WORKSHOP TITLE: Bridging Worlds: Pathways for Literacy and STEAM Integration in Primary Classrooms
DURATION: 5 hours
FACILITATOR: Dr. David Samuel
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
This interactive workshop empowers K-5 educators with practical, hands-on strategies to integrate Literacy, Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). In modern primary classrooms, literacy often dominates the timetable while science and the arts are marginalized. This session demonstrates how integrating these disciplines enhances reading comprehension, fosters divergent problem-solving, and creates equitable learning environments for diverse learners. Rather than heavy lecturing, this workshop utilizes a "learn-by-doing" approach. Participants will engage in collaborative, manipulative activities such as engineering prototypes from literature and applying visual arts to scientific expository writing, which they can immediately implement in their local Caribbean classroom contexts.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Defend the pedagogical relevance of integrating STEAM education with literacy to enhance reading comprehension and conceptual understanding.
- Select and use children's literature (fiction and nonfiction) as springboards for inquiry-based STEAM challenges.
- Formulate high-level, metacognitive writing prompts ("I used to think... Now I think...") to debunk scientific misconceptions.
- Apply the RAFT (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) and CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) strategies to improve students' expository and creative science writing.
- Design and pitch an original, cross-curricular STEAM lesson using upcycled solid waste materials.
TARGET PARTICIPANTS:
Primary School Teachers (Kindergarten - class 4), Reading Specialists, and Science Coordinators.
MATERIALS REQUIRED:
Participants are required to bring a laptop or any other type of electronic device. The workshop facilitator will provide all other materials.