In 2020, GPLRC collaborated with Scottish Opera (SO) to design and deliver a pioneering STEAM teacher training programme in Beijing primary schools. This project uniquely combined arts education, phonics-based literacy development, and scientific inquiry to enhance holistic teaching skills among English and general education teachers.

Project Objectives

• Equip Beijing primary school teachers with integrated STEAM instructional skills, including synthetic phonics methods for literacy development.
• Foster interdisciplinary teaching that combines science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics with language learning.
• Enhance student engagement and learning outcomes through creative, arts-based pedagogy.
• Build sustainable teacher capacity to deliver innovative STEAM lessons that incorporate literacy foundations.

Key Project Components

1. Intensive Teacher Training Workshops

• Delivered over multiple sessions, focusing on:
  • Principles of STEAM education and cross-disciplinary lesson design.
  • Synthetic phonics instruction fundamentals, including phonemic awareness and GPC teaching techniques.
  • Using drama, music, and storytelling to support phonics learning and literacy engagement.
  • Strategies for integrating phonics into science and arts lessons to reinforce vocabulary and comprehension.

2. Collaborative Curriculum Development

• GPLRC experts worked closely with SO artists and Beijing teachers to co-develop lesson plans blending phonics and STEAM concepts.
• Creation of thematic modules such as “Sound and Music,” “Storytelling through Science,” and “Engineering Words,” where phonics learning was embedded in STEAM activities.

3. Model Lessons and Demonstrations

• Live demonstrations by GPLRC phonics specialists and SO performers showed effective teaching methods in action.
• Teachers observed and practiced delivering integrated phonics-STEAM lessons emphasizing student interaction and creativity.

4. Micro-Teaching and Reflective Practice

• Participating teachers delivered mini-lessons incorporating phonics and STEAM elements.
• Structured peer and expert feedback sessions helped refine instructional approaches.

5. Resource Provision and Ongoing Support

• Teachers received comprehensive STEAM-phonics teaching kits including decodable texts, arts materials, and digital resources.
• GPLRC provided follow-up virtual coaching and peer collaboration forums to sustain professional growth.

Impact and Outcomes

Teacher Capacity Building

• Over 40 Beijing teachers reported significantly enhanced confidence and skills in delivering STEAM-integrated phonics instruction.
• Teachers embraced arts-infused literacy teaching methods, reporting increased student motivation and participation.

Student Literacy and Engagement Gains

• Students demonstrated improved phoneme awareness, decoding skills, and vocabulary acquisition through STEAM lessons.
• Creative activities fostered deeper comprehension and a positive attitude toward English learning.

Innovation and Sustainability

• The project established a replicable model for STEAM and phonics integration in Chinese primary education.
• Teacher leaders emerged as STEAM literacy champions, supporting broader school-wide adoption.

GPLRC’s Professional Role

• Provided specialized synthetic phonics expertise within the interdisciplinary STEAM framework.
• Bridged arts and literacy pedagogy by collaborating with Scottish Opera artists to design engaging, effective lessons.
• Delivered immersive, hands-on teacher training emphasizing practical classroom application.
• Supported curriculum innovation aligned with international literacy and STEAM education standards.

Participant Feedback

“This training opened my eyes to the power of combining phonics and arts. My students are more excited to learn English when we sing, act, and explore science together.”
— Beijing Primary School English Teacher

“The partnership with Scottish Opera and GPLRC gave us tools to be creative and effective. I now feel confident to lead STEAM lessons that improve literacy and curiosity.”
— Workshop Participant, Beijing

Future Prospects

GPLRC plans to:

Foster cross-cultural exchanges integrating arts, science, and language education.

Expand STEAM-phonics teacher training programmes to other Chinese cities.

Develop digital STEAM literacy modules accessible nationwide.