Search Results for: STEM

2020/05/11 by R.M.S.

A Virtual STEM Challenge in KM

Two Kindergarten Montessori Students Display their STEM Challenge final products — Two Kindergarten Montessori Students Display their STEM Challenge Cup Towers

Last week, RMS’ Downtown Kindergarten Montessori students recently completed their first-ever virtual STEM Challenge (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Our Kindergarten Montessori students were tasked with building a tower made out of plastic cups, as high as possible. Virtual STEM Challenges are great activities that can be done at home, with children of all ages.

All of our Kindergarten Montessori students were proud of their accomplishments. This virtual STEM activity provided our students with an opportunity to interact with their classmates and teachers, virtually!

In addition to this, the Kindergarten Montessori STEM challenge provided students and teachers with a sense of normalcy during a challenging time. Students shared their STEM Challenge successes with their friends and teachers, with their friends! This is also a great activity to try at home with your children.

For ideas on other STEM activities to try at home, click here:

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

2020/05/04 by R.M.S.

RMS STEM Fair 2020 Goes Virtual

Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS) STEM Fair 2020 Goes Virtual

A photo collage of some of our student's recent STEM Fair project submissions — RMS’ STEM Fair Went Virtual for 2020

RMS STEM Fair 2020

On Thursday, April 23rd, 2020, RMS’ annual STEM Fair went online for the first time! Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the physical closure of our school campuses, our traditional, in-school, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Fair was held completely online this year.

Using 21st Century Skills during RMS STEM Fair

While using their 21st Century Skills, RMS students from grades 1 to 8, shifted their focus away from an actual “in-person” presentation and a 3-D Model/Prototype and used their savvy tech skills to create their STEM Fair projects. Students used various programmes such as Google Slides and Drawings, Powtoon, Storyboard, and Adobe Spark videos to present their STEM Fair projects to the online judges.

STEM Fair Judging Went Online This Year

Even though our schools are physically closed, students had their STEM Fair submissions judged virtually, through Google Meet, by RMS parents and outside community members who were invited to be our online STEM Fair Judges.

The competition at this year’s STEM Fair was tough, but our students were up for the challenge. Students used their creative digital presentation skills to demonstrate their Global Urbanization solutions to their classmates and judges.

After the initial student presentations were made, the top three STEM Fair submissions were chosen by the judges. In the past, students made presentations to the judges and answered any questions they had in person. This year, the judges “met” with our finalists in Google Meet, where students were available to answer any questions they had about their STEM projects.

RMS STEM Fair 2020 A Huge Success!

The 2020 Rowntree Montessori Schools’ Virtual STEM Fair was a huge success! We would like to congratulate all of our students, and especially our STEM Fair Award Recipients. RMS is very proud of our students and our STEM Fair finalists. We can’t wait to see which world problems you will solve in the future! A special thank you to our teachers and judges who put the extra effort in to make this year’s STEM Fair a great success.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools’ STEM curriculum and different STEM projects our students have worked on over the Academic year, please click here.

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

2020/03/20 by R.M.S.

Teaching the Circulatory System

Learning about the Circulatory System — Learning the Circulatory System in PrepOne Science

Rowntree Montessori Schools

Nurturing Tomorrow’s Achievers Since 1969

Science in PrepOne

Science is fun at Rowntree Montessori Schools!

Teaching the systems of the human body can be a lot of fun. Watching our PrepONE (SK) students become more aware of their bodies and engaged in how it works was an enriching experience. Our Science in PrepOne students were amazed to learn how the blood gets around the body. Blood consists of liquid and solid particles. Blood is a mixture of two components: the liquid portion, called plasma, and the three cellular portions; white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Each ingredient in our blood does a special job.

The Experiment

To take a closer look at blood and how it works, we created a Blood Model. We used liquid soap for plasma, small marshmallows for the white blood cells, cinnamon candies for the red blood cells, and sparkles for platelets. Each component of the blood was reviewed as we added the ingredient into our glass jar. The students loved the experiment and had fun learning about the circulatory system.

This hands-on learning PrepOne experience has nurtured our students’ intellectual curiosity. Students acquired new ways of asking questions and understanding how the circulatory system works closely with other systems in our bodies to keep us alive.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2020/03/06 by R.M.S.

