story by David Hoffman
On Feb. 28, the College of Education & Human Development’s M.A. in Creative and Innovative Education (MACIE) program will co-host “(Re)imagining Teaching Through STEAM,” a professional learning summit held in partnership with the college’s Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence and Atlanta community partner STE(A)M Truck.
The event will highlight the impact of science, technology, engineering/entrepreneurship, arts and math (STEAM)-based learning tools in the classroom through an immersive, hands-on experience designed to spark creativity and help educators rethink what teaching and learning can look like both inside and beyond the classroom.
The summit will be led by Laura Meyers, clinical professor and coordinator of the MACIE program. Meyers has been a faculty member at Georgia State University since 2004 and co-created the MACIE program with colleagues to bring “like-minded people together who are interested in investing in developing skills of creativity and innovation with young people, their families or community members – not just in schools, but in spaces like museums, libraries and school programs.”
The inspiration for hosting a STEAM-based summit came from Meyers’ own experiences as an educator. “The idea to do something with STEAM was fun for me because it's never the same experience twice,” she said. “People have a lot of ‘aha’ moments during that making, creating and iteration process. I enjoy bringing that type of experience into my classes.
“However, I also want to highlight how STEAM experiences can also be Supportive Transformative Equitable Accessible and MACIE-rooted – creative and innovative,” Meyers added.
Stacey French-Lee, a MACIE faculty member and executive director of the college’s Child Development Centers, emphasized the important role that innovative and equitable access to STEAM learning, especially within the MACIE program.
“Children engage in STEM activities from birth onward, so it’s important to provide opportunities for them to learn about these subjects” said French-Lee. “Everyone interacts with science, technology, engineering and math in some way. For young children, STEAM is a way to explore the world, help them learn and prepare them for whatever their future holds.”
Meyers’s goal for the event is to bring together educators, both novice and experienced, to provide different experiences with STEAM-driven activities and discussions that push them to think more broadly about how these elements can be used in their learning spaces.
Hands-on learning will be a central part of the summit. “People should expect to get their hands dirty and try out what presenters are suggesting you could do with students,” Meyers said. “Then you should be able to take strategies and tools back into your learning spaces and try them out on Monday morning.”
Presentations include a collaborative experience with STE(A)M Truck; a mobile activity bus that brings STEAM-based activities to students across the Atlanta area; talks about STEM and literacy development from Lawanda Cummings, director of the Crim Center, and the department head for the Perimeter College - Clarkston campus and Perimeter Online Libraries.
Meyers is excited to offer these fresh experiences in STEAM-based learning. “This is not your typical sit-and-get professional learning experience,” she said. “When you do hands-on learning, you can start teaching from the concrete to the abstract. We can talk about it, we can read about it, but it’s so different when you’re actually doing it.”
For educators interested in exploring STEAM and new learning strategies, Meyers said the summit provides a chance to experiment and collaborate.
“Tell me about your learning space. Tell me about the students you work with. Let’s think about how we can personalize this so you can bring it back into your learning space and lead a group of young people in discovering what a STEAM experience could be – encouraging educators to take risks and try activities with new friends here,” she said.
The summit's registration list is now full. To be added to the waitlist, please contact Meyers at [email protected].