STEAM is the world. It’s not a class, a club, or an event. It’s the connection of learning with the world. We debate the letters and what they mean, we reduce STEAM to a time in school, and we even argue it’s relevance.
All the while, STEAM is the world. Good design? It uses every aspect of STEAM, without formality and without even thinking about it.
You need to measure to make it fit. You need art to make it meaningful, beautiful, connected. You need science to figure out how it will work. You need engineering to make it better. You need technology to share it with the world, improve the efficiency.
How in the world did we get SO off track in our schools in America? How did we ever think these things were expendable? We left science for teaching “next year when it’s tested,” we threw art out when budgets got low, we reduced math to a book for an hour a day. We called things like “design” fluff classes and “fun” that somehow became the “f” word in education.
Honestly, that ironically makes steam come out of my ears.
Now the very government that pushed testing down the on the administrators and teachers of America’s schools and crushed them is all “We need STEM”!
You know what we need America? The time and space to get back to the heart of learning connected with the world. Authentic lessons where STEAM is integrated because it’s imperatively already built in. Assessment occurs because bright, intelligent teachers know from observation, discussion, and authentic reasoning where their kids are at.
Don’t tell me about Finland one more time. Tell me what we can do TODAY to restore our schools to what our kids need. It’s not going to be a booklet, a handout, or program. It’s learning, and it’s time.
Greetings Krissy,
A very lively, enjoyable and informative article.
I am aware of the acronym STEM but STEAM is definitely better.
One looks forward to more of your observations and writing.
Well said Krissy. The world of education has gone mad with it’s obsession with certain subject areas. I don’t necessarily say STEAM is the only way, but go back to something far more fundamental – and that is creating the conditions to allow young people to understand how the world around them works, and to be given opportunities to mould it. In the UK take a look at what DATA are trying to do. Check out my web site (new, so limited in content yet) for more on how DATA is tackling things here http://www.johnar.net. There needs to be a re – revolution. That re-revolution includes STEAM, Design Education and a determination to prepare youngsters for the world ahead.
This was an awesome write-up. I love it. You have touched on the very thing that STEAM stands for. I agree that assessments are here to stay but education was and is going down the wrong path when it takes 3 weeks out of 9 weeks per quarter to do testing on each individual student. Where is the justice in that? STEAM would be a better route.