Magnolia Charter School's View on Their LAUSD Campus STEAM Based Courses
Most people have heard about STEM education, but may not really know exactly what it stands for or what it means. These same people are probably not aware of STEAM education either.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics and these courses are the main focus in almost every school in the United States right now. This type of education was created in order to keep up with global competitiveness.
STEAM includes everything that is in a STEM education, but it also includes the arts. This is a very important feature because art education can actually improve a student’s academic education. A student that takes art, music, dance or theater classes is actually more creative and innovative than a student that does not pursue these studies.
STEM education can help a student become better problem solvers, innovators, inventors, more self-reliant and logical thinkers. On the other hand, a STEAM education means that a student may be four times more likely to be recognized for their academic achievements and three times more likely to be awarded for their school attendance. Students who study STEAM may also earn higher scores on their SATs because they are learning more interpretive skills.
STEM and STEAM education both have a noticeable brain focus for students. Students that are active in STEM education are focused on deductive reasoning, problem-solving, inductive reasoning and problem sensitivity. A student that is in STEAM education is focused on creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration, flexibility and adaptability and social and cross-cultural skills.
There is quite a difference between the United States and other countries when it comes to STEM education. The United States ranks 52nd in the quality of mathematics and science education and 5th in overall global competitiveness. Only 5.6% of college graduates have a STEM degree in the United States.
STEAM education is often undervalued in the United States, so even though 48 states have adopted standards that include the arts in learning, these classes are still considered to be fewer than necessary. One of the reasons for the fewer arts education classes is that there is not a definitive way to really measure the educational success that these classes actually offer students.
Once more people realize how important the arts really are to every student then there is a possibility that there will be more advancement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics classes in the United States. These classes are becoming more popular with students and if there is a way to get these students to improve in these academic areas, then even more students will want the opportunity to take these important classes. For more information on Magnolia Charter School (LAUSD), please visit MagnoliaPublicSchools.org.
