What Exactly Is STEM Education, And Why Is It So Crucial?

Commonly hearing about STEM and STEAM can cause significant upheaval; especially when they sound almost the same. Why then should you be considering enrolling your kids in an afterschool program for STEM? Before we get into the nitty-gritty details, here are some things to know about the major differences between STEM & STEAM education.  

What Is The Difference Between STEM And STEAM Education?

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In the headlines, you may hear the terms STEM and STEAM used interchangeably. Art is the meaning of the appended ‘A’. STEM education benefits children’ developing minds since it combines all of those areas into a single session rather than teaching them separately. STEM education has exploded in popularity, with an increasing number of schools incorporating engineering after schools into their curriculum.

Pupils can gain the abilities that many vocations require but that many students lack through STEM activities. STEM has helped to bridge the ethnic and gender disparities that may occasionally be found in the math and science sectors by breaking down traditional gender norms.

STEM after-school programmes emphasise hands-on problem solving, conceptual thinking, and real-world learning. Children learn to grasp skills in the context of how they will be applied in real life and the workplace. Jobs rarely need the use of a single set of talents, and STEM education demonstrates to students how different skills and topics complement one another.

Why Is It Necessary To Include The Letter ‘a’?

When arts are incorporated into a STEM programme, the activities and projects incorporate creative thinking, application, and discovery into real-world problems. Including the arts in the curriculum is especially important for after school programs for primary school students, as this is where the foundations for learning are laid.

Whether you refer to it as STEM or STEAM, the core concept is the same: learning is accomplished by combining all of the elements into a single lesson plan.

What Are The Benefits Of STEM Education?

The following are six advantages of STEM education:

• Real-World Applications – STEM activities allow students to practise skills that will be useful in their future employment and adult lives, as well as apply what they have learned to a range of scenarios and situations. STEM activities give students the chance to put abstract principles into practice.

• Problem-solving – Students must consider a problem and develop a solution plan using critical thinking skills.

• Teamwork – Students learn to interact and collaborate with one another in order to achieve a common goal. Through each group member’s individual abilities and ideas about how to address the challenge, students can learn from one another.

• Confidence in embracing new technology – Instead of being hesitant, students learn to embrace new technologies.

• This style of problem-solving can lead to new ideas and inventions – Encourages experimentation, trial and error, and resilience – Students develop a “let’s try it and see” mentality, allowing them to take chances while knowing they can fail and try again in a safe atmosphere. Failures teach us how to be more confident and resilient.