What is STEM Education?

It is a learning method that integrates engineering, science, technology and math. The most recent version, STEAM, also incorporates the arts that have the “ability to broaden the scope that are possible with STEM education and its application,” according to Stem Education Guide . STEAM is designed to foster dialogue and problem-solving among the students, while gaining practical skills and an appreciation for collaborations according to STEAM’s Institution for Art Integration and STEAM.

Instead of teaching the five disciplines separately and distinct disciplines, STEAM incorporates them into a single learning model that is based on real-world scenarios.

The U.S. Department of Education “In an ever-changing and multifaceted world, it’s now more vital than ever to ensure that our children are equipped to apply their knowledge and abilities to tackle problems, comprehend information, and be able to analyze and gather data to make choices.”

In 2009 the Obama administration launched”Educate to Innovate” in 2009 “Educate for Innovate” campaign that aims to inspire and inspire students to achieve in STEAM-related subjects. The program also addresses lack of amount of teachers who are qualified to teach these subjects.

The Department of Education now offers several STEM-related programs, including research programmes that have emphasis on STEAM, grant selection programs with a STEAM particular focus, STEAM grant selection programs as well as general programs that promote STEAM education.

In 2020 in 2020, the U.S. Department of Education granted $141 million in new grants, and $437 million to maintain existing STEAM projects. The breakdown of the grants can be found in their annual report on investments.

Importance of STEM in STEAM and STEAM education

Education in STEAM is essential in meeting the needs of an ever-changing world. In a report by iD Tech , millions of STEAM jobs are unfilled across the U.S., therefore efforts to fill the skills gap are vital. According to a study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be an anticipated growth rate for STEAM-related professions of 10.5 percent in the period between 2020- 2030 as compared to 7.5 percent for non-STEAM-related professions. The median wage for 2020 was also higher for STEAM-related occupations ($89,780) in comparison to non-STEAM professions ($40,020).

From 2014 to 2024 the number of jobs in computer jobs is predicted to grow to 12.5 per cent between 2014 to 2024 according to a report on STEAM occupations . With the projected growth in STEAM-related professions need to be an equally significant rise in STEAM education efforts to draw students to enter these fields, otherwise the gap in skills will continue to increase.

For STEM careers resources, make sure you visit the Futurum website.

STEAM jobs do not necessarily require higher education or having a college degree. The majority of STEAM jobs that are entry-level require an undergraduate degree or more as per the websites for skills gaps Burning Glass Technologies . A four-year degree is extremely valuable in terms of salary. The median advertised starting wage for STEAM entry-level jobs that have the requirement of a bachelor’s degree was 26 percent more than those in non-STEAM field.. For each job ad for a bachelor’s-degree recipient in a non-STEAM area there were 2.5 post-graduate job ads for those who have a bachelor’s degree in a STEAM area.
STEAM blended learning

What makes STEAM different from traditional math and science instruction is its blended environment for learning, and teaching students how science-based methods can be applied to daily life. It helps students develop computational thinking, and is focused on real-world application of problem-solving. As we have mentioned STEAM education starts when the students are young.

Elementary school – STEAM education centers on beginning level STEAM courses and also a greater understanding of STEAM-related careers and fields. The initial stage provides an inquiry-based, structured and inquiry-based learning, which connects the four STEAM subjects. The aim is to spark students’ curiosity into eager to take the courses and not just because they need to. The emphasis is to bridge the gap between school and outside-of-school STEAM learning possibilities.

Middle school – In this phase, the curriculum becomes more challenging and demanding. Students are aware of STEAM professions and fields is still being developed along with the academic requirements associated with these areas. The exploration of STEAM-related careers by students is a good start and is particularly relevant for the underrepresented.

High school -The course of study is centered around the application of the subject in a rigorous and challenging way. The courses and pathways are offered in STEAM sectors and careers and also prepare for post-secondary education and work. A greater emphasis is being placed on bridging the gap between school and outside-of-school STEAM possibilities.

The majority of the STEAM curriculum is designed to atturing underrepresented groups. There’s a wide gap in the male to female ratio of people working in STEAM fields as per Stem Women . About 1 out of four STEAM graduates are female.

The inequities in education in the STEAM field

The ethnically diverse Black backgrounds who attend STEM education within the UK are less successful in obtaining degrees and have lower rates of academic career advancement when compared with the other groups of ethnicity, as per an analysis by The Royal Society . While the percentage of Black students studying in STEAM-related higher education has increased in the past decade however, they’re leaving STEAM jobs more frequently compared with others of other races.

“These reports focus on the difficulties that are faced by Black researchers however, we must also to combat the larger disparities that are prevalent in our society. They also hinder individuals with talent from making a career in sciences.” The president of the Royal Society, Sir Adrian Smith stated.

Asian students usually are the most excitement about STEAM. As per the Royal Society report in 2018/19 18.7 percent of the academic staff who worked in STEAM comprised ethnic minorities groups. Of these, 13.2 percent were Asian as compared to 1.7 percent that were Black.