STEAM buzzword - why?

[Anonymous]

It's marketing. It's straight up marketing. Every toy that has physical components is now "STEAM" because hey, manipulating something with your hands = physics and engineering! Every game that includes any concepts related to numbers, machines, structures, or the natural world is STEAM because scientists and mathematicians study those things! It's to sell stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STEAM is better than “STEM.” But it is still not as inclusive.

The new and preferred acronym is S-STEAM, to support, acknowledge, and raise up the importance of sports for a more holistic approach to mental and physical health.

I honestly thought you were joking. This is ridiculous. Why not just stick to saying all subjects are important? Why do we need the acronym?

Because it’s easier to sell things with an acronym.

[Anonymous]

One thing has changed in the last 25-30 years.

In the early 1990s, not so many HS students were interested in STEM careers. Back then, business, law, and medicine were the main targets instead of STEM careers.

Since roughly the Dot-com boom/bust and the greater awareness about STEM jobs having good pay, more and more students are applying for college engineering programs, for college CS programs, and also (non-preMed) natural science degrees.

More parents then started to ask schools, public or private, about StEM preparation -- particularly math. Yes, it is being used for marketing but the underlying change is student and parent interest in STEM careers.

And yes, many students still want business, law, or medicine. Those have not gone away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STEAM is better than “STEM.” But it is still not as inclusive.

The new and preferred acronym is S-STEAM, to support, acknowledge, and raise up the importance of sports for a more holistic approach to mental and physical health.

I wish that were a joke. Literature and History are important, especially for the development of critical thinking skills which are needed now more than ever.


The good thing is that it's all just marketing and doesn't mean anything. Legos are legos. But parents seem to buy it so schools will continue to pretend.

Tell us exactly why you “wish it were a joke?” Seriously, Pp: why?

And no, inclusion is not a joke. Or are you one of those who is opposed to inclusion?

Because it has nothing to do with inclusion and you're making that word meaningless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STEAM is better than “STEM.” But it is still not as inclusive.

The new and preferred acronym is S-STEAM, to support, acknowledge, and raise up the importance of sports for a more holistic approach to mental and physical health.

I honestly thought you were joking. This is ridiculous. Why not just stick to saying all subjects are important? Why do we need the acronym?

Because it’s easier to sell things with an acronym.

But schools, educators. Why are they buying into it and promoting it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STEAM is better than “STEM.” But it is still not as inclusive.

The new and preferred acronym is S-STEAM, to support, acknowledge, and raise up the importance of sports for a more holistic approach to mental and physical health.

I honestly thought you were joking. This is ridiculous. Why not just stick to saying all subjects are important? Why do we need the acronym?

Because it’s easier to sell things with an acronym.

But schools, educators. Why are they buying into it and promoting it?

Because parents suck it up and there's now an educational consultant class that needs to justify their existence.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing has changed in the last 25-30 years.

In the early 1990s, not so many HS students were interested in STEM careers. Back then, business, law, and medicine were the main targets instead of STEM careers.

Since roughly the Dot-com boom/bust and the greater awareness about STEM jobs having good pay, more and more students are applying for college engineering programs, for college CS programs, and also (non-preMed) natural science degrees.

More parents then started to ask schools, public or private, about StEM preparation -- particularly math. Yes, it is being used for marketing but the underlying change is student and parent interest in STEM careers.

And yes, many students still want business, law, or medicine. Those have not gone away.

None of the stupid “steam, steam, or whatever” buzzword programs schools are doing are helpful- for any career. Teaching kids actual math, actual science lessons, reading, how to write, spelling, grammar, history, how to put together coherent thoughts; that is what should be taught. This has all died away from schools. Majority of 12th graders can’t do basic algebra anymore. They need to stop putting a pile of legos, cardboard, iPads in front of kids and calling it school work/lessons.

[Anonymous]

People seem to have placed an outsized importance on math and science. All the people I know around me do outside centers, workbooks, or tutoring for math, and then they push their kids to do STEM workshops or Chess, or those dumb "make your own video game" workshops. I don't know a single person doing reading or LA tutoring except ESL kids or kids who are below grade level and struggling with reading comprehension. As an English grad, I don't really get it. Sure, I think all kids should be able to do basic computation really well, and they should take algebra/geometry, and kids who can and want to can take Calc and Stat. I don't really understand the push to make all normal to above average kids to take Multivariable Calc or Differential Equations by dual enrolling at the community college during high school. Why aren't we also pushing them to become great writers and critical readers?

