Edited by Karen Maddison, Tuesday, 13 Nov 2018, 13:56
Traditional education seems to be putting a lot of emphasis
on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects in schools but
what about the Arts? In this day and age
almost everyone has a smart phone, which is a mini computer, in their pocket. We can all use our calculators to work out
maths that we struggle with in our heads and ‘Google’ any subject known to
man! I'm not saying ignore the STEM subjects, they are very important, but what we don’t make
allowance for in STEM is creativity, at a time when some schools are cutting
down their drama and music departments surely we should be investing in them
and enabling today’s students to develop a more creative side.
We’re going to need this creative side to think up new ways
to save our dying planet and creating a sustainable future for generations to
come, the computers can do the mundane tasks but we need forward thinking,
creative, imaginative human beings to do the things that computers can’t and
develop a better future for everyone.
Arts subjects can also help with social interaction like being in a band
or a drama group, mixing and interacting with different groups of people for a
common aim can give young people a sense of belonging and also the ability to
work well with others. Group work is a
very valuable skill to arm student with for their future.
So, instead of cut backs in art subjects, let’s promote
them, value them, invest in them and teach them, let’s give them more space on the curriculum and change STEM to STEAM.
Let’s change STEM to STEAM
Traditional education seems to be putting a lot of emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects in schools but what about the Arts? In this day and age almost everyone has a smart phone, which is a mini computer, in their pocket. We can all use our calculators to work out maths that we struggle with in our heads and ‘Google’ any subject known to man! I'm not saying ignore the STEM subjects, they are very important, but what we don’t make allowance for in STEM is creativity, at a time when some schools are cutting down their drama and music departments surely we should be investing in them and enabling today’s students to develop a more creative side.
We’re going to need this creative side to think up new ways to save our dying planet and creating a sustainable future for generations to come, the computers can do the mundane tasks but we need forward thinking, creative, imaginative human beings to do the things that computers can’t and develop a better future for everyone. Arts subjects can also help with social interaction like being in a band or a drama group, mixing and interacting with different groups of people for a common aim can give young people a sense of belonging and also the ability to work well with others. Group work is a very valuable skill to arm student with for their future.
So, instead of cut backs in art subjects, let’s promote them, value them, invest in them and teach them, let’s give them more space on the curriculum and change STEM to STEAM.