STEAM education is an approach to teaching

STEM subjects Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...

that incorporates artistic skills like

creative thinking Creativity is the ability to form novel and valuable ideas or works using one's imagination. Products of creativity may be intangible (e.g. an idea, scientific theory, literary work, musical composition, or joke), or a physical object (e.g. a ...

and

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

. The name derives from the acronym ''STEM'', with an ''A'' added to stand for ''arts''. STEAM programs aim to teach students

innovation Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or service (economics), services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a n ...

, to think critically, and to use engineering or technology in imaginative designs or creative approaches to real-world problems while building on students' mathematics and science base.

Education legislation for STEAM education in the U.S.

Examples of state-based STEAM programs as guidance or related resources: *

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

created the ''Quality Model for STEM and STEAM Schools''. By Ohio statute, a STEAM school is designated as a type of STEM school. * In May 2014,

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

created the ''STEAM Now Coalition''. * In 2017,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

enacted legislation for the creation of a State Seal of STEM Program and a State Seal of STEAM Program. The STEAM seal is given to students who have "high level of proficiency in science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics." * In

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, the South Carolina State Department of Education created the South Carolina STEAM Implementation Continuum "to provide statewide guidance and consistency with regard to STEAM implementation".

University based STEAM projects

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

(Georgia Tech) in collaboration with its Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC) created the GoSTEAM program. GoSTEAM is a program that integrates art and music into STEM focused curriculum for students in the

K–12 K–12, from kindergarten to 12th grade, is an English language expression that indicates the range of years of publicly supported primary and secondary education found in the United States and Canada, which is similar to publicly supported sch ...

(

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

to twelfth grade studies).

''The STEAM Journal''

The Journal of STEAM Education (J-STEAM) is a free and

open-access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...

journal that is

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

by an international team of reviewers. It is an online publication and is published by the STEAM Education Research Association. The journal publishes articles from a range of topics in

educational research Educational research refers to the systematic collection and analysis of evidence and data related to the field of education. Research may involve a variety of methods and various aspects of education including student learning, interaction, tea ...

and related disciplines. As the J-STEAM, it has an emphasis on the integration of STEAM topics, namely Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics.

STEAM in children's media

* ''Sesame Street''s 43rd season continues to focus on STEM but finds ways to integrate art. They state: "This helps make learning STEM concepts relevant and enticing to young children by highlighting how artists use STEM knowledge to enhance their art or solve problems. It also provides context for the importance of STEM knowledge in careers in the arts (e.g. musician, painter, sculptor, and dancer)." * MGA Entertainment created a S.T.E.A.M. based franchise Project Mc2. *

Criticism of STEAM

STEM subjects can incorporate art to assist teaching STEM, where art is a tool for STEM in the form of STEAM education. However, some criticism holds that art and STEM subjects should be of equal value in the education process.

Other uses of the STEAM acronym

*Other meanings of the "A" that have been promoted include

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

, and

applied mathematics Applied mathematics is the application of mathematics, mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and Industrial sector, industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a ...

. *The

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...

has a STEM to STEAM program and at one point maintained an interactive map that showed global STEAM initiatives. Relevant organizations were able to add themselves to the map, though it is no longer available at the location stated in press releases. John Maeda, (2008 to 2013 president of

) has been a champion in bringing the initiative to the political forums of educational policy. *Some programs offer STEAM from a base focus like mathematics and science. * SteamHead is a non-profit organization that promotes innovation and accessibility in education, focusing on STEAM fields. * As part of a $1.5 million Department of Education grant, Wolf Trap's Institute of Education trains and places teaching artists in preschool and kindergarten classrooms. The artists collaborate with the teachers to integrate math and science into the arts.

References

External links

What is STEAM? (fine arts-based)STEM to STEAMSTEAM ConnectISEA2012 Machine Wilderness: Special Media-N editionThe STEAM Journal
(Academic journal)
GoSTEAM at Georgia Tech
(University based STEAM program) {{Areas of mathematics Education policy Science education Engineering education Mathematics education Visual arts education Design