A STEM Challenge in Grade 3

This past January, our grade 3 students completed a STEM Challenge. Students were tasked with solving the problem of Algae blooms polluting our oceans. Our students put together a video with their inventions. Algae blooms are a result of charred vegetation, ash, and soot that get washed into the water bodies. This, in turn, compromises the quality of the water.

Presenting students with an opportunity to stretch their thinking, use the engineering and design process to come up with solutions to problems that occur from natural disasters is a great example of cross-curricular teaching and the use of critical thinking skills

With real world STEM challenges, students enrich their critical thinking and collaboration skills whilst they learn to apply their knowledge to problem solve. This exercise is extended outside of the classroom and into the greater world around them.

Filtering Out Algae Blooms in Grade 3

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2020/01/14 by R.M.S.

Keep Calm and STEM On!

Nurturing Tomorrow’s Achievers Since 1969
Our AHA! Moments take place in our classrooms, every day!

Wondering What STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
Actually Look like in the Classroom?

STEM is curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Rather than teach the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications.

Want to see STEM in action at Rowntree Montessori Schools? Check out this cool video.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2019/10/07 by R.M.S.

Encouraging Girls in STEM

It goes without saying that females are underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. As we progress further into the 21st Century, this presents a real problem that educators and employers need to address. A lot has been said in the past decade about pay gaps and gender inequality in the workplace and making meaningful changes in STEM-related work environments can help bridge this gap. In neighbouring New York state, there are over 34,000 job openings in Computer Science, that is 4.7 times the state average demand rate. Here in Canada, data shows that 70 percent of bachelor’s degree graduates in Engineering and Computer Information Science found employment in related industries. This is good news for individuals who are naturally STEM-minded, but is the system flawed? How can we make sure to pay close attention to girls in STEM?

Girls using robotics at Rowntree Montessori Schools in Brampton

Female students showing interest in robotics at Rowntree Montessori Schools

Globally, female participation in STEM-related careers are drastically lower than that of males, despite more women graduating from universities worldwide. The World Economic Forum maintains the following: “The reasons for this systematic underrepresentation are multiple and complex, but three things seem to matter most:

1) Aspirations that are molded by social norms and parental expectations

2) Information failures that affect the decision to enter and stay in a STEM field

3) Institutional factors that constrain women’s ability to enter a STEM job.”

Educators have the most control over numbers two and three, but can also help influence social norms and parental expectations as they relate to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. That being said, elevating girls in STEM education should not result in diminishing boys interest in the same topics.

FIRST, the parent organizations of the FLL (First Lego League), has launched the Elevating Girls and Young Women in STEM initiative. Rowntree Montessori Schools is proud to participate in the FLL yearly and recently won the FIRST Core Values Award at the 2017 Provincial Qualifier. FIRST maintains that the, “initiative focuses on the advancement of girls and women in STEM, but it is not exclusionary of the contributions of boys,[o]r men..” What is unique about this program is that it focuses on the inclusion that is so vitally needed in STEM education, helping to drive more diverse thought, innovation and creativity across STEM fields.

Girls using computers at Brampton Private School

Female students using computers

In the last five years, we have seen technology absolutely explode in K-12 education. Not only do students have more access to technology than they ever did before, but they are learning how to use it in ways that were previously reserved for the college-level computer lab. Additionally, a number of companies are jumping on the EdTech bandwagon and introducing new and exciting high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech ways for young people to learn code. RMS’s Motto: Nurturing Tomorrow’s Achievers, recognizes that successful students of the future include all the boys and girls currently doing great things at our four campuses. We want to ensure that all students have a fair and equal shot at doing great things with STEM. As an organization, we recognize that this can only be achieved if we work together to create an environment where science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is genuinely intertwined with what we do every single day. Rowntree Montessori Schools is excited about striving to be the best 21st Century learning institution that it can be, and has introduced a number of new initiatives this year to ensure that STEM is at the forefront of its students’ everyday experience, regardless of gender.

To read more about girls and STEM, click here for an interesting read from Forbes magazine!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2019/04/26 by R.M.S.

