Putting the A in STEAM: Why We Include Arts in a Technology Education
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” – Albert Einstein
We educate out of a deep-rooted belief that each person is created in the image of God as a creative and inventive decision-maker. Before Eastern Christian School launched our innovative, tech-centric STEAM program, our students were already thriving in our arts and humanities programs.
When we first cast vision for a program that would integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), we surveyed similar programs. As we toured, interviewed, and assessed STEM programs across the country, we realized that we could use our existing strengths in the arts to bring new life to a strong concept. We decided to add an A for Art, and this year, instead of a STEM program, we launched STEAM.
In developing Christian leaders who can effectively influence our culture, art education is essential. Studies and prominent voices in education show how much an art component adds to an education. We had already seen the value of arts education in developing curiosity, inquisitiveness, and a sense of wonder in our students.
By integrating arts into a technology education, we equip students to think, work, communicate, and live more fully. With the aesthetic sense that the arts add to a technology education, students gain a sense of how their work fits into the landscape of human feeling and experience. They develop the imagination and techniques they need to communicate their ideas in a visual culture.
By putting the A in STEAM, we add a creative, visual element to an already cutting-edge education. This nourishes the hearts as well as the minds of our students, and prepares them to influence a world in need of their ideas.
