What is STEAM and Why Parents Should Care
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Posted By: William Jackson on November 14, 2018 What is STEAM and Why Parents Should Care By William Jackson, M.Edu Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics/Music The world is changing, the incorporation of technology will not stop in our society, integration of technology is changing how we function in this world. Educational initiatives use to train children for the future is ever progressing and creating a transformative paradigm shift in how teachers teach even the basics of educational foundation. Children must be prepared for careers not even available now and they must be able to solve complex problems that will challenge our ability to function in an ever shifting world. The earth is much smaller because of digital communication, satellites that use infrared, radar and microwave technologies to survey millions of miles of land, sonar technologies that can “see” in the deepest of oceans and seas. The same satellites that have their digital “eyes” aimed at deep space and even new technology that can detect movement of animals and intricate weather patterns. Providing accurate weather predictions for weeks and months in advance. All provided by the growth and integration of academic elements being taught in schools across this country. Because technology has advanced it is important for the engagement of tools to be fused into educational initiatives like STEM/STEAM/STREAM/CSTREAM and STEMsquared, they are all connected, but each has a powerful individual effect in our world. The goal is to engage the whole child and foster high achievement in all areas, “as defined by STE[+a]M, which is a website created to share information about the blending of arts and sciences. The past error in thinking was that each of these elements were separate and unequal. The new thinking is that STEAM creates a curriculum that embraces all these elements which allow students to hone their personal skills and advance in areas that are new, but just as important. Project based learning where there is a end result that is not based on data, but based on evidence of a finished product. There is a new way of thinking, grounded in research on the brain shows creativity helps students to learn. The artistic development and the scientific techniques are complimentary than once first believed. The blending of these skills require students to engage in creative, critical and higher order thinking that supports collaborative and cooperative learning. Learning that pushes and challenges, and brings about success that is transferable in advanced areas of appliance and application. In a layman’s explanation, kids are encourage to do something, given the tools and the parents are facilitators and get out of the way. Parents need to understand many careers are now influenced by STEM curriculum's and should be more involved in schools that are preparing students to be future leaders Educators, artists, and scientists recognize the importance of blending the arts and sciences and believe that this can lead to richer student learning. STEAM is complimentary with 21st artistic, scientific and technological century skills. There is much more than just teacher centered instruction, the student must be the center of learning and involve the “4 Cs”: Creativity, Collaboration, Critical thinking, and Communication. So important are these elements and how instruction is performed that the organizations of the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the U.S. Department of Education are joining to make sure current and future models of learning properly prepare students to be the skilled laborers this nation needs to lead in the 21st 22nd and 23rd centuries. William Jackson is an educator over 30 years experience. Teaching Physical Education, STEAM/STEM/STREAM Past Professor with Edward Waters College teaching Educational Technology, Social Media and STEAM A national and international blogger and advocate for WordCamp as a blogger, volunteer, speaker and organizer. Hashtag #MyQuestToTeach If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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William Jackson
Educational Technology and Social Media Instructor, Edward Waters College South Carolina State University class of 1985 Member Since September 2008 |
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