STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. "STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking" (Education Closet, 2018). What is the purpose of STEAM? The purpose of STEAM is to integrate and apply math and science concepts in real-world situations. STEAM also includes the integration of soft skills necessary for the future. These soft skills are referred to as the 4 C's. The 4 C's of STEAM are Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking. Each of these sub-sets of STEAM can help prepare students for life beyond the classroom. Development of these skills needs to start now so they become a more natural behavior and way of thinking. STEAM also involves the integration of multiple subjects into an activity that addresses the standards of those subjects. Otherwise, if it is just an activity addressing the concepts of a single subject, it is more an extension or enrichment of that particular standard or idea. By bringing in other standards from math, science, art, and/or technology the teacher is expanding learning and reaching out beyond extension or enrichment of a single idea/concept. When you see those awesome ideas on Pinterest or other sites and you want to use them in your lessons, think about how you can truly make it a STEAM activity. Go beyond the simple STEAM process and incorporate various standards and subjects into the activity. For example, you want to make that adorable marshmallow catapult? Go ahead and make the catapult using the engineering principles of planning, design, and construction, but tie the standard to a measurement unit in math by estimating the distance and measuring it in standard or nonstandard units. Here you have taken and enginering idea and combined it with a math standard where you can formally or informally assess a students understanding of the mathematics principle. Why is STEAM important? "STEAM empowers teachers to employ project-based learning that crosses all 5 disciplines (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) and fosters an inclusive learning environment where all students are able to engage and contribute. As opposed to traditional models of teaching, educators using the STEAM framework bring the disciplines together, leveraging the dynamic synergy between the modeling process and math and science content in order to blur the boundaries between modeling techniques and scientific / mathematical thinking. Through this holistic approach, students are able to exercise both sides of their brain at once" (University of San Diego, 2018). What can STEAM do for my students?
How can I implement STEAM in my classroom? |