My school hosted a STEAM night. We, the STEAM Night committee, created a rotation where students went from one event to the next. First, we had some computer time in the first grade classes so kids could visit the Hour of Code or Math Playground websites. Second we found a neat activity where students created necklaces based on the binary codes for letters. Third was a tower challenge where they had to build at least one foot high that would resist an earthquake (shaking the desk) and strong winds (fanning with a clipboard).
It went well. Teachers seemed to like it and so far the feedback from the community has been good. But, reflecting on the night, one thing that now bothers me was the lack of student voice. There was not any. It was sort of the same dynamic we normally have at school. Teachers create activities. Students do activities.
But, there was nothing there that was student created. There could have been a student lead session where students were in charge. Maybe a night where students showcased some of their work? Maybe a whole Project Based Learning night where they shared the final projects.
I do not want to take away from what we did, I am proud of it. It was a departure from what we have done in the past. But, eventually the question is, where do we go from here. Bringing in the voices of our students seems like a great step.
PS: The schedule in the paragraph does not match the schedule in the picture. We had four different versions of the schedule, each one starting in a different place. That way there was an relatively equal starting distribution between the 4 different activities.
Notes For Kevin 