STEAM Festival in Pattaya

STEAM Festival in Pattaya On the 2nd November, 6 students from Years 6, 7 and 8 were lucky enough to travel to Thailand for 4 days to take part in the regional STEAM Festival. 120 students from 15 schools travelled from around the Middle East and South-East Asia to take part in the annual Festival. At the STEAM Festival held in Pattaya, Thailand the students had to design and make a working prototype that answered the design brief 'Capture an image of something the eye has never seen before'. They were inspired by the Key Note Speaker from Ford who spoke about the design process involved in designing a new car and most importantly about how mistakes and errors can shape new thinking. The students were split into mixed groups and tasked to find a solution to the brief. The students used their pre-festival tasks as well as group discussions to select an extreme location and begin the design process. Although a teacher mentor was assigned to each group, all decisions were made by students. As part of the learning process, students attended workshops on a variety of different skills and technology with a view to sharing knowledge with their teams. The students went through the whole process from initial ideas to a completed prototype in 2 days. At the end of the 2-day festival, the students were required to set up an exhibition stand that showcased the prototype and required the students to talk to the visitors about their model, their design ideas and rationale for choosing the ideas of the material etc. Each team received feedback via a QR code system. For our students, this was a very valuable learning experience not only having the opportunity to meet and work with students from around the region but to follow through from an idea to an actual working model in 2 days. 1 out of the 6 students from Tashkent had their initial project location selected, 3 out of 6 BST students had their design ideas selected and 1 student was in the second-placed team at the end of the festival. The trip to Thailand wasn't all work and no play, the students had 2 days; 1 in Bangkok and 1 in Pattaya sightseeing. The students were able to see the famous sights of the country and learn about Thai culture. A great time was had by all!

On the 2nd November, 6 students from Years 6, 7 and 8 were lucky enough to travel to Thailand for 4 days to take part in the regional STEAM Festival. 120 students from 15 schools travelled from around the Middle East and South-East Asia to take part in the annual Festival.

At the STEAM Festival held in Pattaya, Thailand the students had to design and make a working prototype that answered the design brief 'Capture an image of something the eye has never seen before'. They were inspired by the Key Note Speaker from Ford who spoke about the design process involved in designing a new car and most importantly about how mistakes and errors can shape new thinking.

The students were split into mixed groups and tasked to find a solution to the brief. The students used their pre-festival tasks as well as group discussions to select an extreme location and begin the design process. Although a teacher mentor was assigned to each group, all decisions were made by students. As part of the learning process, students attended workshops on a variety of different skills and technology with a view to sharing knowledge with their teams. The students went through the whole process from initial ideas to a completed prototype in 2 days.

At the end of the 2-day festival, the students were required to set up an exhibition stand that showcased the prototype and required the students to talk to the visitors about their model, their design ideas and rationale for choosing the ideas of the material etc. Each team received feedback via a QR code system.

For our students, this was a very valuable learning experience not only having the opportunity to meet and work with students from around the region but to follow through from an idea to an actual working model in 2 days. 1 out of the 6 students from Tashkent had their initial project location selected, 3 out of 6 BST students had their design ideas selected and 1 student was in the second-placed team at the end of the festival.

The trip to Thailand wasn't all work and no play, the students had 2 days; 1 in Bangkok and 1 in Pattaya sightseeing. The students were able to see the famous sights of the country and learn about Thai culture.

A great time was had by all!