Save the Planet – STEM Fair

For many years, our students from Grade 1 to Grade 8 have participated in the Annual STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Fair. This is the culmination of many months of hard work from students, and takes place over two days at the Academy Campus. The STEM Fair offers students a great opportunity to present their projects, which have been created to solve real-world problems. It allows students to enhance their public speaking and presentation skills, as they present their projects in the gymnasium, in front of judges. For example, the students in the image below are presenting a device called the Tree Locator, which would scan a forest area in a 10×10 grid through satellite imaging to identify trees that should be cut down, because of disease or quality, in order to reduce deforestation.

Students presenting their STEM Fair project about how to solve deforestation. — Students explaining how their Tree Locator would work.

Students from Grades 1-4 are judged upon their use of the scientific process, where they must observe something and try to hypothesize and explain why is has been seen. Grades 5-8 students are judged upon their use of the engineering process, which often times means designing a product (like a machine or computer code) that meets certain criteria and/or accomplishes a certain task to solve a problem. The students in the image below are showcasing their prototype of an Aquifer Forest Dome that will work to keep forest floors moist and reduce forest fires.

Students showcasing their prototype of an aquifer forest dome that will work to keep forest floors moist and reduce forest fires. — Students demonstrating their Aquifer Forest Dome.

Following the STEM Fair is a school wide Bake Sale and STEM activity day, organized by Grade 7 and Grade 8 students, where our Grade 4-6 students acted as tour guides (dressed as scientists), taking younger students to the Bake Sale and to the STEM learning stations. Money collected from our yearly bake sale goes towards the Science department.

Students selecting their Bake Sale items.

This year the STEM activities theme is about how to save the planet. Across the school, students will be trying to come up with new solutions to help protect and save our planet, will enjoy participating in various learning activities using recyclable materials, and will take time to consider the environment and the impact they play on protecting it for the future. This gives our Pre-Kindergarten Montessori to Grade 3 students a great chance to participate in exciting challenges that teach them about science, technology engineering or math. For example, one station taught students about magnets, and explained how there is metal on the ocean floor and gave them a chance to actually try to clean as much metal as they could out of a mock ocean, by using a bucket, magnets and metal items.

Students learning about the ocean floor and magnets.

Another station allowed students to make a DIY pinwheel completely from recycled materials, such a paper, newspaper, magazines, cardboard, split pins and straws. In this station, students tried to determine how many times they needed to blow air on the pinwheel before it would rotate ten times. At the Grow Green Eco-Pledge stations, students used a stencil to trace a footprint on to the tablecloth and wrote a pledge in the middle about how they will try to live an eco-friendly life. These are just a handful of the excellent initiatives that took place at the school to build awareness of the STEM approach to learning.

Students making a Grow Green Eco-Pledge.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2019/02/26 by R.M.S.

Mastering the Respiratory System in Prep-ONE (SK) Science

The human body is one of the most fascinating topics to learn about! Recently our Prep-ONE (SK) students learned about how the different systems work together to keep the human body functioning. In the process of learning about the various systems, we reviewed some informative resources, which included non-fiction books, models of the human body, as well as posters from our Montessori materials. Additionally, through the use of the interactive online activities, our Prep-ONE students learned about the concept of separate components working together to build a body system.

The video above shows our Prep-ONE class discussing the Respiratory System. In this lesson, our students learned about how the Respiratory System allows us to take in vital oxygen and expel carbon dioxide in a process we call breathing. It consists mainly of the nose/mouth, trachea, bronchial tubes, lungs, and the diaphragm. The purpose of teaching these systems is to help our young students understand that the different systems within the body work independently and together to form a functioning human body. They absolutely loved this topic, as you can see from their eagerness to get involved in the conversation.

Prep-ONE students at the Central Park campus working on an activity about the human respiratory system

Students putting together models of the Respiratory System

Research indicates that young children who are taught using hands-on teaching methods do better in school than those who are not. As a result, we used many different hands-on activities to learn about the systems of the body. This was not only informative, but also very fun and engaging for students. In the picture above you can see how students created a three-dimensional project using recycled materials such as yarn, pipe cleaners, and scraps of paper to create the Respiratory System of the human body. Through this activity, our students learned various skills, which included (but were not limited to): control, communication, concentration, problem solving skills and dedication to finishing tasks. As Albert Einstein once said, “I never teach my pupils, I only provide the conditions in which they can learn.”

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2018/11/28 by R.M.S.

