Today, we got a behind-the-scenes look at Gene Dillon Elementary School’s STEAM program. Elementary school teachers are using STEAM to encourage their students to think in new ways.

The STEAM Program at Gene Dillon Elementary School is not your normal program.  

 It is a curriculum that helps students to learn and grow as individuals over time. Students have a say in their future thanks to this program.

“But at the same time, I feel it’s more of a character development class where the kids fail. They know they’re going to fail. I tell them, failure accelerates, and when we fail, we try again and they’ll redesign and try new things.” Joe Adams said, STEAM Teacher at Gene Dillon Elementary.

Every day in STEAM is a new challenge for the students to solve.

“Because so much of the program has to do with building grit and trying again and perseverance. I think it just prepares them well for life in general, where they’re going to face adversity. And what do they do when they fail. One of our lines is failure accelerates learning. We’re going to fail. We’re going to try again. And this program really works to highlight that.” Adam said.

The possibilities are infinite with the Gene Dillon STEAM program. Students can create a robot in class, practice coding, or even create a film. The STEAM classrooms were designed to encourage teamwork.

“If we can create a more cohesive environment where the classes are maybe competing as a team. They’re eager to share out their ideas and they tell each other, Hey, you know, I tried this and it worked, or this didn’t work, and their ideas really ripple out throughout the class.” Adams said.

STEAM teachings are intended to continue over into the rest of the school year and, eventually, their entire school career. The aim is that anything the STEAM students do may capture their interest.

By — Zy'Riah Simmons