STEM in action

At the start of the new school year, many schools will wake up with newly constructed STEM spaces. But what does this actually mean? Do teachers and students know about the new opportunities in front of them? Do parents know where they are sending their children?

To provide clarity on the topic and ensure that the term "STEM" does not become an abstract concept that everyone strives for but no one understands, we, the team of Lusio Architects, decided to tell you more about the recent educational trend. Last year, we had the honor to draft the Guidelines for the Physical Environment in School STEM Centers for the National Program "Building a School STEM Environment" of the Ministry of Education and Science. This year, we continued to accumulate experience with the design of several similar STEM spaces in various cities in Bulgaria.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) centers are a combination of educational spaces with a common focus on integrating educational content and experiences in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematical thinking. Often this skill collaboration adds art (steAm - art), through its potential application in every sphere of life.

In their work process, students use various learning modes: independent research, group project work, participation in debates and discussions, remote conversations, and meetings with other students from around the world. The new school space should support them in each of these modes, not just be a renovated and equipped "specialized room" used in a singular way and kept under lock. The biggest challenge for architects and designers is to transform these learning and working modes in architectural space. Despite the difficulties, this is the path to creating a modern and appropriate environment for developing 21st-century skills.

In order to make it even more easily explained and accessible, architects specialized in design for children and educational architecture associate different learning modes with natural objects known to all of us. Inspiration for this can be found in the book "Campfires in Cyberspace: Primordial Metaphors for Learning in the 21st Century" by David D. Thornburg, Ph.D., which envisions how education and learning change in the new millennium. The learning environment should be shaped according to the way children learn - lecture or presentation, individual work, working in several small groups or two large ones, working with students from different classes and even different age groups. The school space should be able to provide all these learning and sharing opportunities, even raising them to a new level, allowing easy switching between modes and complementing and developing them. Students themselves should recognize the space and find their place in a cozy and age-appropriate environment.

If we have managed to awaken your curiosity, we will now strive to inspire you by revealing details about each of the learning modes, again refracted through nature, which is the prototype and origin of all life.

We always look up, towards the top! But at the top of the Mountain, you're alone, and then all eyes are on you! Familiar situation? Similarly, in lecture mode, when the communication is one-sided, all students carefully follow the teacher, their speech and movements. Of course, the teacher should not always be the source of information; this is a very suitable mode for practicing presentation skills by the students themselves. The mode can be verbal (lecture), but also non-verbal: exhibition, play presentation, etc. In this mode, it is important to provide clear visibility to the presenter and comfort for the listeners - good acoustics, appropriate seating - an amphitheater with soft cushions, or even a soft flooring - and to ensure enough space for active participation by all interested. For example, if a discussion breaks out after the lecture, everyone should have clear visibility and an opportunity to join.

There are moments in our daily lives, however, when you want to be alone, to hide in a Cave. The next space is designed as a secluded nook for students. These are the "hiding places" for students. A cozy and inviting environment that invites children to tranquility, silence, and focus. These hiding places should be evenly distributed throughout the educational space, unobtrusive, but still clearly visible. Everyone is welcome in the cave, no one should feel isolated or insecure.

If a student needs a little help and doesn't want to work alone but rather in a small group of friends, then he can turn to the Campfire of the school space. That's where new ideas and inspirations "ignite". Slightly secluded yet larger corners that gather several people, ready to discuss, argue, and create big ideas. These spots are also perfect for socialization, meetings, and informal conversations. The furnishings should encourage such gatherings with good acoustics that support debates. Interaction with the rest of the learning environment should be incessant (e.g., always being able to write on the board or post materials and ideas).

The linking element between all these modes is the Watering hole- sometimes calm and quiet, other times stormy and noisy. The common areas (corridors and the foyer) are the "watering holes" in the school - high activity communication takes place here - casual encounters of different people of different ages. This is not just a place for passing by, but in some cases also suitable for learning and spots for socialization, meetings, and rest should be present. It's best if these zones are multifunctional to fit well into all possible scenarios that students and teachers will come up with. Good lighting, a welcoming atmosphere, and comfortable furniture are essential for this space.

Very often nowadays, we hear how schools prepare students with a lot of theoretical knowledge with no practical applicability. That's why new educational spaces are promoting the opportunity to learn by Experience and Doing. It's essential to provide materials and tools, equipment, and resources to fuel this "experience". In this mode, small, noisy groups usually work together, explore, and experiment, apply their knowledge and build upon it. Thus, the furnishing should be suitable for group work, encouraging curiosity and enthusiasm for experiments. Having enough storage furniture is key - some of them should be freely accessible, so that even after school hours students are welcome to "mess around".

Regardless of which mode they are currently in, every child should be free to move and feel comfortable and cozy. Physical activity enhances students' cognitive skills, so it's important for the learning environment to allow them to Move everywhere, not just during sports classes. The words of the great physician, educator, and child development researcher Maria Montessori are unambiguous: “The child learns through movement”. For this reason, the educational environment must provide space flexibility, furniture and devices that stimulate movement (swings, climbing walls, rings), and allow various changes in body positions.

As you may infer from everything said so far, STEM education, and 21st-century education as a whole, require a different space that welcomes all students, satisfies individual learning needs, ensures teacher's peace of mind, and provides ample resources and opportunities to interlink educational materials and subjects. This couldn't be achieved simply by repainting a few rooms and purchasing expensive equipment without knowing how it will be used. On the contrary! The school space should stimulate and provoke curiosity and exploration in children, challenge teachers to try new teaching methods, mingle among the students, and be inspired no less by their students. Such an environment would allow roles to be interchanged, enabling everyone to impart their knowledge, achieving a higher level of socialization, care, and a better society in the future as a whole.

Sources:

• Lusio architects, 2020 “Guidelines for the Physical Environment in School STEM Centers”
• David D. Thornburg, Ph.D., 1999 “Campfires in Cyberspace: Primordial Metaphors for Learning in the 21st Century”
• Rosan Bosch Studio