The words STEM and STEAM are tossed around quite freely within learning communities, but do we really know what they mean or how to implement them effectively? Why should we know these terms? How does STEM or STEAM impact the way we educate today's youths?
I would like to offer my personal working definition, for each of the following terms:
Science - an explanation of how the world and its systems originated and continue to coexist
Technology - resources that make existing tasks or jobs easier
Engineering - an understanding how things work together
Mathematics - formulas, numbers and calculations
Art - the creative expression of individuals
STEM Education - curriculum that incorporates science, technology, engineering, and math as an integral part of the program of studies
STEAM Education - curriculum that incorporates science, technology, engineering, art and math as an integral part of the program of studies
The distinction between Science and Engineering - science seeks to explain the origins of behavior (social), life (plant, animal, human), and physical substances (elements), while engineering seeks to understand the mechanics of how things work together
Interdisciplinary teaching and learning - instructional practices that involve more than one discipline in the implementation of lesson plans or units
Now, let's see how the "experts" define these terms:
Science - an explanation of how the world and its systems originated and continue to coexist
According to NASA Space Place science is "curiosity in thoughtful action about the world and how it behaves."
Technology - resources that make existing tasks or jobs easier
Merriam-Webster defines technology as improvements in technical processes that increase productivity of machines and eliminates manual operations or operations done by older machines.
Engineering - an understanding how things work together
The website Live Science defines engineering as "the application of science and math to solve problems."
Mathematics - formulas, numbers and calculations
Dr. Robert H. Lewis of Fordham University states that mathematics is "about processes."
Art - the creative expression of individuals
In a recent Huffington Post article by UVA student, Andrew Burrill posted in April 2016, several people were asked to defined art. Vanessa Ochs, Creative Writing Fellowship Recipient from National Endowment for the Arts defines art as "an alternative world, one we create that stands in contrast to the world we regularly live in, which is messy, unplanned, unedited, uninspired, unfocused, draining, largely immoral...Art is the best of our imaginings, shaped to share."
STEM Education - curriculum that incorporates science, technology, engineering, and math as an integral part of the program of studies
The website Live Science defines STEM Education as "a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines--science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--in an interdisciplinary and applied approach."
STEAM Education - curriculum that incorporates science, technology, engineering, art and math as an integral part of the program of studies
According to steamedu.com, STEAM Education is "science and technology interpreted through engineering and the arts, all based in mathematical elements."
The distinction between Science and Engineering - science seeks to explain the origins of behavior (social), life (plant, animal, human), and physical substances (elements), while engineering seeks to understand the mechanics of how things work together
In general, science seeks to create the ideal conditions to examine how things will potentially work, while engineering seeks to determine how things will work in the real world.
Interdisciplinary teaching and learning - instructional practices that involve more than one discipline in the implementation of lesson plans or units
My working definition seems to support the most accepted definition of this term.
After researching these terms and comparing them to my working definitions, I feel that I have a better understanding of the actual meanings, and how they serve to change the dynamics of learning communities.
How about you? Are you ready? Do you STEM or do you STEAM?
After researching these terms and comparing them to my working definitions, I feel that I have a better understanding of the actual meanings, and how they serve to change the dynamics of learning communities.
How about you? Are you ready? Do you STEM or do you STEAM?
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