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Roma Shah
Mrs.McMennamy
Academic Capstone 6th
18 November, 2016
The Effective Implementation of STEAM Curriculum
I. Introduction
Just by observing, anyone can see how a childs imagination runs wild. Children may
piece together concepts in an unconventional compared to adult expectations, but that is their
own way of understanding the world around them. This creativity that they intrinsically develop
should be nurtured in a classroom setting as well. Today, there is a great value placed on STEM
subjects and careers, and they should be taught in the most effective way to young students. A
curriculum known as STEAM allows for a new focus on the arts in childrens early education in
order to build a foundation for them in which they are able to connect concepts better in STEM
learning and beyond. The implementation of the curriculum is not the only factor that needs to be
considered regarding the success of a childs education, the way it is exposed to them through
teaching and classroom setting and how they have psychologically adapted to learning is also
very important.
II. STEAM Curriculum
STEAM education is a new innovation which calls for art integrated with STEM
education. This curriculum urges for a change in how STEM subjects are taught to young
children. The goal is for students to develop a better understanding of how to be creative even in
more logical fields. In this case, the arts are defined as not simply arts-and-craft projects, but
music, movement, dramatics, puppetry, and any other imaginable creative experience (Bromer).

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The curriculum is designed for students to be interactive with their studies through tangible
adaptations such as visual art graphics or models. This type of class work engages students more
and motivates them to want to learn. STEAM enables schools to instill a collaborative culture,
with lessons and courses that recognize individual course content often complements multiple
areas of study (Michaud). This system prevents students from making the mistake of
disassociating subjects such as math with art, and rather opens their perspectives on the benefits
of teamwork and creativity. Knowledge-based society should focus more on developing
individuals' diversity and creative talents capable of producing unique, practical and intelligent
values rather than merely growing technicians or intellectuals (Kim & Park). The long term goal
is to develop a generation of children that are able to meet the standards of the modern career
fields which require the ability to innovate. A real world example could be a surgeon finding a
unique technique in performing a noninvasive surgery; this is how the skills of ingenuity are put
in good use. Societys perception should be changed regarding STEM fields because in modern
times they also look for those who can think outside of the box creatively.
III. Quality Teachers
Quality teachers are important for instilling good learning habits and building a
foundation for students so that they are motivated to do well. Teacher workshops can help ensure
that educators are effectively educating young children such as by using the Reggio Emilia
Approach. The method began in post World War II Italy and has been revered as a successful
approach to early childrens education. It encompasses the idea that children have innate
curiosity and should be nurtured effectively through their environment, curriculum and teachers.
An important factor that the method emphasizes is that a teacher must observe a child to
understand their methods of learning (Grossman & Williston). Meaning, a teacher must

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intentionally seek different strategies that complement a students learning style. This can be
done by teachers spending effective time with students to understand if they are absorbing the
information given to them. This also goes hand in hand with a teacher [watching] a child
assemble a puzzle [learning] about her cognitive processes, her approach to a new task, her
response to mistakes or frustration, her persistence, and her attention span (Grossman &
Williston). Young children have a fragile state of cognitive processes and must be well
understood by the teacher in order to teach the child in the best suited way for their brains to
absorb this information. Having teacher workshops that teach these factors may result in quality
teachers in early childrens education. Other components that should be considered is how the
teacher itself approaches the subject they are teaching. In studies done it was found that, teacher
training should pay particular attention to the attitudes teachers have toward behavior before
alterations of the control factors are expected to lead to lasting changes in classroom practice
(Haney, Czerniak & Lumpe). Meaning that how teachers view how learning should occur and
their attitudes towards particular subjects can influence a students learning greatly.
IV. Teaching Strategies
Teaching strategies are important to understand in order for the material to be absorbed
by the students. This past decade the use of technology as a teaching tool has increased greatly in
the education system world wide. An example of its use in elementary schools is a game-based
learning didactic approach [that] offers a good chance to stimulate children's abstract thinking
during the process of cognitive development, and further foster their higher order thinking and
critical ability (Manessis). Students are encouraged to participate in games that teach certain
lessons that may go along with the teachers lesson plan and allow the students to be more
immersed in their education. It gives a good interactive approach to teaching children specific

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concepts. It also boosts their self confidence and motivation to learn as they pass through
different levels of the game while they are absorbing the information presented to them. Another
important factor to understand is that students should be encouraged to express feelings and
ideas through building, dancing, drawing, playing, singing, and speaking (Evans). Using this in
the curriculum such as through art can have a big impact on a students development. It provides
for a conduit of expression in which students are comfortable with their education because they
are encouraged to pursue interests they are passionate about along with their studies. STEAM
education gives teachers guidelines on how to integrate art in their curriculum, it is an effective
strategy that should be utilized in elementary schools. Along with in class activities and using
textbook material to teach kids, teachers [should] adopt such methods as field trips, group
discussions, and creative activities to help prepare children for life in a democracy (Evans).
These types of activities would give students valuable experience so that they may apply the
concepts they are learning in class to the real world. Instead of just having the perspective that
education is about knowing facts, they are trained at a young age to use innovative thinking and
develop the skills on communication, cooperation and how to take action with the knowledge
they have. This also gives their learning a purpose and motivates them to do better in school.
V. Classroom Environment
Just as teachers and teaching strategies are important, the environment of the classroom
plays a big role in how the students learn. In the Center- Based teaching method, the students
classroom gives them more freedom in how they learn. This method basically lays out guidelines
for which teachers do not lecture about subjects, but rather let the students to explore different
subjects and teaches them in that fashion. Each center has different activities for the students to
participate in them and the teacher is able to go around to each center and give an overview

