OK Arts Educators and Creatives; put on the STEAM!! And yes, the A is for ARTS: In Brevard County in Florida, four schools are rolling out new STEAM magnet programs. The acronym takes STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – and adds an A for Art. Teachers say STEAM programs are about exploring students creativity. In biology class, for example, teacher Lauren Feronti asked students to create models of DNA after extracting it from a strawberry, or draw the anatomy of a fetal pig before they dissect it. Its more fun, says freshman Micheal Mingo of the hands-on assignments. It grabs your attention. While theres a place for textbooks and structured labs, the initiative breaks away from traditional methods to more fully engage students. The idea is to nudge students beyond their comfort zones, to not limit themselves to just being analytical or creative, or only left-brained or right-brained. We want our kids to use all hemispheres, says Cari Kupec, program director of the magnet schools of Brevard. Even if you dont go into STEM fields, youre designing and innovating. Teaching creativity, at its root, is about teaching the ability to think divergently: To not only know your facts, but to find new approaches and solutions to existing situations. Its about looking at problems, turning them inside-out and thinking about them differently, says Thomas Dana, associate dean at University of Floridas College of Education. With heavyweights like the National Science Foundation throwing their support behind the initiative, STEAM appears to be picking up speed. Even two members of Congress have gotten involved, forming the Congressional STEAM Caucus to lobby for the initiative.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 01:10:40 +0000
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