Education for a New Generation

STEM & STEAM                                                                                                                         Part 1

There is no denying that the current education system is in need of an overhaul. Technology is part of our lives in nearly every aspect of what we do. Auto mechanics now use computers for diagnostics. Medical treatments, patient records, and so much more are all electronic and heavily reliant on these new technologies. Unfortunately many of our current graduates do not have the skills or education in these fields to face the challenges that they will face in their future. This has led us to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) as an educational tool to better prepare our children for the future.

Children who study STEM develop a variety of skills that are essential for success: critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, to name a few. STEM lessons do not deliberately exclude the arts or any other subject; rather, these subjects are included naturally as needed for engineering challenges.

On the other hand, engineering and technology are essential parts of the artists education. Education in all segments of the arts is tied in with basic STEM principles. So how do we build a STEAM program?  The arts are a can be used as an excellent tool and can help to engage students that learn more visually than analytically. My son was one of those students that learned visually. It was one thing to tell him something, but he needed you to prove it to him visually. A teacher telling that 1 + 1 = 2 is fine, he could remember that but it didn’t hold any real meaning for him until you showed him that 1 apple plus another apple gave him 2 apples. Now that he was able to see this he grasped the concept, it became more than words. This was true for nearly every subject. Teachers even worried he had a learning disability but when tested he did problems well above his grade level and had a gifted IQ. He grew up to be a very humorous storyteller and talented chef.  Encouraging students’ strengths using art activities increases motivation and can lead to better educational success.

STEAM programs should include art that naturally fits in the STEM arena. Art can be treated as an applied subject—just like math and science. We need to look though at teaching the Arts to include STEM principles. Take music for example, the notes and the beat is made up of fractions – quarter note, half note, whole note. Now think of all the musical terms, many are in French, this helps to build language skills. Drawing is a series of geometric shapes; think how this ties in to math and engineering. A lesson in painting could also include the science of how paint is made. Same could be said for other mediums such as pottery, metal art or textile art. Think of ways now to include performance art into a lesson. While studying engineering or science you may learn the history of early designs and discoveries. The students could then research and write a skit then perform it. This could be about what may have happened  in the lab with that scientist or engineer on the day of his or her breakthrough.

We must remember that while the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math cannot be overlooked we must educate the whole child by teaching the arts. If we fail to do this our children will be missing out on some of the very things that make us human.

In part two,  I will suggest some books that you can use to teach your children or students that are useful when teaching STEAM principles.


Source: http://stemtosteam.org/case-studies/institute-of-play-mission-lab/