最近一周，常州威雅的校园里随处可见非凡热闹的节日气息。原来是幼儿园、小学部以及中学部七、八年级的学生们以“湖畔生活”为主题，通过一系列丰富多彩的活动欢庆STEAM节。学校与美丽的西太湖比邻而居，所以，首届的STEAM节的开办便是以“湖畔生活”为主题灵感设定的。Our WASCZ campus hosted the Festival of STEAM, which was a huge success. It was a week-long activity fair that included Lower School as well as Grades 7 and 8 of the Upper School. The festival's theme, "Life by the Lake," was motivated by the school's proximity to the lovely Xitaihu Lake.学生们在这一周的时间里尽情展示了他们在数学、科学、科技、中文、工程学、英语、音乐和艺术方面的才能。他们通过这次绝佳的机会通过实践出真知，实现与外部世界真正的联结。学校创办STEAM节的初衷也正是为了在课堂上推行“项目式学习”和“问题导向学习”。The event gave students a venue to demonstrate their aptitude for mathematics, science, technology, Chinese, engineering, English, music and art. It was a wonderful chance for the students to use practical exercises to relate ideas to issues in the outside world. The Festival of STEAM was created to promote problem-based and project-based learning in the classroom.说到“项目式学习”，不得不提的便是学生们需要以小组为单位，通力协作。“项目式学习”是一种教学方法，在学生们沉浸式解决现实世界的问题时，他们的团队合作能力与创造力得到了空前的激发。As part of a project-based learning approach, students collaborated with one another on a task or project that calls for their cooperation. Project-based learning is a teaching approach that promotes collaboration and creativity on a project or assignment that requires students to solve real-world problems.“问题导向学习”是一种教学手段，学生需要通过处理特定问题或应对特定情境来进行学习。Problem-based learning is a teaching method where students learn by working on specific problems or contexts.两者都强调学以致用的重要性。Both teaching approaches emphasize the importance of applying knowledge in a practical setting.整个一周的活动充满了许多亮点。二年级学生们分析了西太湖及周边地区的过去、现在和未来情况，并探讨了人类活动对其生态系统的影响。通过这个项目，学生们了解到西太湖目前所面临的诸多困境，比如河水污染及其对栖息地的影响，也了解到保护湖泊生态系统对当前和未来世代的重要性。The week was filled with numerous highlights. One of these was a project for Grade 2 in which the students looked into the past, present, and future of Xitaihu Lake, the surrounding area and the impacts of human activity on the ecosystem. Students had the opportunity to learn about the problems the lake is facing, such as pollution and how it affects the habitat, through this project. Students also learned how crucial it is to protect the lake ecosystem for both current and future generations.湖泊生态系统是小学部各年级学生们进行的一项有趣调查。学生们以此了解了生活在湖泊中的多样物种以及在湖泊生态系统中，不同物种之间相互作用的方式。通过这个项目的研究，学生们深入了解到了保护自然生态的价值和意义所在。The topic of lake ecosystems was the subject of another fascinating investigation by students across grades in our Lower School. Through this project, students learned about the diverse animal species that live in the lake and how different species interact with one another in the ecosystem. Students were able to gain a deeper understanding of the value of conservation and the natural world through this activity.还有的学生设计了与西太湖马拉松相关的研究项目。该项目包括了马拉松赛道、奖牌、奖杯和T恤的设计，因此，也锻炼到了学生们在艺术和设计方面的技能。此外，有一个学生团队以定格动画的表现方式，阐述了保护湖泊的重要性，以及其对当地生态系统的影响。学生们通过这个项目，提高了讲故事的技能，同时也对生态栖息地的保护做出了呼吁。Students also worked on a project related to the Xitaihu Lake marathon theme. The project involved designing a marathon track as well as designing medals, trophies and T-shirts for the marathon. The project allowed students to apply their skills in art and design to a real-world scenario. Furthermore, one of our groups of students worked on a stop-motion animation project highlighting the importance of lake preservation and its effect on local ecosystems. The project allowed students to develop their storytelling skills while also raising awareness about the importance of conservation.在此次STEAM节上，学生们通过参与涵盖各种学科和领域的项目，更全面地了解到了各种知识领域如何相互作用，应用于现实世界的问题解决。因此，批判性思维、创造力和解决问题的能力能得到很大机会的发展。Our students had a wonderful opportunity to expand their critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills at the Festival of STEAM. Students were able to gain a more thorough understanding of how various fields of knowledge may be applied to problems in the real world by working on projects that encompassed a variety of subjects and disciplines.学生们通过参加STEAM节也提高了团队合作能力和交流沟通能力。为了清晰地表达自己的想法并实现共同目标，学生们必须有效协作和交流。在活动周的最后一天，老师对学生们的努力进行了表彰，符合要求的小组可以获得代表“杰出”的蓝色丝带，或是代表“卓越”的红色丝带。Our students were able to improve their teamwork and communication abilities thanks to the Festival of STEAM. In order to properly express their ideas and accomplish common objectives, the students had to collaborate and communicate effectively with one another. On the final day of the activities week, a celebration of our students' efforts took place, and groups that satisfied the requirements received prizes for "Outstanding" and "Excellence" in the form of blue and red ribbons.学生们以“湖畔生活”主题出发，创造出了许许多多新奇有趣的发明。有为赛艇教练设计、创建的电子微控制器系统，可分别用来识别湖水深度和管理船坞出入口；有比对不同植物对水源净化效能的实验；有融入各式角色设计的大型桌游和纸牌；有制作Vlog、音乐录影带和湖泊主题的原创音乐；有制作庆祝端午节的龙舟模型；还有搜罗全球各种神秘湖怪的调查……From designing and creating prototypes of electronic microcontroller-based lake-water depth recognition systems for our rowing coaches, exit-entry systems for the boathouse, experiments proving the efficacy of particular plants in purifying water, creating from extensive board games with characters and decks of cards, to creating vlogs, music videos, writing lake themed music, making boats to celebrate the Dragon boat festival, and projects themed on mythical lake monsters across the globe, there are many things that can be done.总而言之 ，学生们在STEAM节上尝试着将各种知识和能力应用到实际问题中，也磨练了协作、沟通、批判性思维和创新等各项能力。STEAM节通过一个个有意思的主题研究，展现了STEAM学习的价值与“项目式学习”在增强学习者知识储备量和扩展知识面等方面发挥的极大功效。感谢学生们的积极参与，也感谢教职工们的辛勤筹备。我们为学生们取得的成就感到自豪，也期待着未来能组织更多这样的活动。In conclusion, the Festival of STEAM provided students with a fantastic opportunity to apply their knowledge and abilities to real-world issues. Our students were able to hone their collaborative, communication, critical-thinking, and creative skills thanks to the festival. The festival served as a demonstration of the value of STEAM and the efficacy of project-based learning in enhancing and extending learners' educational experiences. The festival's success is a result of the diligence and commitment of our students, instructors and staff. We look forward to organizing more occasions like this in the future and are pleased with what our students have accomplished.