The STEAM Method is an educational system born in the United States in response to the need to build coordinated and integrated knowledge between the different subjects to resolve real-life problems, based on an active process in which the student is the protagonist of their own learning.

It is mainly based on problem-solving and the search for answers, promoting the student’s autonomy to turn the classroom into a learning community. The STEAM Method is inspired by the collaborative work followed by sciences and engineering.

Many experts believe that the lack of knowledge of the new generations in Maths and Sciences is related to deficiencies in basic education. For this reason, this model aims to promote scientific literacy based on the development of critical thinking.

But, what is STEAM education? What are its advantages? Here we explain the basic pillars of this pedagogical method and how it is applied in the different educational stages.

How does STEAM education work?

Including the STEAM strategy in school education involves different subjects and courses. With the aim of promoting creativity in students, generating innovation, and relating critical thinking with creativity, Arts are incorporated into the STEAM methodology, thus awakening student’s interest in sciences.

Art education joins Science, Technology, Mathematics, and Engineering, which are the basic pillars of the Steam Method, making education benefit from ICT, which means a more transversal learning of subjects that have traditionally been taught separately. Everything is integrated from both a theoretical and practical approach.

However, it is important to mention that STEAM education does not only focus on teaching content but also includes the development of certain skills and types of thinking associated with the advancement of these subjects, necessary to cope with everyday situations.

Characteristics of the STEAM method

The STEAM education replicates the methods of sciences in the classrooms: ask questions, analyse objects, trace backgrounds, and investigate needs. Hypotheses are considered, answers are conjectured and we start again. In this way, students learn by working.

Even when the first answers are wrong or conceptually wrong, questions have to challenge students to seek answers and understand that mistakes are part of the process.

The importance of the STEAM strategy lies in the type of thinking that promotes (critical, logical-mathematical, etc) and the skills to function in the adult world: assertiveness, collaborative work, valuing discussions, etc.

But it also has been shown that when students are involved in a project, they incorporate knowledge in an integrated way, which helps them to establish connections between areas and concepts that, a priori, seem unrelated.

What are the advantages of STEAM education?

Now that you know what STEAM education is, let’s discover its advantages. There are many reasons why STEAM methodology is becoming more and more common in educational projects and institutions:

  • It encourages proactive student learning.
  • It integrates learning through ICT.
  • It develops the skill to solve problems in a creative way, as well as the development of logical scientific thinking and emotional management.
  • Learning takes place through first-hand experimentation, improving the retention of knowledge learned in the long term.
  • It favours collaborative work and joint decision-making, as hypothesis designs, team tasks, and research are carried out.

Examples of a STEAM strategy at each stage of education

Obviously, in this type of methodology, it is essential to bear in mind the age of students when designing the different options. If you are interested in the STEAM methodology in education, discover some of the examples below of how it is implemented at different educational stages:

Preschool

In this stage, the STEAM model can be worked with silkworm colonies, terrariums, and anthills, for example. In this way, notions of change and evolution, and population growth can be acquired.

Primary school

In this stage, scientific experiences can be implemented, in which students decide between well-designed and poorly-designed experiments, depending on the results to be achieved.

Secondary school

In the secondary school years, inter-school or inter-school science clubs can be set up to respond to community problems, even basing learning on gamification projects.