Putting the "A" in STEAM!

Why art is an important aspect of the STEM curriculum.

Art is about using creativity and imagination. This is no different in the classroom environment. We use art to increase the development of STEM's (now STEAM) essential skills. Enhancing flexibility, adaptability, productivity, responsibility and innovation. Soft skills started losing traction in the late 90's as technology grew and grew. Over the last 20 years companies have been trying to figure out how to balance the need for skilled workers that will work well and efficiently together. Soft skills are needed in the professional world (probably more so than hard skills) to create and keep a well functioning team and or company - hard skills are needed to be able to get the work done with the knowledge necessary to do it.

STEM education helps kids to develop both soft and hard skills from an early age. It requires children to think through problems and find solutions. During STEM/STEAM projects students interact with each other and teachers to communicate their thoughts, and explore new ideas. Even when they’re working individually, different parts of their brains are engaged, which results in a better memory and improved cognitive skills.

Art subjects allow students to connect the areas of STEAM together by exploring where art naturally fits into these areas. (and vise versa) Many of the STEAM areas of interest intertwine with each other, art is a great "bridging" subject that helps boost engagement and keeps kids interested. Keeping students motivated in any class can be a challenge, by using art to our advantage we can attract more of our youth to see and take an interest in other areas of STEAM.

The Washington Post found that 92 percent of high-level employees in leadership positions, such as chief executives and product engineers, have a bachelor’s degree. However, the types of degrees they hold may come as a surprise. Only 37 percent had degrees in engineering or computer technology, while the remaining 63 percent had degrees in a wide range of fields--including business, accounting, health care, and the arts and humanities. Huh, interesting...

STEAM careers are highly diverse and include professions such as architect, sound engineer, graphic designer, conservator, product designer, urban planner and archaeologist. Just to name a few! By adding art back into the core curriculum we provide a pathway for our kids to connect with real world interests and careers.

If you’re looking to add STEM/STEAM throughout the school year, check out our STEM integration curriculum! These courses combine all things STEM and STEAM into subject-aligned concepts for students in grades K-12. From healthcare sciences to coding and 3D modeling to hands-on engineering challenges, there’s something for everyone!

To learn more about STEM integration and our other project-based course libraries, request a demo today.