Gomer Junior’s Pioneering gSTEM Adventure ‘Learning Today for the Challenge of Tomorrow’ Gomer Junior have an important vision and one which we endeavour to embed in our pioneering STEM curriculum.

"We must be prepared to innovate, break the mould and change " (Morgan, Bett 2015) Georgina Mulhall, Head Teacher at Gomer Junior School embraced this suggestion. Georgina to speak OR play video

A 'Skillful School' - One which, commits itself to a strategy to embed integrated STEM into the normal timetable, complemented by a range of enrichment activities. Professor A. Oldknow 2015 iSTEM+ Gomer – a Skilfull school Other Skilfull schools STEM Ambassadors Business So, Gomer Junior School became a skilful school. Professor Adrian Oldknow’s vision of a skilful school is what we believe we have created at Gomer. And since become a skilful school, we have joined together with other skilful schools, business contacts and STEM ambasadors and STEM Leaders in other educational establishments to form an iSTEM+ Cluster.

Innovation @ Gomer We have designed and written a bespoke STEM curriculum for our whole school, which aims to: inspire our pupils to value the importance of STEM subjects in genuine real-life, real-time contexts embed, extend and give opportunities for application of learning from National Curriculum objectives Through this iSTEM cluster we have been able to share ideas and start building a STEM curriculum. SO, as Nicky Morgan suggested, at Gomer we have been innovative…

Break The Mould Thursday mornings no longer contain the usual Literacy and Numeracy lessons Every Thursday morning, across the whole of school, from 9am-12 noon, at Gomer Junior School we ALL have gSTEM sessions We have broken the mould…

Change Teaching staff at Gomer have adapted their pedagogical practices during gSTEM and developed professionally to provide inclusive and interactive learning The reactive pedagogical approach of gSTEM places the pupils centrally in the teaching-learning process The most effective gSTEM, relies on responsive planning And as a school we have begun making important changes to the way we plan, teach and react with immediate action to learning opportunities

Mathematical application The gSTEM Curriculum Sciences Technology & Design Engineering habits Mathematical application

The possibilities are endless… FAQ: If one year’s STEM curriculum is always different to the next, where do you get all your new ideas from? Charities Community Links New Technology Current News Children’s Questions The possibilities are endless…

Support for STEM Networking is crucial for STEM success Parents Other Educational establishments Charities Local Press Support for STEM STEM Ambassadors Businesses Parents Networking is crucial for STEM success

Engineering Habits of Mind Think - What does your design need to do? Research - what can you find out about the problem? Imagine - Come up with ideas/possible solutions. Plan - select a design that seems the best solution Create - make a model or prototype of your design Test and evaluate Communicate - tell people about it. Improve - Redesign to make it better.

A small selection of successful topics since September 2015 Biomechanics of the Olympics Physics & Engineering in Space Practical Action – Engineering a better world gSTEM club & STEM fairs

Foundations of Learning Collaboration & Relationships Can you listen thoughtfully? Can you empathise? Can you work effectively in groups? Can you build strong lasting relationships? Self Awareness Who are you? What defines you? Who do you want to be? What are your responsibilities? How do you deal with challenging situations? Independence & Resilience Do you l seek opportunities to extend learning outside the classroom? Can you takes risks in your learning? What do you do if you fail at something? Thinking Skills Do you have an enquiring mind? Do you let curiosity guide you to new knowledge? Do you reflect on your performance? Are you creative in your problem solving?

Current gSTEM projects SeaSTEM Bloodhound SSC

Conclusion