Solving Problems with STEM!

At Rowntree Montessori Schools, we believe that as 21st century educators, it is our responsibility to equip our students with the knowledge and skill set that will prepare them for a fulfilling future and give them tools for solving problems when they arise. We do this by presenting students with a monthly STEM-Challenge box, that within it contains a real-life situation or problem that they need to solve. Students are instructed to complete a task, for example design a cleanup mechanism to solve the problem of water pollution, using basic materials such as duct tape, popsicle sticks, paper clips or other.

Each student is expected to collaborate with his or her peers to devise a creative solution to the problem, that will be judged each month by a panel of teachers. Our goal with these challenges, is to offer our students opportunities to develop their critical thinking skills, make decisions independently and collaborate with one another to find solutions to real-world problems. These challenges are a good first step to foster an interdisciplinary way of thinking about global issues. STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) as a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving, and as a component of what we teach, is taking our students’ level of learning and preparation for life, to the next level.

In October, students were asked to design a structure that could transport people from Downtown Toronto to the Toronto Islands. One of the criteria was that the structure needed to be strong and stable enough to support a class novel (with the novel representing one family of people). Each class found a different, and at least somewhat effective, solution, and all projects were displayed in the hallway at the end of the month. The image below shows students in the research and design stage of their challenge, as they engineer a structure for people to travel across Lake Ontario.

Students collaborating on solving a real-world problem using science, technology, engineering and math

Students collaborating on the October STEM-Challenge

Utilizing a STEM approach to learning develops much more than a student’s problem solving, decision making and critical thinking skills. It shapes our students into persevering, committed and patient people who will embrace tomorrow’s challenges with flexible and open minds. Our students are currently working on a very timely and important problem: create a mechanism that can be used to extinguish large forest fires without causing significant damage to the environment. We encourage all students to keep thinking creatively to solve this problem, and we look forward to seeing the solutions you present!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2018/09/13 by R.M.S.

Forecast Calls for 100% STEM

Our modern world is highly driven by the components of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). It is important that as a top private school in Brampton, that we develop learners that keep asking hard questions, develop creative solutions, formulate plans, conduct research and apply it to real world problems. This term the Grade 1 students at Rowntree Montessori Schools are learning all about weather and seasonal changes in Science. This week we focused on various types of weather, tracking it through daily observation to understand temperature changes throughout the seasons. While tracking the weather as a group, each day our class engages in daily discussions about the importance of recognizing temperature changes and weather patterns. This brought us to the discussion of who and what the weather impacts and why it is important to be aware of the weather patterns and changes.

Students at RMS private school holding a thermometer and learning about the weather

Grade 1 students at the Downtown Campus learning about the weather

Our students are naturally curious, and so the STEM approach to learning is a perfect fit for this curiosity of the real world. It encourages students to question, explore, and wonder about the world around them. Our students have been challenged to think of different ways to check and track the weather to help people like farmers track climate changes. This week they learned to use a thermometer for the temperature, a ruler and a cup to measure the accumulation of rainwater and explored online weather resources to identify various weather transitions and changes. After exploring various weather measuring instruments, the students challenged themselves to make their own weather measuring tools. After many models and diagrams were drawn up, it was decided that they wanted to create something to measure the speed of the wind. This presented the challenge of building their own version of a wind tracking machine that had to be able to move with the wind to determine whether the wind was moving fast or slow.

RMS private school Grade 1 students in Brampton building an instrument to measure the wind

Stuents building their own wind tracking machine

STEM promotes cooperative learning, collaboration, problem solving but also provides an environment where students learn to work together by listening and learning to the ideas of others. The students began by drawing out a model of what they wanted their machine to look like and then determined what materials they would need and where to place them. They were happy to create an overall plan for their instrument. After testing many different materials they came up with a final product. It is important that in the STEM approach to learning that the students focus on the learning and not just the outcome. Even though the goal was to create a solution to a weather problem, the questions, plus the critical and innovative thinking they used during the process, was the most important part in the learning process. STEM as an approach to learning, not only exposes children to many experiences but also fosters them to develop an innovative mindset that we hope they carry with them into their futures.

Grade 1 student in Brampton school testing out her invention to measure the wind

Student testing out her wind measuring instrument

“We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself” – Lloyd Alexander

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .