Igniting inspiration with Elementary STEAM:
A Literature Review
The Importance if STEAM in Elementary Education
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Children are our future. It's a popular thing that has been used for years to draw educators and parents to the next big idea in education. It is a saying that was true 100 years ago, and it still rings true today. Our world is constantly changing and advancing. Many jobs now need critical thinkers and innovators. Even more require some form of science, technology, engineering art, or mathematics stem skills. In the future, they may require them even more.
It is our job as educators to not only teach our students but also ignite inspiration within them. White says that "[STEAM] can inspire collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication." It's believed that many students decide whether or not to study science by 14 years old (Togou,2020). so, by the time, a child enters the seventh grade, their minds could very well already be made up and they would have blocked out the idea of ever having a career in
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a stem-based field. The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) states that "Learning science and engineering practices in the early years can foster children’s curiosity and enjoyment in exploring the world around them and lay the foundation for a progression of science learning in K–12 settings and throughout their entire lives.". Simply by promoting our children's interest in STEAM, we will be properly preparing them for their future (Togou,2020). not only would we be setting them up for future careers but we would also be encouraging a Growth Mindset that would allow them to face whatever challenges life has to offer.
STEAM and the development of the Growth Mindset
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Carol Dweck coined the term fixed and growth mindset. A person with a fixed mindset believes that they are only good at something if it comes easily. They tend to stay away from things they don't know or might find challenging. A person with a growth mindset believes that they can develop new skills and look at challenges as something that they can learn from (Dweck, 2016). The effects of having a growth mindset would reach far beyond any
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single classroom or subject matter (Vongkulluksn, 2021). It is a skill that could last a lifetime. STEAM gives students a hand on approach to developing a growth mindset. Stohlmann points out that a Growth Mindset is vital to a STEM education and also paraphrases Dweck in saying, "Students are more motivated to learn when they believe they have the potential to develop their abilities and knowledge.".
And the survey of 600 K through 12 teachers, "90 percent believed growth mindset was associated with excitement about learning, persistence, high levels of effort and participation in class.". It is our job as educators to give students the proper environment to allow for the development of a growth mindset. Active learning through STEAM would allow students to see the processes in which they take to create or solve a problem.
STEAM and Active Learning
One goal of STEAM is to promote active learning in which students are the most active participant in their learning process. It was found that teams of three were preferable to enable self-expression and active participation, while still allowing team collaboration. The team's motivation to learn was given
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through problems based on real-life objects, (Julia,2018) doing this allows for the learning to feel more relevant to the student. Active learning and play can help students to develop social and cognitive growth so that they will be able to "Work out difficult issues" and come up with "Innovative solutions"(Hunter-Doniger,2021). Togou found that "Small workshops with 3D Printers, Laser and vinyl cutters, and milling machines and offered personalized digital fabrication...
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Had a great impact on the student's academic performance and personal growth. Tesconi said that "Being responsible for their own learning process had an impact on their self-esteem and offered them an alternative way to deal with problems and making decisions as a group also because the student-teacher interaction was different more like student coach, and allowed everyone to learn about relational and emotional skills. STEAM holds so many benefits for children that the possibilities are endless.
References
Boylan, F., Barblett, L., & Knaus, M. (2018). Early childhood teachers’ perspectives of growth mindset: Developing agency in children. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 43(3), 16–24. https://doi-org.libproxy.lamar.edu/10.3316/informit.118287806363640
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Dweck, C. S. (2016). Mindset: The new psychology of Success. Ballantine Books.
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“Early Childhood Science Education.” NSTA, National Science Teachers Association, Jan. 2014, https://www.nsta.org/nstas-official-positions/early-childhood-science-education.
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Hunter-Doniger, T. (2021). Early Childhood STEAM Education: The Joy of Creativity, Autonomy, and Play. Art Education, 74(4), 22–27.
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Julià, C., & Antolí, J. Ò. (2019). Impact of implementing a long-term STEM-based active learning course on students’ motivation. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 29(2), 303–327. https://doi-org.libproxy.lamar.edu/10.1007/s10798-018-9441-8
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Stohlmann, M. (2022). Growth mindset in K-8 STEM education: A review of the literature since 2007. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 6(2), 149-163. https://dx.doi.org/10.33902/JPR.202213029
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Tesconi, Susanna. “Making as a Tool to Competence Based Programming.” Academia.edu, 30 Oct. 2015, https://www.academia.edu/7393841/Making_as_a_tool_to_competence_based_programming.
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Vanessa W. Vongkulluksn, Ananya M. Matewos, & Gale M. Sinatra. (2021). Growth mindset development in design-based makerspace: a longitudinal study. The Journal of Educational Research, 114, 139–154.
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White, M. (2022). Investigating the Responses of Children in First Grade Engaged in STEM Lessons. Journal of Research in Education, 31(1), 151–176.
Togou, M. A., Lorenzo, C., Cornetta, G., & Muntean, G. (2020). Assessing the effectiveness of using fab lab-based learning in schools on K–12 students’ attitude toward STEAM. IEEE Transactions on Education, Education, IEEE Transactions on, IEEE Trans. Educ, 63(1), 56–62. https://doi-org.libproxy.lamar.edu/10.1109/TE.2019.2957711