a task or learn something new. The
process of STEM learning, however, is
deeply enjoyable.
An engineer and mother of two,
Sonal Darbari says her eight-year
old daughter Tanisha, a student at
Hong Kong International School
(HKIS), enthusiastically attends after-
school technology workshops and
enjoys mathematics because she
loves to solve problems. Last year,
Sonal enrolled Tanisha in Scratch
programming and Minecrafting summer
classes while on holiday in New York.
“As parents, we encourage her to do all
of this stuff because she likes to do it.
Making and creating things boosts her
confidence levels and challenges her to
do more difficult tasks,” says Sonal.
Full STEAM ahead
Tanisha also has an artistic side. She
likes to sketch and paint and enjoys
the step-by-step process of creating
origami. The arts are beneficial for
helping individuals develop creativity,
adaptability, innovation, communication
and social skills, says Lakisha James,
a STEAM specialist at American
School Hong Kong. When the arts are
connected to STEM, student learning
and understanding deepens. While
some educators believe that STEM
naturally involves the arts, Lakisha says
STEM and STEAM philosophies are
similar but not the same.
“Unlike STEM, STEAM intentionally
exposes students to the arts to help
them develop creativity and critical
thinking skills. At school, for example,
third grade students learn about
balanced and unbalanced forces. Small
groups work collaboratively to engineer
marshmallow launchers. They identify
the balanced and unbalanced forces on
their prototype, measure the distance
travelled by the marshmallow and make
adjustments throughout the process.
Then, each group creates a poster and
films a commercial to advertise their
product. This lesson combines all five
STEAM subjects and has application in
the real world.”
Researchers concur that girls and
boys learn differently. The focus on
teamwork, art and collaboration may
attract more girls to STEAM learning,
thus serving to reduce the current
gender gap at higher education level
and in the workforce.
The future
Be it STEM or STEAM, the purpose
of these new philosophies is to equip
children with the tools to succeed in our
rapidly changing world. Gone are the
days when children would be expected
to sit still, stare at a board, listen to
lectures and memorise core subjects.
Not only will the journey of discovery
empower and excite innovators, it will
have a positive bearing on every aspect
of our children’s lives, irrespective of
their career choices or their chosen field
of expertise.
“STEM and STEAM are a part of
our daily lives now. Having a good
and broad understanding of these
subjects will be a real advantage in
future job markets but there’s so much
more,” says Tony Bryant, founder of
Bryant English – a Tuen Mun-based
English tutorial centre that incorporates
technology into English lessons and
hosts a series of ‘Kids Can Code’
classes. “Coding, for example, is a
creative process – learners develop
skills such as lateral thinking,
collaboration, patience and problem
solving. These are skills that are useful
in all areas of life.”
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