learning Outcomes
The delegates will be able to understand:
1.
2.
3.

What is a PBL STEAM experience?

How can it be used to make learning content more relevant to students?
How can teachers collaborate on a PBL experience?

Applicability
The delegates will be able to:
1.

Develop their own unit using each other and us as resources.

Impact
The delegates will experience firsthand how learning happens and how rich it is when different subjects are
brought together to collaborate towards a common goal.