A laboratory school is a school that is operated with the purpose of experimenting in educational practices that promote innovation and training teachers in those practices so that they may be adopted in other schools.
The school will also test innovative teaching practices and serve as a training ground for Belize’s secondary education teachers, fostering instruction in inquiry- and problem-based learning.
It focuses on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to learning.
The school is defined by a culture of inspiration, driven by the students themselves, whose natural curiosity is nurtured by a dedicated community of teachers, who themselves are empowered to experiment and grow in their capacities and interests.
The school represents a beacon for other schools in Belize and becomes a destination for local teachers, school leaders, and international delegates to visit to learn from.
Greetings from the Minister
We are making progress with the creation of a first of its kind high school in our region that will be focused on STEAM education, that is, on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. We are working closely with education experts from the IDB and consultants from MIT, the world’s preeminent technology university, to establish this ultra-modern high school. I am certain that Belizeans will be very proud of this new institution and that it will have a transformative effect on our high school system as teachers from across.
Hon. Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology
One of the most critical aspects of STEAM education is a project-based pedagogical approach. Project-based learning, often shortened to PBL, is sometimes used interchangeably with problem-based learning.
Both approaches overlap and are instructional methods that foster learning and developing 21st century skills through problem-solving and applying knowledge in real-world settings (Capraro & Slough, 2013). The emphasis in PBL is not on lecture-based education but on fostering long term retention of information through skills development.
Student- or learner-centered education encourages students to lead the learning activities, to participate actively in class discussions, to design their own learning projects, and to explore topics that interest the student, among other characteristics of learner centered education.
See below pictures of the steam school architecture
The school is dedicated to a student-centered experience with educational learning experiences, instructional approaches, and support systems designed to maximize student engagement. The school will provide support resources for a diverse student body, tailoring the learning experience to students with different abilities, language fluency, and background to enable all students to thrive.
Coming soon
Learn about the curriculum at the STEAM Lab School. Coming soon
John has spent his career focusing on improving students’ experiences of education. He has been employed as a teacher, education development officer, teacher educator, and curriculum developer in Belize, the United Kingdom, Nepal, and Brazil. In this work, he has consistently advocated for curriculum approaches that prioritize activities that enable students to acquire immediately usable practical knowledge. He is currently engaged in the development and design of the Belize STEAM Laboratory School. He hopes this new school will have a transformative effect on students’ lives by engaging them in designing real, technologically-driven solutions to issues facing local, national, and global communities. He also anticipates the school will, through innovation and experimentation, make the creative use of new and emerging technology, a central feature of students’ experiences throughout Belize.
