Long ago I was on a student committee to come up with our Homecoming slogan to rally the St. Louis Park Orioles over the Robbinsdale Robins. We voted for "Kick the L out of Robbinsdale!" but our faculty advisor vetoed it. Today's letter to kick around is the A in STEAM, the new magnet program starting this fall in the Robbinsdale Area Schools, District 281.
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics, a variant of the STEM concept being adopted by many schools nationwide. Here is a Connecticut school district's summary:
[Our STEM Magnet School] offers an advanced academic program focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Students receive a rigorous, academically challenging curriculum with rigorous and intense science and math instruction. Teachers use an innovative, hands-on inquiry approach for instruction in all content areas. Students at STEM not only receive a state-of-the-art education, but are also immersed in a nurturing and collaborative environment that is built on a partnership between the home, school, and the community.
You have to wade through a lot of Edu-Speak before you realize how little is being said here. What non-STEM educators would agree that by comparison, their programs aren't advanced, rigorous, challenging, or innovative? What classes are taught today without any nurturing or collaboration?
But let's take it at face value, that some students will respond better to a left-brain approach emphasizing the quantitative as opposed to a traditional right-brain qualitative experience. I'm willing to see what happens, though my left brain insists on asking: how much better, and at what cost? My cynical side also has a question. Will the schools allow the rigorous application of the scientific method to disabuse their students of anthropogenic climate change and other junk science?
Now, where does A - the arts - fit in? The Board added this in consideration of the District's long standing reputation and commitment to the arts. I can understand how they didn't want this eclipsed by a new "state of the art" (no pun intended) STEM program. I am at a loss, however, to see any synergy whatsoever. Indeed, isn't STEM targeting nerds like me who have no real artistic calling or ability? If there is no synergy, then the resources, even the focus are diluted. Indeed, not knowing much about STEM but knowing a lot about Art could result in a "steAm" program as a fellow pundit put it.
And if the "best" Arts program will only be at Olson (STEAM's home), what is left for the other schools, including those not able to enroll in STEAM for lack of a winning lottery number? Should someone who would benefit from STEM per se be shut out to make room for someone who wants to work in clay? That cynical little devil on my left shoulder reminds me that Executive Director of Education Services Lori Simon said that "We need to be sure the student body reflects the district’s overall enrollment.” Adding the non-quantitive (as in harder to measure results) arts component clearly makes it easier to do that.
If we must do STEM, let's not dilute it. Kick the A out of STEAM!
I kind of viewed their adding the "A" as a blatant technique to get it passed. Kind of like when we voted on the sales tax increase. The arts couldn't get it done, and the sporting folks couldn't get it done, so they just kept adding constituents until a critical mass was reached.
Maybe if "A" hadn't been enough, they could have added a Spanish component and it could have been STEAMS. What other cool acronyms could we develop? TAMES, MATES, MEATS, ?????
Adding the A certainly seems to be in conflict with the other 4 letters. Or it seems to at least diversify it to the point that it is what we should expect from all of the community schools.
With this in mind, what are they going to skip at STEAM as compared to the Community Schools in their attempt to focus on STEAM topics? And what is being skipped at the Community Schools, that could be taught? What is the rationale?
Lots of questions and few answers.
Posted by: Give2Attain | Saturday, December 31, 2011 at 11:34 AM
As an advocate for STEAM education, I would like to recommend a good article, STEAM: Experts Make Case for Adding Arts to STEM.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/12/01/13steam_ep.h31.html?tkn=SOUF33yOAK2IkI+CvYbeMsKPUWP0STvHXAtn&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
Posted by: Rex | Tuesday, January 03, 2012 at 08:04 AM