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Four Advantages of STEAM Education for Test Scores

Four Advantages of STEAM Education for Test Scores

January 28, 2020

An educational movement combining science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics, STEAM-based education helps foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration by applying all the disciplines together. At Emmanuel Lutheran School in Asheville, we are full "STEAM" ahead as Western North Carolina’s first and only Christian Parochial Christian STEAM institution. We are proud to lay an educational foundation that helps our students do great things beyond middle school.

In this article, we are discussing some of the ways STEAM helps improve test scores and provide educational advantages for students.

 

Four Advantages of STEAM Education

1) Improved Test Scores

Though the concept of STEAM may seem relatively new, its fundamentals are actually as old as formal education. As technology rapidly advances, the need to focus more specifically on science, engineering, and math became apparent. However, over time it also became apparent that these subjects should not be studied at the exclusion of the arts.

STEAM schools have benefited from the reintroduction of the importance of artistic education. A school in Vermont saw math proficiency increased from 17% to 66% after just 7 years. Other institutions have experienced similar results.

What is it about STEAM that helps improve test scores and performance?

2) Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Critical thinking and problem-solving are fundamental to the STEAM process. STEAM curriculum facilitates projects wherein students must solve problems to reach goals. This process often translates to better test-taking abilities and ultimately into skills that are useful in the workplace.

3) Collaboration and Innovation are Key

Humans are created by God to be in the community, which is an important function of the church. With STEAM education, students are encouraged to take responsibility for themselves and others through a variety of group projects. They are given structured freedom to utilize their problem-solving and critical thinking skills, building and creating exciting projects.

As a result of STEAM’s collaborative structure, students are more engaged in their own education:

  • Their interest in education translates into better test scores
  • Students who might be bored by lecture are more engaged
  • Teachers spend less time correcting behavioral issues and more time teaching
  • Students form bonds through their projects and inventions

Collaborative students are more engaged in their education and more studious.

4) Where there is Art, there is Imagination

Art is no small part of a well-rounded education; yet, it has at times seemed a subject limited to those inclined toward visual arts, music, or drama. Though some students may be more gifted to create art, everyone can and should appreciate it. The arts foster the imagination in students that makes education worth experiencing. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote:

“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”

In other words, without imagination, truth feels empty. The world needs imaginative innovators to solve its problems and make it a better place. The church needs imaginative leaders to take the light and hope of the gospel to dark places. By ensuring educators do not exclude the arts from the academic process, STEAM curriculum is sending imaginative truth-bearers into the world.

If you would like to know more about the benefits of combining STEAM curriculum with Christ-centered education, the faculty at Emmanuel Lutheran School would be happy to share more with you. Contact us today to schedule a tour and find out how your child can grow at our school.