Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Successfully Furnishing iSTEAM3D Classrooms

  • 04/01/15
iSTEAM3D

Innovative furniture, provided by Smith System, helped propel the ambitious iSTEAM3D curriculum model to success at the Desoto Independent School District.

“JUST PULLING [in] any furniture wouldn’t work,” explains Dr. Jo Green-Rucker with DeSoto Independent School District in DeSoto, Texas. The suburban school district was about to take its STEM initiative a step further with the creation of iSTEAM3D. Its unique curriculum model would combine science, technology, engineering and math with innovative, the arts and 3D learning (discovering, designing and developing).

With the curriculum defined, the district set out to implement an “academy” in each of the district’s three middle schools. Each would have five teachers.

“We wanted the students to use every inch of the academy… in any way they want[ed].” The areas were designed with large open spaces for content, projects and collaboration, a dance room and a science lab. Next up was installing furniture that would allow maximize use of the spaces.

Smith System, a leader in designing furniture for 21st Century classrooms, stepped in to provide tables, lab tables, chairs and storage systems, within the district’s ambitious timeframe.

The versatility of the space and casters on the furniture allow easy transitions from large groups to small. A typical day in the academy, according to West Middle School reading teacher Yvonne Lowry, starts “in the morning [as] students rotate to each teacher to receive content and project instructions. In the afternoons, students have project time with their small groups. The teachers act more as facilitators.”

About one year into launching the academies, all signs point to success. The students are enjoying their new lab stools and tables, “because they are different from the traditional, which is facilitating a new learning process,” says Joey Hayward, East Middle School science teacher. He adds: “The students in iSTEAM are scoring higher than those not in it. We’ve seen tremendous growth in students.”

www.SmithSystem.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.

  • Upcoming University of Alabama Performing Arts Center Hits Construction Milestone

    The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., recently celebrated the topping out of its new Smith Family Center for Performing Arts, according to a news release. The university is partnering with HPM for program and project management on the facility, which broke ground in 2023 and is scheduled for completion in November 2026.

  • Pitzer College

    Designing for Change in Higher Ed Learning Environments

    Higher education will continue to evolve, and learning environments must evolve with it. By prioritizing adaptable infrastructure, thoughtful reuse, strong energy performance, and wellness-centered design, campuses can create spaces that support learning today while remaining flexible for the future.

  • Niles West High School Natatorium Renovation

    Natatoriums are highly specialized spaces, and luminaires in this setting face several unique challenges. Perhaps the most significant is corrosion, which is exacerbated by high indoor humidity, condensation, and pool chemicals, often resulting in material degradation in luminaires not certified to perform in corrosive environments.

Digital Edition