Promote STEM/STEAM among youngsters
Are you looking for the ideal curriculum to prepare your children for their future careers? Do you question whether arts and STEAM education are essential for your children’s future? We have the solution for you!
STEM education is usually seen as the golden way to cultivate individuals who can climb above the ranks and solve daily challenges. However, the times and industry are changing, and we must adjust accordingly. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The missing piece is art, but is it necessary?
Incorporating the arts into STEM results in STEAM learning, which teaches in-demand skills through a hands-on approach. It prepares young children for an industry that is constantly evolving by fostering their ability to think critically and create. The arts foster higher self-awareness, critical thinking, and community engagement.
To fully comprehend the significance of art in STEM, let’s examine the STEM model in greater detail. Then, we will discuss the contributions that arts and LearnOBots provide to STEAM education.
What are STEM disciplines?
MIT and Stanford are the top colleges for STEM programs.
However, STEM is more than just a collection of disciplines. It was officially introduced in 2001 and is regarded as a teaching philosophy. It teaches the topics concurrently to cultivate minds capable of tackling real-world challenges and fostering innovation.
This indicates that students no longer rely on mathematics, technology, or science to solve issues or conduct research but instead use all three simultaneously. Learning by doing is essential to STEM education. Students can apply their knowledge to produce real-world products such as robotics, electronics, software, and more.
Due to STEM, we have been able to attract extraordinary individuals who contribute to shaping our future. STEM careers span from microbiologists in the medical area who assist us in dealing with microscopic creatures to aeronautical engineers who keep our feet firmly planted in the sky.
Problems confronting the current STEM system
That sounds incredible. STEM education and its alumni can resolve all of our issues and save the world. Well, not quite.
As you can see, STEM courses are quite limited in their diversity. As it is already attempting to encompass many topics, students have little time for subjects like photography, design, music, etc., that may interest them. This ultimately causes individuals to lose touch with their creative side. Worse still, they lack originality for innovative concepts. Creativity is a need in an industry that requires ongoing innovation for development, as one might expect.
Moreover, science might get tedious. Most 9- to 13-year-olds lose interest in science if they are not taught effectively and pursue alternative careers. In reality, IET research “found that children’s passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) is on the wane, with interest in Science amongst 9 to 12-year-olds declining by 10%, Design and Technology by 12%, and ICT / Computing by 14% over the past four years.”
A significant aspect contributing to this is that students lack practical experience, exclusively work with theory, and have a distorted view of the future. Given the ongoing evolution of science and technology, it is advantageous to encourage as many individuals as possible to pursue STEM fields. Therefore, making STEM education appealing may be quite a challenge.
Why should arts be included in STEM?
STEAM intends to tackle the present problems with STEM by incorporating the subject of art. Why, than art?
Without a doubt, arts considerably enhance an individual’s inventiveness. One has more opportunities to apply what they have learned than to memorize tedious theory. In addition, art gives a unique approach to solving problems and thinking beyond the box. Motivating one to generate solutions while maintaining engagement.
But how can this be applied in the actual world? However, art exists even in science. A qualified architect must use the proper materials and construct the most secure building feasible. However, only a creative architect can create designs that stun.
In addition, origami, folding 2D paper into 3D shapes, inspired scientists to create the origami revolution, a program that uses origami to create any 3D item from 2D paper. The ability to reverse-fold three-dimensional objects into two dimensions was a groundbreaking discovery in the realms of micro-robotics and space technology.
A study conducted by the University of Florida discovered the following. The average SAT score of kids who study arts for four years in high school is 98 points higher than those who study arts for less than half a year. In addition, “students who took music appreciation scored 61 points higher on the verbal exam and 42 points higher on the mathematics component.”
This type of inventiveness does not originate from STEM alone. Although it is essential to emphasize STEM courses, art is the missing element of the equation. Regardless of the STEM components’ size, they are incomplete without art. Consequently, this is the difference between STEM and STEAM learning.
Enhance its appeal using Matic Academy and STEAM
The issue of young children losing interest in science and technology was previously mentioned. Matic Academy intends to address this issue by introducing STEAM concepts at a young age. However, with a distinct approach. Matic Academy may pique the interest of young people and inspire them to continue on the path of STEAM education by giving creative and entertaining activities alongside a hands-on approach to hardware and software.
Matic Academy provides modules that train children with various abilities, including Arduino, robotics, coding, web design, 3D modeling, and other skills. All of these factors are considered when determining what excites and engages children. What your children may perceive as a delightful time of play will be the defining moment of their successful lives in the future. Here you can view our STEAM camps.
