As many of you know, the acronym STEM refers to science, technology, engineering, and math, often in the context of education. STEAM adds art to the equation, and the i.d.e.a. Museum is all about incorporating the arts into the way we teach more technical and scientific subjects. For example, one project required students to use math in order to build a structure, but allowed them creative freedom with the structure's aesthetics.
In some ways, STEM education can be closed off because students decide so early whether or not it's something they want to go into, and so often you see young children deciding firmly against it because of stereotypes or assumptions. It's heartbreaking to see students assume that careers in science and engineering can't mesh with their creative interests, or that they simply "aren't smart enough" for those subjects. The United States has fallen behind in STEM education, but the answer to that problem is not cutting funding for the arts. Arts education is imperative when it comes to developing creativity, critical thinking, spatial reasoning, and other skills.
In elementary and middle school, kids self-identified themselves often as either left-brained or right-brained. There was a dichotomy between being logical and mathematical or emotional and artistic. But I've always loved both science and art, and I think they inherently pair well.
The following two infographics are both hanging in the museum's offices, and help explain the philosophy behind STEAM education. I'd love to hear your thoughts on STEAM, especially as it contrasts with simple STEM or arts education, as well as some of the statistics shown below!
The i.d.e.a. Museum has three events scheduled for outreach this Saturday, so we've been busy putting materials together for the booths and activities the museum will run at these events. As such I haven't gotten my hands on the numbers I promised last week yet, but I should be able to share them with you on Monday!
In some ways, STEM education can be closed off because students decide so early whether or not it's something they want to go into, and so often you see young children deciding firmly against it because of stereotypes or assumptions. It's heartbreaking to see students assume that careers in science and engineering can't mesh with their creative interests, or that they simply "aren't smart enough" for those subjects. The United States has fallen behind in STEM education, but the answer to that problem is not cutting funding for the arts. Arts education is imperative when it comes to developing creativity, critical thinking, spatial reasoning, and other skills.
In elementary and middle school, kids self-identified themselves often as either left-brained or right-brained. There was a dichotomy between being logical and mathematical or emotional and artistic. But I've always loved both science and art, and I think they inherently pair well.
The following two infographics are both hanging in the museum's offices, and help explain the philosophy behind STEAM education. I'd love to hear your thoughts on STEAM, especially as it contrasts with simple STEM or arts education, as well as some of the statistics shown below!
The i.d.e.a. Museum has three events scheduled for outreach this Saturday, so we've been busy putting materials together for the booths and activities the museum will run at these events. As such I haven't gotten my hands on the numbers I promised last week yet, but I should be able to share them with you on Monday!
Hey Navya! This subject is really important to me because, as a student at Basis with a computer scientist and an electrical engineer as parents, I never even considered art as a career option until this year. The arts departments at Basis are, of course, wonderful; however, science and math are definitely more focused upon, and there isn't much crossover. Not that I'm not totally psyched and excited that I'm going into animation; however, who knows what would've happened if I had been encouraged in art and to apply it to science, instead of constantly being told "artists don't make money" and "let go of it or keep it as a hobby; focus on your technical skills" (ironically, this ultimately caused me to push back more in my artistic pursuits).
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found this relatable! Thank you for sharing your experiences.
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ReplyDeletesorry my comment double posted for some reason
DeleteHi Navya! First off, I completely agree with you on the pairing of science and art...the whole left-brained right-brained divide always had me scratching my head. The concept of STEAM in general is very interesting. I love how on the second infographic header, STEM is printed in regular, even bleak, letters, while STEAM is all like 'ART EXPLOSION WHOOO LOOKIE' hahaha sorry I just thought it was funny.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found cool was that students who study the arts are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement. I'm wondering if art alone supposedly 'boosts' the kid's minds to get such achievements, or if the general environment of schools where art is a focal point is unique to that of other schools and subsequently impacts academic achievement.
I'd also like to know the sample sizes for the poll questions.
In any case, your SRP seems to be coming along nicely. Can't wait till next week!
That's a very interesting question--I'm sure that could be an SRP research question in itself! I think a lot of research has been done connecting the study of music in particular with academic achievement, but it's very true that schools with, say, more money overall, could have stronger arts departments.
DeleteI think we all agree that art and science pair well according to previous comments. Did you make the charts here? They look very nice. How does STEAM contribute to your SRP?
ReplyDeleteI wish I could say I made the charts, but they're from the University of Florida. My SRP is all about connecting students with extracurricular opportunities in STEAM. :)
DeleteI'm so glad STEAM is becoming a larger and more influential educational approach - things like creativity (which is usually seen as a strictly right-brained trait) are important in life and in so many careers, including regular STEM jobs. In fact, I'll be helping at a booth for my srp at a SciTech festival this Friday that's being hosted at a STEAM elementary/middle school.
ReplyDeleteIn general, I'm pro any education that gives more exposure to different subjects and fields of study.
That's very true! I'd love to hear your thoughts on that SciTech festival!
DeleteI am a senior in Lutheran High School-Parker and I love the idea of STEAM. However, while we encouraging studying art, we should not make the experience forcible. If we can manage our art education as what we did with sport, that would be great.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting when we start to think about which parts of a curriculum we make mandatory. Generally, math and English are considered educational mainstays, but sciences, arts, and sports are relatively flexible. I'm sure we have to constantly evaluate which skills are most necessary for the future.
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