What is STEAM education? Quickly understand the characteristics and uses of STEAM education! -AI4kids

The fourth industrial revolution has arrived. "Smart Manufacturing" Industry 4.0 uses the Internet of Things and sensing technology to connect everything. Machines can communicate with each other, and machines and people can communicate with each other, transforming traditional production methods into a highly intelligent model. Future workers will need to be highly adaptable to new changes in the industry. In order to cultivate talent, the education and industry sectors are working together to rethink how to cultivate our next generation with the capabilities of 21st century workers - that is, to have new skills driven by the automation process. Many countries have already regarded STEM/STEAM education as a solution to promote this change. Organizations such as OCED4 and the World Economic Forum have also emphasized the importance of STEAM education taking root. Therefore, it is necessary for schools, teachers and parents to re-evaluate teaching objectives and redefine students' learning methods and expectations.

What is STEAM education?

STEAM education is an "interdisciplinary education" composed of the abbreviations of the first letters of five subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. In addition to cultivating children's mathematical and logical thinking in science, engineering, etc., it also cultivates artistic aesthetics, combining rationality and sensibility to become a holistic education. STEAM education curriculum design is mostly "topic-oriented", learning problem-solving skills through exploration, discussion, collaboration or the use of tools. STEAM education emphasizes students’ active learning spirit and their participation in the process of practice, independent creation and problem discovery. It is hoped that by integrating these abilities, students will be more confident in coping with the changes and challenges brought about by the future society and the rapid economic, scientific and technological developments in the world.

Why do we need STEAM education? How does education help children?

The new century is full of challenges for our next generation, such as climate change, energy issues, geopolitical instability and the threat of war. In addition to traditional subject knowledge, children also need to develop abilities including innovation, independent thinking, global vision, effective communication and teamwork. These core competencies, combined with basic skills, are expected to help children solve more difficult and complex problems. STEAM education in the new era needs to break the traditional test-oriented talent training mindset, cultivate innovative talents that adapt to the development of the times, make good use of new technologies, and embrace an uncertain future.

Traditional Education vs STEAM Education

Traditional education is teacher-centered, where knowledge is transmitted from teachers to students and the teachers assess the students' level. It focuses on students' memory of knowledge, and each subject is taught by different teachers, and each subject is learned and evaluated separately. The STEAM curriculum advocates guiding students to explore problems and learn to solve them, thereby cultivating their innovative and practical abilities. Therefore, through STEAM education, students can integrate the knowledge they have learned.

STEAM 5 Spirits

The five spirits of STEAM education are to allow children to learn through multiple learning methods and improve their creativity and creativity. The five spirits are:

Cross-domain

In STEAM education, knowledge and skills from multiple fields such as science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics are intertwined, allowing children to understand problems and knowledge from multiple perspectives.

Hands-on

STEAM education emphasizes practice and improves children's hands-on ability through practical operations and experimental learning.

Life Application

In STEAM education, children can better understand and master knowledge by applying the knowledge and skills they have learned to their daily lives.

Solving the problem

STEAM education teaches children how to use the knowledge and skills they have learned to solve practical problems and cultivate their creativity and analytical ability.

Five senses learning

Learning through the five senses of hearing, seeing, touching, smelling and tasting can help children better absorb and remember knowledge and enhance their interest in learning.

Through these five spirits, STEAM education not only improves children's academic abilities, but also cultivates their creativity and innovative thinking, allowing them to lead the future technological world.

Is STEAM education popular in Taiwan?

In recent years, STEAM education has gradually gained attention and become popular in Taiwan. Many schools and parents have begun to realize the importance of STEAM education and have joined the ranks of this education. National Tsing Hua University launched the "Tsing Hua STEAM School" and, starting in August 2018, introduced innovative teaching materials and methods that integrate cross-disciplinary content into kindergartens, elementary and middle schools, allowing students to develop cross-disciplinary literacy and learn the ability to solve real-world problems. A major feature of Tsinghua STEAM School is that its curriculum design includes the "DDMT" model. Another special feature is that we provide certificates to all program participants. The certification of learners is an important step in building the foundation for promoting STEAM education. It is also a world first to examine abilities such as critical thinking, collaborative learning and creativity through certification.

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What age is suitable for STEAM teaching?

It is generally believed that STEAM education is suitable for children between the ages of 3 and 18, as this is an important period for children to learn new knowledge and skills. However, it actually depends on the child's abilities and interests, and parents can consult with teachers or experts to determine whether their children are suitable for STEAM education.

Will children’s academic performance improve if they receive STEAM education?

Receiving STEAM education can help children improve their studies because STEAM education helps children enhance their understanding and skills of the subject through cross-disciplinary learning, practical operations, life applications and problem solving. This helps enhance children's creativity and innovation, and helps them better cope with the demands of real life. However, there are other factors, such as a child's innate ability and how hard they work, that also influence a child's academic performance. Therefore, it is impossible to say absolutely that children’s academic performance will improve if they receive STEAM education.

STEAM education advocates "learning by doing, playing while learning". Is it teaching children to play?

"Learning by doing, playing while learning" is the core concept of STEAM education. It allows children to learn through the process of "doing" and makes the learning process interesting, vivid and concrete. This teaching method can not only stimulate children's interest in learning, but also enable them to have a deeper understanding of the knowledge they have learned, rather than simply reading a book and taking notes. Therefore, "learning by doing and playing while learning" is not about teaching children to play, but about learning through playing, making learning more effective and lasting.

STEAM Education Course Recommendation: Steam x Coding Bilingual Summer Camp

AI4kids and EA-Tsinghua STEAM School[1] will collaborate for the first time in 2021 to create a winter and summer camp for elementary and junior high school students that combines science, engineering, art, mathematics, and computer programming education. Teaching is conducted in both Chinese and English. In addition to inspiring children's interest in computer science and building a foundation in programming skills through game hero characters, the program also introduces Harvard and Stanford topic-oriented STEAM courses, allowing children to explore and learn across fields through DDMT (discovery, definition, model, transfer) and develop problem-solving skills through practice, thinking, and discussion.

Note [1] Edu-Aequitas (EA) has obtained the exclusive rights to distribute the Tsinghua STEAM School’s teacher professional development training courses (PD) and certification programs.

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Summarize

STEAM education is an educational method centered on science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. It advocates cross-disciplinary learning, hands-on practice, life application, problem solving and learning with the five senses. Its characteristic is learning through practice and experience, rather than just staying in theory. STEAM education is suitable for children of all ages and can improve academic performance. Most importantly, STEAM education advocates "learning by doing, learning by playing", allowing children to learn in all aspects while having fun. Therefore, through STEAM education, children can better master the knowledge and skills required in modern society and gain rich learning experiences.

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