RWU helping to bring STEAM curriculum to Catholic schools

CATHOLIC SCHOOL teachers and administrators are shown participating in STEAM training workshops at Roger Williams University School of Continuing Studies earlier this summer. / COURTESY ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY
CATHOLIC SCHOOL teachers and administrators are shown participating in STEAM training workshops at Roger Williams University School of Continuing Studies earlier this summer. / COURTESY ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY

PROVIDENCE – Roger Williams University’s School of Continuing Studies and the diocese of Providence are partnering to help Catholic schools build a STEAM curriculum.
The Bristol university’s Professional Education Center is helping create a new program that will integrate the arts into students’ study of science, technology, engineering and math studies.
About a third of the Catholic schools in the diocese, including more than 70 principals and teachers, are participating in the three-day training program, which began in mid-June, and concludes Aug. 19.
The training program includes interactive sessions for sharing creative instructional strategies as well as team workshops on how to create project-based lesson plans. Each participant aims to create their own lesson plan so that, this fall, they can incorporate STEAM teaching and learning strategies in their classrooms.
STEAM is an interdisciplinary teaching approach that integrates artistic and creative work into STEM topics – which, according to neurological research, can boost students’ problem-solving and analytical skills.
“Many schools across the country are integrating STEAM within their curriculum and classroom instruction methods, but the Catholic school district led by diocese of Providence may be one of the only school systems implementing it at this level throughout its district,” said Jamie E. Scurry, dean of the School of Continuing Studies at RWU.
The effort is intended to “make a big impact on student engagement and learning outcomes starting in their classrooms this fall,” she added.
The schools, which to some extent already encourage the type of collaboration STEAM fosters, will benefit in a “unified and collaborative way” by partnering with the university, said Daniel J. Ferris, superintendent of schools for the diocese of Providence.
“What’s professionally very satisfying is seeing an elementary school music teacher sitting side-by-side with a middle school science teacher thinking about how they are going to put the periodic table to music,” said Ferris. “This level of interdisciplinary collaboration and creativity is what Catholic schools do well. We have the instructional nimbleness and flexibility to be able to work together and effect quality classroom instruction in a very creative way.”
Participating schools are: All Saints “STEAM” Academy in Middletown; Bishop McVinney School in Providence; Father John V. Doyle School in Coventry; Mercymount Country Day School in Cumberland; Monsignor Matthew F. Clarke Catholic Regional School in South Kingstown; Our Lady of Mercy Regional School in East Greenwich; Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Bristol; The Prout School in South Kingstown; Sacred Heart School in East Providence; The San Miguel School and St. Augustine School, both in Providence; St. Joseph School in West Warwick; St. Kevin School, St. Peter School, and St. Rose of Lima School, all in Warwick; and St. Thomas Regional School Providence.

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