The Bottom-Up Approach to STEAM
Our Responsibility
Therefore , when one considers how to integrate STEAM ed . into schools ’ curriculum , it is imperative upon us to reflect on how the top-down approach lost its luster . Simply put , we must not make teachers fear for their job security for not facilitating high student performance on newly created standardized “ STEAM exams .” It would simply be yet another example of a well-intentioned education objective that is self-defeating from the get-go .
The Bottom-Up Approach to STEAM
With jobs in science , technology , engineering , the arts and mathematics among the highest paying and most secure in the workforce , it is no wonder that an increasing number of parents want their children to be better educated in such subjects . Not to mention the fact that these fields teach skills that are both fun to learn and applicable to other disciplines . Accordingly , to spread the benefits of STEAM ed . throughout the world , schools should start asking students to describe their preferences ( what a concept ) on the sort of STEAM education that they would like to have .
By empowering students to choose what they want to explore , educators will ultimately be teaching classes that are individualized to what each child is passionate about , giving students a greater incentive to learn . Kids could pick and choose among hundreds of activities such as creating robots , coding apps , designing building models with 3D printing , using mathematics to understand music , and more .
Most importantly , nothing would be set in stone : Once a kid finds something boring , she can simply put it to the side and move on to the next activity . Rather than impose diktats downward from the top of the employment pyramid to teachers , children will provide their feedback upwards to educators who will then know how to continuously improve the STEAM experience .
Our Responsibility
Will children be the protagonists of their educational journeys ? That remains to be seen . STEAM education holds great promise , but repeating past mistakes will simply take us down that familiar road to nowhere .
Scott Lininger is the CEO and Co-Founder of Bitsbox , an EdTech startup that teaches children how to code their own apps .
STEAMed Magazine
39
January 2016 Edition