STEAM Education
STEAM Education is an approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking.
Using STEAM education results in students who take thoughtful risks, engage in experiential learning, persist in problem-solving, embrace collaboration, and work through the creative process. These are the innovators, educators, leaders, and learners of the 21st century! This comprehensive article will help you understand the keys to a meaningful STEAM effort
Why is STEAM Education Important?
It helps students:
- Ask questions
- Connect the dots
- Problem solve
- Think creatively
- Be innovative
Why the A in STEAM?
Were are some of the concrete benefits of incorporating the arts into science and engineering:
- It helps remove idea inhibition (there’s no wrong answer in art!).
- It focuses on the process which helps drive innovation.
- It teaches the power of observation, of people and your surroundings.
- It helps hone spatial awareness and mathematical concepts like geometry.
Explore the STEAM Model
- STEAM is an integrated approach to learning which requires an intentional connection between standards, assessments and lesson design/implementation
- True STEAM experiences involve two or more standards from Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and the Arts to be taught AND assessed in and through each other
- Inquiry, collaboration, and an emphasis on process-based learning are at the heart of the STEAM approach
- Utilizing and leveraging the integrity of the arts themselves is essential to an authentic STEAM initiative