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October 31, 2017

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SE21 helps in connecting disparate areas

WHAT’S SE21? It’s a new initiative for students of Dulwich College Shanghai campuses. The “S” stands for STEAM, the “E” for entrepreneurship and the 21 for a 21st century educational agenda. It also happens to be the London postcode for Dulwich College.

Craig Davis, who has just joined the DCI group and has extensive STEAM experience, will be working on the development of SE21 for the schools over the coming years. He shares his thoughts and experiences in this interview:

Q: What is the difference between STEAM and STEM? Do you favor one over the other and if so, why?

A: The “A” in STEAM stands for the arts (in addition to science, technology, engineering and maths) and I definitely favor STEAM over STEM.

Q: What is the most important lesson that you gleaned from your experience with that program?

A: Adaptable spaces and a skills framework that can move with change. It is critical that STEAM spaces should be flexible given that the agenda is the development of shifting 21st century entrepreneurial skills.

Q: What can you tell us about the SE21 spaces that are being developed across the Dulwich College International network of schools? How can the design of STEAM spaces affect learning?

A: Our spaces are just being developed, so the way they will be used and kitted out will depend on who uses them first and how. The spaces will be very different in each school, depending on the projects that they decide to lead with. The content and focus could be very different so we are looking for maximum flexibility so they can be potentially repurposed.

Q: How do you see SE21 fitting in with the group’s newly refined vision and purpose?

A: I see it as totally aligned — the initiative is pioneering, with the goal of creating space and a framework to allow innovation to happen in an authentic way. The future is collaboration in all senses of the word.

Q: How would you like SE21 to affect learning and teaching?

A: STEAM is about interdisciplinary connections, collaboration and a stronger focus on the experiential. It is also about developing student dispositions and skills rather than simply content and knowledge (though these are clearly still important). I would like to see all of our schools linked in terms of a consistent skills framework.

By providing a skills framework that can capture what happens in the taught curriculum, co-curricular programs and beyond SE21 can potentially help schools, students and parents link otherwise disparate areas of their learning experience.

These skills are absolutely pivotal to the interdisciplinary agenda that schools will want to cultivate and enhance, and this gives us a great opportunity to continue forming relationships with universities and outside providers in all sorts of areas — computational thinking, design-based skills, and so on. Our partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company is a perfect example — this gives our students the chance to work on their improvement and performance skills beyond what they can do in class.

Q: How will our students fit STEAM into their busy schedules?

A: As mentioned, STEAM is not necessarily additional lessons but rather skills focused that can be made more explicit within the existing taught curriculum or an enhanced co-curricular offering.

Q: Is there a minimum age for students to take part in STEAM?

A: This is a whole school agenda, not specific to any age. STEAM is an umbrella term for a number of different things that our students are already doing to develop these 21st century skills.

This not only ties into computer simulations, such as Minecraft, where primary school students build virtual realities, do basic coding and think through philosophy, but also to the outdoor learning program in Early Years, and the design of those spaces.




 

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