Creative writing in STE(A)M teaching and learning

Two joyful children drawing together on a notepad

We have reached the end of an exciting project that was aiming at making STE(A)M teaching more inclusive, enjoyable and participatory for all students.

During the 2 years of the collaboration, the consortium developed and tested a new model for teaching STE(A)M disciplines using the Creative Writing Laboratory (CWL) methodology. This is a form of using storytelling for STE(A)M education, by solving everyday life problems with a creative thinking approach and STEAM thinking.

The following six elements are necessary to build a CWL:

  1. an original idea

  2. a problem to solve via a STEM subject

  3. an activity organised around solving the problem

  4. a story, to embed your activity into a narrative

  5. a narration, to make the activity, the story and the solution visible

  6. a conclusion, to show everybody what your students have achieved.

When we talk about creative writing, it may mean creating traditional text, but it can also mean creating any other means of creative expression that includes a script, such as a comic, a podcast, a film or a series of photos. It is a well-established and effective way to add the ‘A’ to STEM and make it STEAM education. It is an excellent opportunity for students to showcase their skills and competences often acquired outside of school.

Collaboration

A CWL requires students to collaborate, and teachers to use student-centred teaching methods to make it possible. It requires the active support of school leadership. It often requires flexible time and space – going beyond the boundaries of the lesson and the classroom. It is likely to necessitate the engagement of experts or other participants, meaning that it is necessary to implement a whole school approach to make the engagement of participants beyond the students and teacher(s) possible. It often requires teachers – e.g. STEM and Arts teachers – to collaborate with each other and work in a team, and it needs collaboration opportunities and competences.

Learning organisation

Implementing CWLs is an excellent approach for schools to become learning organisations and to support students in understanding real-life problems that are close to them and may lead to not only a deeper understanding of these topics, but also may ease related stress or trauma. CWLs are also suitable for making a direct link between learning and assessment through students receiving immediate feedback that also includes the assessment of their transversal skills, especially creativity, creative and design thinking, collaboration and problem solving.

CREAM policy paper

ESHA was the main author of a policy deliverable that defines the necessary environment for such activities to be implemented at schools. Many of the necessary policies can be created at school level. In some other areas, higher level policy decisions are necessary. Either way, the CREAM policy paper supports school leaders in their decision making and advocacy. The recommendations are based on research done at the beginning of the project, partly by the ESHA team, and the experiences of pilots in Greece, Italy, Poland and Slovenia.

The key aspects that policy needs to consider are the following:

  1. There should be measures and policies in place that promote and support the implementation of creative, arts-based methodologies in STE(A)M education.      

  2. There is a need to support teachers’ collaborative work and mutual learning as a pre-requisite for successful creative writing laboratories in STE(A)M education.

  3. There is a need to link real life and school curricula better together.

  4. Policy and leadership practice should promote and support a whole school approach and open schooling.

  5. Leadership should raise awareness of the benefits of creative, arts-based methods as a means of trauma-relief and support for well-being.

Available materials

The Policy Paper complements practical tools developed in the CREAM Project for education professionals who want to implement the approach. All materials are becoming available in English, Dutch, Greek, Slovenian, Italian and Polish through the project website.

If you want to learn more, you can also reach out to Eszter Salamon eszter.salamon@esha.org.