STEAM or STEM?

         STEAM represents a paradigm shift from traditional

education philosophy, based on standardized test scores, to a modern ideal

which focuses on valuing the learning process as much as the results. In

essence, we dare our students to be wrong, to try multiple ideas, listen to

alternate opinions and create a knowledge base that is applicable to real life

as opposed to simply an exam. Deron Cameron

Former UPES Principal – US's 1st STEAM Certified School

Current TCSS Curriculum Coordinator

It was Judith A. Ramaley, the former director of the National Science Foundation’s Education and Human Resources Division in the U.S. who is credited with creating the acronym STEM: Science, (enables us to develop our interest in, and understanding of, the living, material and physical world and develops the skills of collaboration, research, critical enquiry and experimentation) Technology, (covers a range of fields which involve the application of knowledge, skills and computational thinking to extend human capabilities and to help satisfy human needs and wants, operating at the interface of science and society), Engineering (is about the design and creation of products and processes, drawing on scientific methods to provide the skills and knowledge to solve real-world problems) and Mathematics (equips us with the skills needed to interpret and analyse information, simplify and solve problems, assess risk, make informed decisions and further understand the world around us through modelling both abstract and concrete problems).

In the early 2000s in the United States the subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics became increasingly integrated rather than being taught as separate disciplines after the publication of numerous reports, specifically, Rising above the Gathering storm (U.S. National Academies 2005). This report showed U.S. students were not achieving in the STEM disciplines at the same rate as students in other countries. Successive studies showed that many students decided from a very early age whether or not they liked math and science. Unfortunately, many boys and even more girls were deciding that mathematics and science were boring or too difficult. In order to improve these results, Judith A. Ramaley created the STEM curricula.

Most schools have always taught subjects separately & have developed signature pedagogies & standards – they are all now recognizing the importance of inter-connecting to other fields. STEM is about igniting learners’ curiosity so they participate in solving real world problems and make informed career choices. The key factor to this style of learning is integration. Disciplines are no longer taught in independent subject silos, lesson are project and inquiry based. STEM teaches skills the way they will be used in the workforce, and the real world. Seldom does a job require only one skill set such as mathematics. STEM is a simple way of understanding and applying an integrated form of learning that resembles real life. Rather than teaching mathematics separate from science, they are able to be taught together in a way which shows how knowledge from those two fields compliment and support each other.

Education is no longer about memorizing facts. Instead it is about learning how to think critically and how to assess information. How to apply knowledge, research and skills to problem solve. Skills are taught in an applied way, as part of a greater whole, rather than the traditional approach. Consider a Science teacher who only teaches science, but does not integrate, technology, engineering or math into the curriculum. Although this teacher is in the STEM field the fact that they do not integrate or collaborate makes them just a science teacher, not a STEM educator.

Holistic learning is the opposite of rote memorization. Instead of learning through force, your goal is to create webs of information that link together.

● Your goal when learning anything is to create a construct or an underlying understanding.

● Constructs are formed from models, chunks of understanding that aren't completely accurate but can be used to solve problems.

●You create webs of information, constructs and models by visceralizing, metaphor and exploring

● Holistic learning works with highly conceptual information where there is an underlying system. It doesn't work well with arbitrary information or skills.

These 3 great minds built their careers on STEM. They also knew the importance of art integration, which yields steam.

Leonardo uses the Golden Ratio Also known as the Golden Section or the Divine Proportion, this mathematical principle is an expression of the ratio of two sums whereby their ratio is equal to the larger of the two quantities, these proportions that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye are found in nature and elsewhere once again here's our first candidate for a steam powered individual.

We go on to the life of Albert Einstein 500 years later and we explore not only a world-renowned physicist and the Father of the theory of relativity but we see that he was also a musician a violinist a concert pianist I just love how he summarizes it its epic after a certain high level of technical skills achieved science and art tend to coalesce in aesthetics plasticity and form the greatest scientists are always artists as well

Apple Steve Jobs once again quotes it amazingly I couldn't have said it better right instant apples teat sipping it's an apples DNA that science and technology is just perfect together and technology alone is not enough its technology married with the liberal arts married with the humanities that yields the results that make our heart sing in other words all the smart phones everyone's holding today all the iPhones those are brain children of steam.

The addition of Arts to STEM to create STEAM is about incorporating creative thinking and applied arts in real situations. Art is about discovering and creating clever ways to problem solving, integrating principles or presenting information. Architects, for example, use engineering, math, technology, science and arts to create spectacular buildings and structures. Whether you prefer STEM or STEAM the underlying fundamentals are very much the same, it is all about the integration of the subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.

To sum up, STEM and STEAM education and its application empowers every student to use their creativity and develop their critical thinking skills. The benefits of STEM education are also far-reaching for students of all ages and backgrounds, providing the necessary skills that our future generations will need in our increasingly technology driven world.

Ian Boyd/Self idiomas

References:

Bybee, R. W. (2010). What is STEM Education? SCIENCE, 329, (5995), 996. Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation. (2014). INNOVATE: A Blueprint for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in California Public Education. Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/ sc/documents/innovate.pdf

Dedovets, Z., & Rodionov, M. (2015). The Development of Student Core Competencies through the STEM Education Opportunities in Classroom. International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, 9(10), 3309-3312.

Department of Education and Skills. (2011). National Strategy: Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life. Retrieved from

www.education.ie/en/Publications/Policy-Reports/lit_num_strategy_full.pdf

Department of Education and Skills. (2012). Arts in Education Charter. Retrieved from www.education.ie/ en/Publications/Policy- Reports/Arts-In-Education-Charter.pdf

Department of Education and Skills. (2015). Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020. Retrieved from www. education.ie/en/Publications/Policy-Reports/Digital-Strategy-for-Schools-2015-2020.pdf