Have you ever thought about STEM in relation to a colony of bees and their hive? How about the operations of aquaponics? Perhaps you recognise STEM in the development of a clay sculpture, the pyramids of ancient Egypt, an automated non-contact timer for hand-washing or in the baking and construction of a cupcake tower. All of these are perhaps surprising examples of STEM at Cornish College.
At Cornish, STEM is not something we reserve for a STEM centre – it is a lens through which we teach, observe and learn across all disciplines. Integrating STEM throughout the curriculum helps students to understand its tangible, practical role in the world beyond schools, where we draw on scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical thinking as a series of interconnected understandings. It helps consolidate students’ knowledge, ensuring deep, transferrable learning as they apply their understandings and skills across all disciplines.
This is why STEM can be found throughout Cornish in unexpected ways – often beyond the science laboratories. Our students apply STEM principles in art rooms, humanities classes, our award-winning Eco Centre and throughout our hundred-acre classroom. Whilst they explore STEM through dedicated disciplines and subjects such as mathematics, coding, robotics and the sciences (physics, biology, environmental science and chemistry), it is more than just a catchphrase – it is a vehicle through which students identify and solve problems as the critical and creative thinkers our world needs them to be.
At Cornish College, STEM is not just for our future engineers, mathematicians and scientists, but for all of our students, as they develop the entrepreneurial mindset and skills that will help them to make a difference for a sustainable, thriving future no matter what path they take in their exploration of life. That is education of a different kind.
Nicola Forrest, Principal
