STEAM
Since the inception of the Owatonna STEM education program in 2012, it has grown and expanded from simply teaching science, technology, engineering and math to a method of teaching and learning that fully integrates these core subjects along with language arts, social studies, physical education and art & music. Across grades kindergarten through 8th grade, Owatonna students and teachers are engaged in STEAM & ESTEM learning.
STEAM:
Science+Technology+Engineering+Arts+Math = Learning, it’s about:
- Asking Scientific questions
- Creating and using new Technologies
- Engineering solutions to real world problems
- Building skills in creativity and Art
- Mathematical thinking and analysis
ESTEM for students in grades 6-8 explore how our relationship with the world’s natural Environment allows students to be integral parts of solving problems our communities face everyday. Students investigate how choices we make impact the world around us and they can learn the necessary knowledge and skills to help build a better world for the future.
The Owatonna Public Schools STEAM & ESTEM programs have been recognized as a national and international leader in K-8 education by the University of Minnesota National Center for STEM Education, Minnesota Department of Education and International Association for Science Education. With support from Bosch Inc., 50 teachers in ISD761 have earned graduate certification in STEM Education to bring highly qualified teachers to all grades and subjects areas K-8. Owatonna Public Schools are also building partnerships with schools across the United States and Japan to share ideas, educational programs and student exchanges.
STEAM & ESTEM are more than subjects to be taught, it is a way of teaching and learning, a mindset that teachers and students rely on to understand our world and the complex relationships students will be inheriting as they mature into adults. It is with a STEAM mindset coupled with skills in literacy, mathematics and engineering that we believe our students will become leaders in the world they steward as adults.
