[Open Forum] Open New Educational Pathways with STEAM Learning

Schools are not “test-prep factories.” Students who passively follow standardized educational programs look like identical parts stamped out in a factory. In a society where individuality itself is a source of competitiveness, are we not relying too heavily on the government’s one-sided curriculum?

While science and information technology continue to advance without pause, educational technology remains largely stagnant. The existing “cram-style” and “college entrance-oriented” model of education needs to embrace open change. As an alternative, we should consider STEAM education, which promotes interdisciplinary thinking and creative problem-solving.

STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. It refers to an educational approach that fosters talent equipped with science- and technology-based convergent thinking and real-world problem-solving skills through an integrated approach across disciplines. As the Fourth Industrial Revolution arrives, the importance of technical education is steadily growing in order to adapt to technological innovation and create new change. In particular, with the World Economic Forum’s report *The Future of Jobs* identifying “digital literacy” and “complex problem-solving skills” as core competencies for future talent, STEAM-type talent is drawing attention as a new model of human capital.

In modern society, new things are constantly created while outdated ones are discarded. Fragmentary and purely theoretical knowledge is no longer competitive. Businesses are looking for talent capable of using diverse information and applying it to problems. STEAM education builds on science and mathematics while adding elements of the humanities and arts, increasing students’ interest in science and technology and focusing on collaboration with other disciplines. The learning framework of STEAM education consists of three stages. First, by presenting a situation, students are made to feel the need for problem-solving; second, through a creative design process, they seek out solutions on their own; and third, they move on to a stage of emotional experience in which they feel the success of solving a problem and are encouraged to take on new ones. At this point, the direction of education has become more important than ever if we are to cultivate transformative future talent. The current education system has clear limits in responding to the new demands of businesses and society.

Another problem is students’ steadily declining interest in and passion for learning. One cause appears to be the cram-based and rote-learning style of education driven by a result-oriented culture. In order to achieve good grades quickly, students choose rapid memorization over deeply understanding principles. It is doubtful whether students who study “efficiently” in this way truly find the process itself engaging. According to the 2011 academic achievement assessment conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) in 42 countries, Korean 8th-grade students ranked 1st in the world in mathematics and 3rd in science. In contrast, their interest in mathematics was only 8% and their interest in science 11%, far below the international averages of 26% in mathematics and 35% in science. To improve one-sided, memorization-centered instruction that produces interest levels strikingly low relative to achievement, the introduction of STEAM education is necessary.

For educational diversification to be realized, the national curriculum must be minimized, and schools must break away from existing teaching methods that stop at presenting theory. Seoul’s Muhak Middle School carried out a project titled “The Sound of the Mind Using Chatbots and Physical Computing,” in which students developed a music appreciation application for the hearing impaired. Students considered the difficulties faced by people with hearing impairments, learned the three elements of sound, created and visualized various kinds of music, and coded an artificial intelligence program to produce an application. A single class thus incorporated five subjects: home economics, science, music, art, and information technology. This is a case in which STEAM education, by connecting the curricula of multiple subjects, sought solutions applicable to real life while fostering consideration and empathy for others. STEAM education is meaningful in that, under teachers’ guidance, students autonomously plan and carry out projects so that they can develop their dreams and talents in diverse directions.

One point that requires caution, however, is that the introduction of STEAM learning must not produce yet another standardized curriculum. Its high degree of planning freedom and easy interdisciplinary connectivity can serve as excellent tools for realizing educational diversity, but if the universal adoption of STEAM learning is forced, it will merely recreate the old uniform education system. Ultimately, the true goal should be to provide diverse educational pathways so that each individual school can secure the flexibility needed to offer active, individualized education.

Not only the curriculum but also the classroom must evolve. In order to cultivate creative, convergent talent, an environment must be established in which a variety of teaching models can be developed. Efforts are underway through the so-called “Korean New Deal for Education,” which provides gigabit-class wireless networks and the latest PCs to support stable internet access while introducing artificial intelligence (AI) and software (SW) education. At Bityeoul Elementary School, classes are being conducted in which students use AI cameras to create artwork from various compositions, and other schools are also implementing convergent education that combines technology and knowledge through augmented reality (AR), climbing, drone soccer, and more. Until now, Korea has positioned itself as a fast follower, chasing the innovative examples of other countries. Now, schools must be allowed greater diversity and flexibility so that they can foster first movers capable of leading the global market themselves. By using advanced technologies as educational tools, it is necessary to build 21st-century classrooms that provide students with new experiences and cultivate boundless creativity.

Changes in education create changes in labor, and ultimately changes in industry. Education is the process of cultivating the workers of the future. Flexible and diverse forms of education can bring about new ideas and innovation in everyday life. Rather than clinging to a rigid education system that cannot keep pace with a rapidly changing society, the state should create an environment in which students can learn autonomously on the basis of diverse, high-quality educational options such as STEAM learning.

Hajin Oh, Intern Researcher, Center for Free Enterprise (CFE)

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Original title: [자유발언대] 스팀(STEAM) 학습으로 새로운 교육 경로를 열자

Author: Ha-jin Oh

Date: 2023-12-08

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=free_opinion&pn=5&idx=26275