S T E A M
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING ARTS MATH
From the beginning, the African American has always had to fight for what many of us would consider our fundamental human needs, which were often complicated by the refusal of many to grant us access to a quality education. It appears history is repeating itself; within our current situation of limited representation in science, technology, engineering, and math, because our numbers are declining in these fields at an alarming rate. This is problematic because these fields are growing twice as fast as all others, which means we could have another generation of young people left behind. History has also taught us that we can make a significant impact whenever we are given a viable opportunity. Black people have made critical contributions to the STEAM field, which helps shape our world. However, their path to STEAM education and achievement have been historically limited by systemic racism and oppression. For example, many slave owners stole the innovative ideas of enslaved black people and got rich selling these ideas as their own. Despite this history, black people continue to push back against and rise above these challenges. None more notable than George Washington Carver's unlikely rise through his scientific experiments, which produced 300 various uses of the peanut. In 2016, Hollywood told the improbable story of a team of African-American female mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the U.S. space program's early years. In 2018, Hidden Figures was followed with another blockbuster movie, Black Panther, which was hailed as a breakthrough in advancing a compelling narrative of Black Power in the superhero genre. Unquestionably, audiences were entranced by a first for the Marvel comic series. This cinematically beautiful production simultaneously forced them to grapple with Black global liberation and freedom themes and invited them to imagine the possibilities of a technologically advanced civilization untouched by the scourge of white imperialism and war. We begin with this film because it demonstrates how even within what is arguably a critical intervention on our contemporary discourse on race, the film still indulges an increasingly dominant narrative suggesting that STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – is key to combating racialized oppression. In the fictional sub-Saharan African nation called Wakanda, it seems that science and technology advances have created the military power and wealth of the nation-state and advanced the well-being and happiness of the people.
Audiences were mesmerized by STEM uses in developing the superhero capabilities of Wakanda's ruler, King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman). However, the movie begins and ends in a poor Black neighborhood in Oakland, California, which establishes a diasporic connection between what the film depicts as the respected and respectable African nation and poor and poorly educated Black people in the United States who continue to suffer the legacy of slavery and its afterlife (Hartman 1997; Sharpe 2016). In the final scene of Black Panther, through what is framed as a solution to centuries of oppression, the Wakandan King T'Challa makes his way back to Oakland and opens a STEM center for the city's underserved Black youth.
While the U.S. economy and job market have continued to evolve over the past several decades rapidly, our education system has not. For the most part, students continue to learn the same subject areas in the same classroom setting.
STEAM is a progression of the original STEM acronym, plus one additional element: art. Why the change? The integration of the arts into STEM learning has allowed educators to expand the benefits of hands-on education and collaboration in various ways, promoting creativity and curiosity at the core. But before we get to that, let's first look at the evolution of STEM to STEAM. A growing number of schools are now incorporating teaching methods that are more in line with STEAM education, as it has become clear that arts education makes learning more fun and keeps children more engaged. "Incorporating the A in STEAM—art—brings in personal expression, empathy, meaning-making and the purpose of what you're learning," explains Dr. Kristin Cook, associate dean of Bellarmine's Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education and longtime science educator. "It's the humanizing piece of trans-disciplinary and interdisciplinary instruction."
The idea is to teach kids that they don't have to be only analytical or only creative -- they can be both. To be successful both now and down the road, one must be both an analytical thinker and a creative thinker. STEAM shows kids they don't have to pick one side of their brain over the other, but they can use both to solve almost any problem they face. By teaching kids how to think critically, problem-solve and use creativity, the STEAM framework prepares students to work in fields that are poised for significant growth. A report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects growth in STEM and STEAM-related occupations of 8.8% between now and 2028, compared to 5.0% for non-STEM occupations. It also lists median annual wages of $84,880 for STEM/STEAM jobs, compared to $37,020 for all occupations.
While kids as young as two use STEAM skills daily, whether through building blocks or collaborating through play, only a small percentage of U.S. students are being exposed to an effective STEM/STEAM education at an early age. In fact, according to a study by Microsoft:
4 in 5 STEM college students (78%) said they decided to study STEM in high school or earlier
One in five (21%) decided in middle school or earlier.
Only 1 in 5 STEM college students feel that their K–12 education prepared them exceptionally well for their college courses in STEM.
STEAM-based learning aims to help students develop the skills they need to be successful in the future. Regardless of the specific role or industry, it is now critical that students go off to college and/or enter the workforce with a set of well-rounded skills that allow them to adapt to an evolving and fast-paced environment.
STEAM brings together five critical disciplines to create an inclusive learning environment that encourages all students to participate, collaborate, and solve problems. This holistic approach encourages students to exercise both the left and right sides of their brains simultaneously, as they would need to do in a 21st-century working environment. "As repetitive tasks are eroded by technology and outsourcing, the ability to solve novel problems has become increasingly vital," says Jeevan Vasager in a Financial Times article.
In fact, according to the National Education Association, there are four primary skill areas necessary for success in the 21st century:
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity & Innovation
As the education world continues to explore new strategies to equip students with these skills and the knowledge they need to be successful innovators and creators in the 21st-century workforce, there has been a growing emphasis on STEAM and related learning tactics as an avenue for making this happen.
As opposed to traditional teaching models, the STEAM framework blurs the lines between disciplines to encourage higher levels of creativity and effectiveness in problem-solving. For example, giving a future engineer the skills to visualize and sketch out his ideas will make him more effective in his job down the road. Here at the The New Tenth Foundation, we are humbled and yet invigorated for the chance to help others maximize the opportunity that STEAM learning creates. We are also aware that our children's future depends on us answering the call that these times demand. We must bridge the gap between young African-American’s lack of opportunity versus the plethora of options the privileged receive.
