STEM → STEAM: The Changing Trend in Education

We are familiar with the word STEM as it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. But what exactly is STEM education? STEM education is an approach to learning that integrates these four different subjects into a single curriculum. STEM education focuses on critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration skills and aims to develop these skills through hands-on learning. Specifically, STEM education looks like students integrating math and science to solve problems in school labs. For example, students may explore concepts like acid base reactions or conduct engineering projects in school which are projects that combine multiple subjects into a single learning experience. STEM education has multiple benefits. For instance, STEM education help student develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills by allowing them to analyze complex challenges and use logic to find solutions. STEM based education can also boose collaboration and communication skills as most STEM based projects are group based requiring students to work together with others. Recently however, more and more schools are adapting STEAM instead of STEM. STEAM education includes the same foundation of science, technology, engineering, and math but also incorporates art into the program. STEAM education is distinct from the typical STEM education as STEAM places bigger emphasis on creativity and artistic expression. STEAM education was introduced in the mid-2000s and have shown significant benefits since its introduction. As STEAM education incorporates art into the already existing curriculum of STEM, it focuses on the development of critical thinking skills and creativity. Specifically, STEM education consists of project based learning, aiming to develop creativity, technical skills, problem solving solving skills, innovation, and collaboration skills. STEAM education’s project based learning is a major difference compared to other techning methods that rely on worksheets and quizes. Technical skills are able to develop as as STEAM teaches students how to code, design, and build technology which are skills that are technical and are used often in the real world. These skills learned through STEAM serves as a crutial backbone for the students when they are in real working envrionments. STEAM also allows collaboration skills to develop as projects require students to work together in teams. Collaboration skills are as important as technical skills as only thorough collaboration are students able to learn how to exchange ideas and give feedback. Through collaboration, students may also develop communication and learship skills which are all important skills need when working. However, creativity and innovation skills are what is most stressed in STEAM education as this skill is what sets the differents between STEM and STEAM education. Art is an integral part of the curriculum of STEAM education as it encourages creativity and innovation. The arts have been seen as a way to creativly express oneself. By incorporating the arts with science, students are able to find ways to visualize their understanding of science, sparking new ways of thinking. Schools worldwide have already incorporated STEAM education within their curriculum to access its benefits. In Coney Island, New York, a group of teacherss have developed a plan to trandform education in their neighborhood through the reliance on STEAM. Teachers started to teach elementry school students how to perform basic coding and used lego rootics to help student’s understanding. Lego robotics were seen as a helpful tool in developing student’s critical thinking skills as according to the University of San Diego, “a group of fourth grade students started intently at their computer screens, trying to program a spinning top made of Legos.” These hands on experience with science are especially important as it can spark student’s interest and curiosity in science during their early stage in education. The Lego education approach to STEAM has grown in popularity. Because STEAM education is attractive to children as well as students in middle to high school, its curriculum is shown to be effetive. To conclude, STEAM education is an effective curriculum that can develop student’s creativity skills, technical skills, collaboration skills, as well as problem solving skills through the collaboration of art with science. Visulaization is when studying science and design related projects in STEAM education serve as tools to aid student’s understanding. The incorporation of art and design in science not only helps students understanding but it has also sparked student’s interest in the field. Through fun projects like Lego robotics in Coney Island, students are able to further develop their interest in science and gain creativity in the process. STEAM education is continuously growing its influence and more and more schools are benefiting from this program.