For parents who view religious education as valuable, you don’t want to sacrifice academic rigor for doctrine and theology. Emmanuel Lutheran School in Asheville has found what we believe to be the key to having the best of both worlds with a S.T.E.A.M.-based curriculum. S.T.E.A.M., combined with Christian doctrine, provides students with the most well-rounded academic experience. 

In this article, we want to answer your questions about S.T.E.A.M. and how our curriculum can benefit students spiritually, academically, and beyond. We will examine:

• What Does S.T.E.A.M. Mean?
• S.T.E.A.M. Helps Improve Test Scores
• Christian Education and S.T.E.A.M. Pair Together Perfectly
• Your Child Will Likely Thrive at a S.T.E.A.M. School

What Does S.T.E.A.M. Mean?

S.T.E.A.M. is an educational movement that combines science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics to promote critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration by combining all disciplines.

The first year of STEAM education in Kindergarten and subsequent years will expand on the STEAM activities from the prior semesters. When students work as a team to resolve issues, they will be able to see and develop a process. This adds excitement to issues that would have previously looked tedious.

Collaborative, innovative, and interesting, STEAM helps keep students engaged in the learning process throughout the elementary and middle school years at ELS. Robotics, drones, 3D imaging, and more technology are used in the classroom to tie into all the concepts in the traditional classroom.

S.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M.

In the United States, integrating STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curricula became increasingly popular in the early 2000s. To educate students for entering a workforce increasingly occupied by these vocations related to these areas, STEM was established as one of its main purposes.

However, teachers discovered that focusing on these at the expense of the arts left students without the skills needed for creativity and teamwork in both the workplace and in daily life. S.T.E.A.M. reintroduces emphasis on art and imagination to help students recapture what may have been lost with an imbalanced focus on science, technology, and math. 

The question is whether the reintroduction of the arts has resulted in learning advantages. Let’s discuss.

S.T.E.A.M. Research

In a 2016 study, researchers looked into how STEAM teachings in high-poverty elementary schools in an urban region affected students' understanding of physical science in grades 3 to 5. The results showed that kids who only got nine hours of STEAM education improved in their science performance. 

Per a study conducted in 2014, the integration of STEAM and literacy can enhance kids' literacy and math abilities as well as their ability to reflect deeply on their own and their classmates' work. 

Only a small portion of U.S. students receive an effective STEM/STEAM education at a young age, despite the fact that children as young as two use STEAM skills on a daily basis, whether it be by playing together or creating with blocks. 

Other Key Statistics Include:

• The United States Department of Labor predicts an 8.8% increase in STEAM-related careers, while they only expect a 5% increase in STEM-only professions. 
• The median annual income for STEAM and STEM professions is almost $85,000, compared to just over $37,000 for other jobs. 
• Most STEM college students (4 of 5) say they decided to pursue STEM in high school or earlier. 
• Just one in five STEM undergraduates, meanwhile, believe that their K-12 education properly prepared them for the STEM courses they are taking in college.

Although it is relatively new, the research is certainly in support of starting S.T.E.A.M. as early as possible to help prepare students for high school, college, and beyond. 

S.T.E.A.M. Helps Improve Test Scores

Implementing a STEAM-based curriculum is not just for future college and career benefits:

“STEAM schools have benefited from the reintroduction of the importance of arts education. A school in Vermont saw math proficiency increase from 17% to 66% after just seven years. Other institutions have experienced similar results.” -  Four Advantages of STEAM Education for Test Scores.

How Does S.T.E.A.M. Help Test Scores?

Critical Problem Solving:

Problem-solving and critical thinking are essential components of the STEAM process. The STEAM curriculum supports projects in which students must resolve issues in order to accomplish objectives. This approach frequently results in improved test-taking skills, which in turn lead to the development of practical workplace skills.

Collaboration:

Through a range of collaborative projects, STEAM education encourages students to assume accountability for both themselves and others. Their problem-solving and critical thinking abilities are encouraged and supported while they design and develop engaging projects.

Art is Key:

Although art is an important component of a well-rounded education, it can seem like a subject only for people who have a preference for the performing, visual, or visual arts. Even if some students may have greater artistic talent, everyone can appreciate art and creativity.

Christian Education and S.T.E.A.M. Pair Together Perfectly

STEAM helps us accomplish our mission by demonstrating the creativity with which God made each student, the collaboration God instilled in the mission to make disciples of all nations, and the order and structure with which God created the world and universe.

A STEAM-based curriculum within a Christian setting can work in concert to significantly improve your child's overall academic experience:

• Due to the fact that our STEAM program begins in Kindergarten, students will benefit from collaborating with their peers right away. Christians understand how important community is to grow as followers of Christ. Our kids are better able to see the benefits of teamwork in all facets of life because of STEAM.
• STEAM demonstrates order and discipline, inspiring children to look into the reasons why things happen the way they do. As Christians, we are cognizant that God created the world and that Christ keeps everything in balance (Colossians 1:16). STEAM and the Scriptures support God's astounding creativity.
• STEAM brings the arts back into STEM. We know that the mountains, seas, and stars show off God's creation (Psalm 19:1). He created the universe and the cosmos not only with organization and direction but also with splendor and grandeur. STEAM serves as a reminder to both students and instructors to praise God for his beautiful creation all around Asheville.
• Fewer students in each classroom are optimal for STEAM learning. Throughout the journey, individual attention from instructors is crucial, which is simpler to facilitate in courses with up to 40% fewer students than in public schools. Additionally, it is simpler to form groups or teams with fewer students to coordinate.
• The focus of STEAM is on innovative problem-solving. Students work in groups to find solutions to problems provided by the instructors. The church is often looked to for solutions to some of the world's most difficult challenges. STEAM helps equip the next generation of believers to be there when questions are asked.

Your Child Will Likely Thrive at a S.T.E.A.M. School

“For me, reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning. Imagination, producing new metaphors or revivifying old, is not the cause of truth, but its condition.” - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity. 

To address its issues and improve the world, it requires creative inventors. To spread the gospel's message of light and hope in the midst of darkness, the church requires creative leaders. The STEAM curriculum is releasing innovative truth-bearers into society by ensuring that teachers do not omit the arts from the academic process. God did not omit beauty and majesty from the creation process. 

Your child will inevitably grow from their S.T.E.A.M. experience:

• STEAM encourages creativity: The Bible's earliest chapters describe how God used creativity to create the world, the universe, and people.
• STEAM emphasizes collaboration: God said that it was not good for man to be alone when the first humans were created. We were created to be in relationships with one another and work together to exalt God.
• STEAM demonstrates structure and order: We are aware that all truth is from God. The rules we follow to practice science, engineering, and math were established by God. 
• STEAM rewards innovation: The early church and the apostles did not let barriers prevent them from spreading the message to other countries. They worked together to develop original solutions. Christians may and should lead the way in advancing technology for the sake of the gospel.
• STEAM instills confidence: As they collaborate to find solutions to issues, students gain confidence that they can use in other facets of their lives.

Students soar in smaller, gospel-centered, collaborative classrooms. Emmanuel Lutheran School provides the S.T.E.A.M.-based environment that will help prepare your kids for high school, college, and beyond. 

Emmanuel Lutheran School and S.T.E.A.M. Education 

Students are realizing their aspirations and developing into well-rounded adults thanks to the STEAM educational movement. There is nothing more crucial to your child's growth, as Christian parents are aware, than their relationship with God.

You can be sure that your kid is receiving the theological and pragmatic training necessary to grow into the adults God intended them to be at Emmanuel Lutheran School. Contact us for more information about how your child can benefit from STEAM at ELS.