Transforming teaching and learning in Asia and the Pacific: case studies from seven countries; 2015

Stimulating creative thinking

The Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM)
approach is an example of converged subject development that has been
integrated into the new school curriculum to develop students’ creative
thinking through real-world problem-solving. For example, students studying
the unit ‘Our Body’ in a science class in the 5th Grade of primary school used
the STEAM approach to learn about the subject (see Table 5). Applying the
STEAM approach enabled students to develop their creative thinking skills as
well as self-efficacy, interest, motivation and attitudes toward science (Park
and Shin, 2012).

Table 5: Using the STEAM approach in a primary school class

Period Theme Learning activity Subjects

1 Body • How does our body move?

• Types of bones, muscles and organs in
  our body.

Science

• Measuring each part of our body. Mathematics


• Types of robots doing the work our body
  does.

Technology/

Engineering

• Making mini-me dolls.


• Drawing our body with imagination.

Art

2–3 Bones &

Muscles

• Understanding bones and their roles.


• Assembling bones.


• Understanding how arms move and the
  changes in muscles.

Science

• Making models of bones and muscles. Technology/
  Engineering


• Measuring changes in the muscles of
  moving arms.

Mathematics

4 Digestive

organs

• Names of digestive organs, positions,
  shapes and roles.

Science

• Cutting-edge technology to investigate
  digestive organs.

Engineering

• Designing tools for investigating digestive
  organs with imagination.

Technology

• Drawing the investigation of digestive
  organs using the designed tools.

Art

Source: Park and Shin, 2012, p. 40.