The jobs of tomorrow have not yet been imagined. As the developments in science and technology continue to gather pace, it is of the utmost importance to nurture the skills that children need to succeed in the 21st century.
The Nord Anglia International School Rotterdam wants its students to imagine a world of infinite possibilities. In line with Nord Anglia Education’s groundbreaking collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the school has implemented a new approach to teaching science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), which plays an invaluable part in helping children to achieve academic, social and personal success.
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You may be familiar with STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) and might ask what the A in STEAM is and why MIT, Nord Anglia Education and NAISR feel the need to insert the extra letter? The A stands for Arts, because “…a vivid imagination for new ideas is not generated by deduction, but by an artistically creative imagination.” (Max Planck, founder of Quantum Physics).
From Leonardo de Vinci to Einstein, and from Bill Gates to Steve Jobs, advances in technology, science and engineering have relied upon creativity and imagination. By including Art in traditional STEM subjects, MIT and NAISR both recognise this.
Through practical, hands-on problem solving, students will develop transferable skills such as creativity, curiosity, resilience, resourcefulness, collaboration and confidence to help pave the way to a wide-open future.
As part of the program, NAISR’s brand-new STEAM room is designed to spark students’ creativity in new ways through applications of technology such as 3-D printers, green-screen rooms and robotics.
NAISR recognises that the world in which we live is evolving rapidly and that schools must do everything possible to prepare students for the world they will experience when they leave. Succeeding in the 21st century means learning how to think, not what to think.
Inspired by MIT, a core element of NAISR’s STEAM program is encouraging students to learn by doing, helping them to develop a greater understanding of concepts by testing theories in practice and solving real-world challenges.
These challenges are interdisciplinary, critical-thinking activities that present students with the challenge of a modern-day, real-world issue that has yet to be solved. Each requires significant levels of collaboration, experimentation and a solution developed through trial and error.
As Mark Orrow-Whiting, Director of Curriculum and Student Performance at Nord Anglia Education says, “Our role as educators is to inspire students to actively discover and persevere. We want to challenge students to try something new or tell them that it’s good to fail, however many times it takes until they succeed. We want students to learn from their mistakes and find solutions, and know that the greatest lesson they will learn is from the problem that they cannot solve.”
NAISR encourages ambition and curiosity, challenges students to reach for their dreams, and prioritises the development of real-world skills, thus preparing the students for future success in an ever-changing world.
The best way to experience the school, and see the new STEAM facilities, is to visit. To book a tour, or for further information, please contact the Admissions Office.