Exploring Steamoji’s Innovative 400-hour Build to Solve™ Curriculum, and Camp Success: An Interview with Lead Instructional Designer Matt Richards
Dear Aspiring Franchisee,
Thank you for joining us on our Mission to train the next generation of innovators!
Last month, we shared our dedication to delivering the best path to living well by doing good through our partnership with Franchise GrowthLab powered by Hartify. Our momentum has been nothing short of remarkable!
Steamoji is positioned to be a leader in the children’s educational enrichment space, and in front of a highly fragmented, noisy and competitive franchise marketplace.
Travis Tinning – Franchise GrowthLab Chief Development Officer
Today, we have some incredible news to share with you. Our STEAM-powered summer camps have been so overwhelmingly popular that all seven of our open locations are now SOLD OUT! The demand for quality STEM education experiences for children continues to grow.
If you’ve been considering becoming a Steamoji franchisee, there’s still a LIMITED number of franchise opportunities available in the Edmonton and Greater Toronto Area markets. Don’t miss out on being a part of a pioneering STEM education franchise that is shaping young minds and creating a lasting impact on the future.
At Steamoji, we take pride in our unique approach to STEM education. Our broad curriculum empowers children to explore various subject areas, from coding and computing to engineering and design, nurturing creativity and helping them discover their true passions.
Our hybrid learning model, combining on-screen lessons from experts and in-person support from facilitators, allows children to access the best teachers worldwide while enjoying an engaging experience at our Academies.
Our build-to-solve mentality has yielded incredible success stories. Young Apprentices equipped with problem-solving skills, creativity, and resilience are better prepared for a future where adaptability and innovation are crucial.
We recently had the opportunity to sit down with our Lead Instructional Designer, Matt Richards, who shared his passion for the build-to-solve mentality and its impact on our young learners. His creative perspective and vision drive the development of our 400-hour Build to Solve™ curriculum, providing a truly engaging classroom experience for our students.
How is Steamoji’s approach to teaching different from say a Code Ninjas or a Mathnasium?
We take a broad approach to STEM, as opposed to siloed, hyper-linear pathways. There are many reasons for this. For starters, teaching kids in this format gives them a chance to try out all sorts of different subject areas, from coding and computing to engineering and design. They get the chance to explore, experiment, and organically figure out where their interests lie.
Our hybrid learning model includes on-screen lessons from skill-specific experts, with in-person support and guidance from facilitators in the academy. This dynamic approach means that we’re able to give kids access to expert teachers around the world, while ensuring they have a fun and engaging experience within our Academies.
We do this because this is how the world works. If and when our Apprentices eventually decide to move onto further education or enter the employment landscape, they’re unlikely to be focused on one, hyper-niche thing, delivered in a repetitive manner. The Steamoji format prepares apprentices with an entire suite of ways to approach problem solving, creativity, testing, iteration, and, above all, resilience.
Steamoji goes way beyond teaching kids a basic understanding of how to code a program or how to 3D print a structure. We’re equipping them with hands-on abilities and strategic thinking. And when you consider how much technology has moved on in the last 12 months – let alone the next 12 years – it’s this combination that will make all the difference.
How would you ensure that the curriculum not only covers STEM subjects but also encourages critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration among students?
Each Mission is made up of several projects that Apprentices work through. At the beginning, projects include fairly detailed instructions and scaffolding, to help kids ease into the world of STEM, build confidence, and gain momentum.
Instructions and scaffolding gradually lessen as they progress through the Mission, which opens up gaps that they can begin to use the skills they’re learning to solve themselves. Once they’re comfortable with the Steamoji format, they’re naturally challenged to apply more creativity and critical thinking to the projects.
Most of our Missions are designed with more than one solution to a problem, which allows for different approaches and styles. Our Facilitators frequently remind Apprentices that the perfect outcome is not as important as the journey to getting there – it’s okay to fail, as long as we’re failing the right way.
What does it really mean when Steamoji emphasizes the Build to Solve mentality?
As Lead Curriculum Developer, I live and breathe the build-to-solve mentality every single day. It’s all about identifying real-life problems (big or small), thinking of a solution, and then working backwards to bring that solution to life.
The build-to-solve process about iterating, experimenting, tweaking, and problem-solving along the way. It’s about the pile of prototypes on my desk, all of which are slightly different and help us get to the projects the apprentices are working on today.
And it’s about all the prototypes piled on the desks of our Academies, and the energy the kids put into taking what we’ve presented to them and making it come to life in an even smarter, more innovative, and creative way than I could have imagined.
How does our standard curriculum fit into different formats such as one-week CAMPS?
In truth, it does and it doesn’t! All of our camps are built to be camps. We have developed an entirely separate format because we are catering to kids who are looking for a camp experience that’s reminiscent of the format of other camps, such as music or sports, but focused on STEM skills.
This means that kids will work on more specific projects where they can quickly build up specialized knowledge. We structure them to be more social, with a greater focus on team activities and breakaway activities.
However, all of our camps are built using the same approach to STEM subjects and will encourage skill-building within the build-to-solve process. Camp Apprentices are still immersed in the Steamoji experience.
We have structured camps in this way to cater to a wider audience (parents who are specifically looking for winter- spring- or summer-break activities for their children) and to ensure that we’re not duplicating the curriculum, so Academy Apprentices can still benefit from camps, and camp Apprentices can transition into the Academy.
Recently, Steamoji started running year-long SATELLITE programs in schools. What did you learn from running these programs?
By taking aspects of the curriculum out of Academies and delivering it in schools, the main thing we’ve learned is how important our Academy spaces are!
We say this a lot to parents: having a space with 3D printers, room to experiment and explore, and a suite of tools and materials is what many schools struggle to offer – and that’s why Steamoji exists in the first place.
While we enjoy running our satellite programs and bringing STEM to kids who may not be able to access the Academy, we’ve learned that there’s nothing that can quite replace the Steamoji environment.
Matt Richards – Steamoji Lead Instructional Designer
Because of this, a core focus of these satellite programs is lead generation and brand awareness. They’ve proven to be great for building a community with local educators, connecting with parents, and sparking interest in kids, which helps us showcase the value of STEM education and bring more Apprentices into Steamoji spaces.
What has been your focus this year and can you share some exciting things to come?
2023 has been a busy one so far. A lot of our planning and focus is going into our Expanding tier as well as our OJI Junior missions. A big part of our curriculum vision is making sure we have something for everybody.
Our Expanding missions are designed to keep our oldest Apprentices engaged by teaching them new and relevant STEM skills. On the other end of our Steamoji journey, we use the OJI Junior curriculum to help our youngest Apprentices prepare and skill up so they can join our main Build To Solve program.
It’s been a blast building, testing and trialing all sorts of exciting STEM projects for different age groups and we can’t wait to see what our Apprentices (and Academies!) do with them.
In addition to our Core product we also offer Community Programs such as for After School, Birthday Parties and Holiday Camps.
While our summer camps are sold out, this is the perfect time to explore the opportunity of opening your very own Steamoji Academy. Don’t miss this chance to be a leader in the children’s educational enrichment space and to make a significant impact on the lives of young learners in your community.
Book a call with us today to learn more about Steamoji franchise opportunities and how you can open your own Academy. Let’s work together to create a brighter future through STEAM education!
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