STEM and STEAM : The Comparison Between Them

What is STEM?

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM-focused curricula aim to provide professionals with the skills and knowledge they need to compete in a global economy. The knowledge includes subspecialties like statistics, biology, psychology, economics, agriculture and aeronautics.

According to findings from the National Bureau of Economic Research, STEM jobs contribute to the advancement of the economy through innovation while rapid technological changes continue to create demand for new jobs within the STEM field. These will render some previously required skills and tasks obsolete. As a result, STEM is a dynamic set of fields and students must develop subject-matter knowledge as well as the flexibility and well-roundedness necessary to adapt to changes as they occur.

What does STEAM stands for?

STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. These changes, as well as the growing emphasis on soft skills across industries and roles, are creating the need for curricula that integrate STEM with the arts. Creative skills and knowledge of the arts, such as design, writing and history help STEM employees solve problems in more innovative ways.

By integrating the arts into STEM, STEAM-focused curricula incorporate the study of the humanities, language arts, dance, drama, music, visual arts, design, new media and more. Students who explore and master any of these subjects can make themselves more marketable in today’s workforce, as 57 percent of senior leaders value soft skills more than hard skills, according to a 2018 LinkedIn report. Furthermore, a 2019 LinkedIn report notes that creativity, persuasion and collaboration are the top three skills companies seek in prospective employees.

STEAM is not a new concept. People such as Leonardo Da Vinci have shown us the importance of combining science and art to make discoveries.

Comparing STEAM and STEM

When looking between STEM and STEAM, the difference lies in the way they approach scientific concepts. STEM focuses explicitly on the hard scientific, technological, engineering or mathematical skills to drive progress or create a new concept. In STEAM curricula, students leverage both hard and soft skills to solve problems.

For example, STEAM encourages collaboration to understand a STEM concept. By integrating concepts and practices of the arts, STEAM uses tools such as data visualization or fine art imagery to deepen one’s understanding of science, math and technology. This kind of out-of-the-box thinking is what leads STEAM professionals to create new products using 3D printers or distill complicated data sets into easy-to-understand formats, such as infographics.

References:

COMPARING STEM VS. STEAM: WHY THE ARTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Retrieved from https://www.ucf.edu/online/engineering/news/comparing-stem-vs-steam-why-the-arts-make-a-difference/

Explainer: what’s the difference between STEM and STEAM? Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/explainer-whats-the-difference-between-stem-and-steam-95713

STEM vs. STEAM: Making Room for the Arts. Retrieved from https://stemeducationguide.com/stem-v-steam/