[Anonymous]

Literature, history, art, music and philosophy are called the humanities. Those with backgrounds in those areas like long, fancy words.

Science, technology, engineering and math are called STEM because those disciplines like and use acronyms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing has changed in the last 25-30 years.

In the early 1990s, not so many HS students were interested in STEM careers. Back then, business, law, and medicine were the main targets instead of STEM careers.

Since roughly the Dot-com boom/bust and the greater awareness about STEM jobs having good pay, more and more students are applying for college engineering programs, for college CS programs, and also (non-preMed) natural science degrees.

More parents then started to ask schools, public or private, about StEM preparation -- particularly math. Yes, it is being used for marketing but the underlying change is student and parent interest in STEM careers.

And yes, many students still want business, law, or medicine. Those have not gone away.

Medicine IS STEM 😆

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:STEAM is better than “STEM.” But it is still not as inclusive.

The new and preferred acronym is S-STEAM, to support, acknowledge, and raise up the importance of sports for a more holistic approach to mental and physical health.

STEM rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Literature, history, art, music and philosophy are called the humanities. Those with backgrounds in those areas like long, fancy words.

Science, technology, engineering and math are called STEM because those disciplines like and use acronyms.

This is low key hilarious, you win

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing has changed in the last 25-30 years.

In the early 1990s, not so many HS students were interested in STEM careers. Back then, business, law, and medicine were the main targets instead of STEM careers.

Since roughly the Dot-com boom/bust and the greater awareness about STEM jobs having good pay, more and more students are applying for college engineering programs, for college CS programs, and also (non-preMed) natural science degrees.

More parents then started to ask schools, public or private, about StEM preparation -- particularly math. Yes, it is being used for marketing but the underlying change is student and parent interest in STEM careers.

And yes, many students still want business, law, or medicine. Those have not gone away.

None of the stupid “steam, steam, or whatever” buzzword programs schools are doing are helpful- for any career. Teaching kids actual math, actual science lessons, reading, how to write, spelling, grammar, history, how to put together coherent thoughts; that is what should be taught. This has all died away from schools. Majority of 12th graders can’t do basic algebra anymore. They need to stop putting a pile of legos, cardboard, iPads in front of kids and calling it school work/lessons.

No, none of this is true!

The so-called advanced math taught in our schools is anachronistic and it leaves far too many children out. Math needs to be far more inclusive than as presently taught. Not to mention: the expectations are set far too high and are unrealistic for many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing has changed in the last 25-30 years.

In the early 1990s, not so many HS students were interested in STEM careers. Back then, business, law, and medicine were the main targets instead of STEM careers.

Since roughly the Dot-com boom/bust and the greater awareness about STEM jobs having good pay, more and more students are applying for college engineering programs, for college CS programs, and also (non-preMed) natural science degrees.

More parents then started to ask schools, public or private, about StEM preparation -- particularly math. Yes, it is being used for marketing but the underlying change is student and parent interest in STEM careers.

And yes, many students still want business, law, or medicine. Those have not gone away.

None of the stupid “steam, steam, or whatever” buzzword programs schools are doing are helpful- for any career. Teaching kids actual math, actual science lessons, reading, how to write, spelling, grammar, history, how to put together coherent thoughts; that is what should be taught. This has all died away from schools. Majority of 12th graders can’t do basic algebra anymore. They need to stop putting a pile of legos, cardboard, iPads in front of kids and calling it school work/lessons.

No, none of this is true!

The so-called advanced math taught in our schools is anachronistic and it leaves far too many children out. Math needs to be far more inclusive than as presently taught. Not to mention: the expectations are set far too high and are unrealistic for many.

Basic math- like reading, isn’t being taught well. The kids that are advancing are in math are the ones being taught outside of school. While some middle schools offer kids the option to take Alg I and beyond, it’s bc of their outside instruction that they are able to place into these classes in 6th-8th grade and why the school offers them. But this is a small minority of kids. 72% of 8th graders test below grade level in math nationally (which is considered prealgebra level). In other words, schools are doing a terribly poor job educating in all core subjects