STEM

Benefits of STEM

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. However, STEM is much more than just those subject areas, it is a way of thinking about problems and finding solutions. It is about equipping our students with the thinking skills they will need to be future innovators, entrepreneurs and inventors. 

Higher order thinking skills are crucial in STEM, where we want to challenge students to go past remembering, understanding and applying and begin to create, evaluate and analyse. STEM lessons also embed the 21st Century skills of critical and creative thinking, collaboration, communication and ICT skills as essential skills for all learners at Nailsworth Primary School.

What we teach in STEM

Teachers deliberately design activities to meet Science and Technology curriculum outcomes and to extend student’s current abilities, introducing them to new concepts in a hands-on and engaging way. 

Students investigate a range of “possible products” or prototypes and focus on solution sharing techniques. 

Students will find solutions to real world problems using the Design Thinking framework (empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test) to organise their thinking. They will use the STEM Maker Spaces to design, make and evaluate possible solutions. Depending on student interest and choice, students will be able to use a range of digital and physically constructed solutions.