Q&A: Full STEAM Ahead transforms climate concerns into motivation to create solutions
By Katherine Ouellette
Summer vacation doesn’t mean students have to stop learning. The Full STEAM Ahead Into Summer program offers middle school-aged learners the chance to dive into hands-on education designed by MIT Open Learning’s pK-12 team. The lessons focus on topics in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) with an emphasis on collaboration, problem-solving, and real-world applications.
As the MIT pK-12 team gets ready for the next cohort this July 21 — August 8, Joe Diaz, program manager and STEAM educator at Open Learning, reflects on last year’s program surrounding climate action and sustainability.
Q: What does MIT pK-12 aim to achieve with this program?
A: The goal of the Full STEAM Ahead Into Summer program is to encourage participants to explore new ideas with hands-on learning. Participants are challenged with tasks that require them to learn about STEAM topics that they may not encounter in more traditional learning settings. The learners are encouraged to consider relevant global challenges and to think both critically and creatively about connections to their own local environments. Teams of learners construct ideas of their own design through engineering, art, and project creation.
Another motivator for the program is to give an opportunity for the learners to be on MIT’s campus, interacting with MIT faculty and students and getting mentorship through student peers. Starting in 2024, we began hiring high school students to act as Program assistants to support mentors during the program and to connect with the younger learners, and this year, MIT Admissions will join our program to help provide guidance with their college planning and aspirations.
Q: How do you select the topics the program teaches?
A: Each year, our summer program chooses focus areas from the UN Sustainable Development Goals to connect the program activities to information and challenges that learners are likely to encounter in their daily lives. These topics are not only timely but are also very compatible with STEAM education emphasis on collaboration, problem-solving, and real-world applications.
Q: Why did last year’s program focus on climate action and sustainability?
A: Addressing climate change is an Institute-wide priority at MIT. Our decision to select the UN Sustainable Development Goals of Climate Action and Sustainable Cities and Communities stems from the urgent need to address global climate issues and challenges in many types of communities. This year’s program will continue to focus on these goals. Throughout the three weeks the learners will be on campus, teams will rotate through a series of modules that address sustainable practices and climate research in different ways. The learners engage with many topics and technologies as they consider what is next for sustainable climate action.
Earlier this year, the pK-12 team also launched Day of Climate, with a free hands-on curriculum developed by the broader MIT community, to engage learners and educators in concrete actions addressing climate and sustainability challenges.
Q: Which topics were learners inspired to address in their projects?
A: Challenges that were common last year and featured across multiple projects were informed by the lessons learned from module topics including ambient light pollution, measuring climate data, production of excess CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Learners considered more advanced topics around carbon sequestration, 3D modeling, observing ambient light levels, and reporting out on recorded data from temperature sensors. Some groups also focused on expressions of art intended to inform others about climate issues and inspire hope for the future.
There were many excellent projects! One group that shined in particular developed a light art installation for local parks. This structure was designed to provide light for nighttime activities, be powered through stored energy from solar panels, and keep ambient light lower than street lights. They also aspired to open a program to collaborate with local artists and feature different cultures.
Q: How did learners feel about climate change and working towards climate solutions?
A: Understanding the challenges ahead with climate action can be daunting. But while global issues with changing climates exist, solutions do too. Moreover, it is made clear that the students need to have a role in deciding what happens next for the future of the globe. The Full STEAM Ahead Into Summer program offered young learners the space, resources, and support to consider actions for tackling these issues. Participants drew from everything they learned about as well as their own experiences and interests and, in doing so, transformed their concerns into motivation instead of apathy.
Q: What’s next for Full STEAM Ahead Into Summer?
A: This summer, MIT pK-12 is excited to incorporate lessons and activities from our Day of Climate curriculum. These hands-on educational materials and tools help learners better understand climate change, its impacts, and potential solutions. The Day of Climate modules are a natural addition to our Full STEAM Ahead Into Summer program since both efforts are focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, empowering future STEAM leaders to address continuing climate challenges.
To learn more about this year’s Full STEAM Ahead into Summer Program visit fullsteam.mit.edu.
Q&A: Full STEAM Ahead transforms climate concerns into motivation to create solutions was originally published in MIT Open Learning on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.