A(S+T+E+M) = CREATIVITY: EXPRESSIONS OF ART THROUGHOUT THE ACRONYM

A(S+T+E+M) = CREATIVITY: EXPRESSIONS OF ART THROUGHOUT THE ACRONYM
Christopher Dignam Governors State University, United States of America
(Presented at the International Conference on Studies in Engineering, Science, and Technology (ICSEST), which took place on November 7-10, in Istanbul, TURKIYE (www.istes.org/..., and at the International Conference on Studies in Education and Social Sciences (ICSES) (www.istes.org/...) organized by the International Society for Technology, Education and Science (ISTES) www.istes.org).
Providing students with authentic, meaningful learning experiences provides students with opportunities to conceptualize the applicability of course content. Employing a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) philosophical pedagogy provides teachers with a content delivery medium for blending disparate core subject areas in a unified manner. Employing a STEM philosophical approach affords both teachers and students with opportunities to explore interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary content for improved academic success. Furthermore, the inclusion of the arts within a STEM construct serves as a multiplier rather than merely the addition of another content area, as the blending of art contributes to both improved cognitive learning and cooperative, social, emotional skills development. In this study, the researcher explores the role of STEAM education for providing all learners with opportunities to develop and employ creativity across and within the acronym of STEM for exploratory, experiential learning. The researcher provides perspective with respect to developing and implementing STEAM programmatic offerings and the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary benefits for teachers and students, as well as how this approach better prepares all students for career pathways within STEAM and beyond the acronym. The study concludes by providing recommendations for utilizing the arts for improved science, technology, engineering, and mathematical learning.