The acronym STEAM comes from the five disciplines brought together in the lab- science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics. STEAM is more than an acronym, however. It is a student-focused instructional approach that aims to deepen understanding of content.

In the STEAM Lab, students engage in project-based learning (PBL) to support student learning across the curriculum. In PBL students are given a “driving question” that they have to investigate and develop a solution for. They then use the engineering design process as they work on solving the problem. Students will learn to 1) Ask questions to understand the problem/goal; 2) Imagine possible approaches; 3) Plan a possible solution; 4) Create and Test a prototype; and 5) Improve their design based on the results. The STEAM Lab also focuses on building important 21st century skills in all of our Mighty Mustangs, including communication, collaboration, and critical and creative thinking. 

In the STEAM Lab, students are preparing to learn much the same way as adults do every day. They face a challenge, have to figure out what they need to learn to solve that problem, find resources to support that learning, collaborate with peers to brainstorm solutions, try out their ideas, and then improve upon them in an ongoing cycle. STEAM is real-world learning!