STEAM/World Languages | St. Mary's School in Aliso Viejo, CA

STEAM

St. Mary’s is committed to creating transformative educational experiences with creative learning opportunities. Opportunities designed to solve real-world problems, to explore different ideas, and to inspire flexible and persistent problem-solvers. This is at the heart of STEAM.

STEAM is an educational approach connecting the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. These disciplines serve as access points for learning, guiding student inquiry and promoting creative and critical thinking, the foundation of an International Baccalaureate education.

Each STEAM experience is a rich, meaningful task that begins with a challenge or driving question. How can we create carnival games featuring simple machines? or What polyhedrons make beautiful lanterns? Applying the skills found within each of the disciplines - for example, scientific discovery, artistic creativity, and mathematical reasoning - to their work in an integrated approach allows students to understand learning extends beyond a single classroom, book, or course.

STEAM projects are hands-on and experiential, and the students work through the IB design cycle to find possible solutions. The IB design cycle structures the inquiry and analysis of these real-world problems. It allows students opportunities to focus on the process of and purpose for their learning, taking thoughtful risks as they develop, create, test, and analyze their solutions. Solutions may take the form of a model, prototype, product or system. Students drive their own learning, considering their responsibilities when making decisions and taking action - core principles of an internationally-minded student.

By giving our students opportunities to find possible solutions to real-world problems through STEAM experiences, we have the power to not only revolutionize what our students learn, but how they view their impact on the world. They see themselves as leaders and innovators. At St. Mary’s, our students don’t have to wait to change the world, they can start today.

The Arts

The Arts are an integral part of our IB programme as their essence enables each child to discover his or her own individual creativity and uniqueness during the most critical, formative years. An arts education fosters passion to strive for personal excellence within an environment that nurtures successful collaboration.

St. Mary’s students explore visual arts, music, and theatre, with emphasis placed on practical production by the students and exploration of a variety of media in a global context. The arts celebrate multiple perspectives; one lifelong lesson is that there are many ways to see, interpret and appreciate the world.

According to the IB Arts Guide, "The aims of all MYP (Middle Years Programme) subjects state what a teacher may expect to teach and what a student may expect to experience and learn. These aims suggest how the student may be changed by the learning experience."

The objectives of the arts are to encourage and enable students to:

create and present art
develop skills specific to the discipline
engage in a process of creative exploration and (self-) discovery
make purposeful connections between investigation and practice
understand the relationship between art and its contexts
respond to and reflect on art
deepen their understanding of the world

World Languages

Learning multiple languages at St. Mary’s provides students with many cognitive and practical advantages. As a required component of the IB programme, students have the opportunity to become critical and competent communicators in more than one language. They develop insights into the features, processes and craft of language and concept of culture, and realize that there are diverse ways of living, behaving and viewing the word.

Our Language Acquisition curriculum aims to:

Develop a respect for, and understanding of, diverse linguistic and cultural heritage

Develop the student's communication skills necessary for further language learning, and for study, work and leisure in a range of authentic contexts and for a variety of audiences and purposes

Enable the student to develop an appreciation of a variety of literary and non-literary texts and to develop critical and creative techniques for comprehension and construction of meaning

Enable the student to recognize and use language as a vehicle of thought, reflection, self-expression and learning in other subjects and as a tool for enhancing literacy

Offer insight into the cultural characteristics of the communities where the language is spoken

Encourage an awareness and understanding of the perspectives of people from other cultures, leading to involvement and action in their own and other communities

Foster curiosity, inquiry and a lifelong interest in, and enjoyment of language learning

Exposure to world languages begins in the Early Education Program (EEP) and continues through the Lower and Middle Schools. Every student in EEP and Lower School is introduced to Spanish. At this stage, students develop receptive and productive language skills while they learn to comprehend and respond to spoken and visual language. All students in Grade 5 are introduced to additional world languages and receive instruction in Mandarin Chinese, French and Spanish. This approach provides students both exposure and experience in order to make an informed decision when selecting their language for their Middle School years.

In Middle School, students select and commit to a language of study for three years. At this stage, students transition from “learning the language” to “learning through and about the language” They, also, are provided with a variety of contexts to engage and experience these languages in unique and meaningful manners. Special guest presentations, field trips, traditional celebrations and cultural events are just some of the opportunities students have to gain competency in the target language.

In addition, students in the Middle School have the irreplaceable opportunity to participate in one or more of the four language and culture based field studies. The trips to Costa Rica, France and Hong Kong & China, along with the Italian Exchange Program, are designed to further develop our students’ language skills and foster cultural appreciation for these locations. Please refer to the International Field Studies section in "The Benefits>Open to the World" to learn more about these trips.

Language Acquisition Studies