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about the subject (Bottini & Grossman). Art, music, and movement activities are easy to
include in any classroom every day and they produce many benefits for children. They allow
expression of thoughts and feelings, and relieve stress while encouraging creativity (Bottini &
Grossman). This style of learning allows for students to engage in more hands on activities such
as crafts, puzzles and games to make the connection of abstract concepts to tangible much easier.
It is an effective way for students to learn valuable skills of group thinking, socializing and
understanding creativity. This type of system allows for the students to explore subjects at their
own pace and preferable style of learning (Bottini & Grossman). This means that because
students are able to be more independent, they can work challenging subjects how they want to
and change levels of difficulty on their own. Overall Center-Based learning is an effective way to
produce more well rounded students early on in an environment that promotes curiosity and
creativity.
Another system for an enriching environment is by using the Play-Based learning
method. Essentially this style allows for students to learn using tangible items in a creative way.
This can help students become more immersed in understanding mathematics so that they are
better able to absorb the information. In research it shows that, mathematics teaching... can be
successfully implemented in play-based early childhood education (Cohrssen). Using methods
such as this goes hand in hand with STEAM education, which is attempting to enhance STEM
education by using artistic tools. By using this, it can allow teachers to start to end the perception
of math only being rule based, but actually a subject in which children can still be creative in.
As mathematics is often perceived by many teachers...as rule-based with a rigid pedagogy and
the emphasis on children memorising and recalling rules, but Play-Based learning in math
would encourage ingenuity in the field and produce students that are encouraged to have a

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broader scope in their education (Thomas). Implementing this type of method in STEAM
curriculum can make the education all the more effect for the students because it emphasizes the
idea for students to see that they may use creativity in math fields as well.
The third method, and arguably the most effective for STEAM education is called
Project-Based learning. This is an approach in which teachers are able to give the students some
goal in which they must work together on a project to reach an answer or earn some
achievement. An example can be a teacher asking groups of students to organize a bake sale.
This entails students to create posters, make the baked goods, set up prices, count money and
many other activities. This gives a more inclusive approach of what is being taught at school and
allows students to directly learn from their education by teaching separate lessons all together.
This is effective because, teachers and materials do not reveal knowledge to learners; rather,
learners actively build knowledge as they explore the surrounding world, observe and interact
with phenomena, take in new ideas, make connections between new and old ideas, and discuss
and interact with others (Krajcik & Blumenfeld). By forging connections between tangible and
abstract learning truly encourages students to be immersed in their studies and therefore more
motivated to use these skills in their future. It gives them a reason to learn because they can see
how it may be applied in the real world. When students acquire information in a meaningful
context and relate it to their prior knowledge and experiences, they can form connections to
develop better, larger, and more linked conceptual understanding (Krajcik & Blumenfeld). This
is a great motivation for students to want to participate in their education once they see what an
example of the end goal of their education leads to. In terms of STEAM this is an important
method because it allows for an implementation of all the subjects into a singular lesson, if done

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correctly. This is great for career readiness early on and should be a great tool in STEAM
curriculum.
VI. Cognitive Development
There are various theories about childrens cognitive development, but each of them
acknowledge the fragile state of a young students mind. The three theories I studied in the
article, Cognitive Development: Childrens Knowledge About the Mind were foundational
theory, modularity theory and simulation theory (Flavell). Foundational theory has an emphasis
on experience as a mode for children learning and how pieces of information build on each other
in the students mind. Modularity theory defines how young children are able to learn through
the process of forging connections between tangible and abstract. Stimulation theory is the idea
that students are able to develop perspectives by thinking how they would they feel if they were
in someone else's place (Flavell). There should be an importance of understanding how these
theories can aide STEAM education to develop a students education further. Such as being able
to give students the opportunity to participate in hands on activities, they provide for a way that
students can have experience with their learning. Arts give effective visual and physical
representations of lessons a student may be learning and aide in the process of connecting
tangible to abstract. Also, STEAM education is all the more effective by giving students the
chance to understand real world scenarios, developing their perspectives on the world at an early
age. This can be done by encouraging school field trips to the Museum of Fine Arts perhaps to
show how art can be presented and apply lessons of what they have learned to an exhibit in the
museum to give it more direct significance for the students. These theories are important for
educators to embrace because students in early childhood education are affected by the people
teaching them and their environment at a cognitive level (Fielding-Barnsley & Hay). Using these

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theories as a tool in early childhood education can allow students to be immersed in their
education early on and have a good foundation of skills as they develop into adults later on.
STEAM education from a psychological standpoint considers the important factors of
developing a students cognitive development. In a congressional hearing for education,
members of congress discussed the benefits of the arts on a childs education. Some of the
factors they pointed out are, public communication, self confidence and creativity (2014
NAfME Congressional Briefing). These are factors that can be attributed to a students cognitive
development that is complemented by arts education. Students are able to inherently develop
these characteristics because the arts are able to give them a route in which they are encouraged
to express themselves and be immersed in an environment that changes their perspective on how
to learn. This relates to the modern day job market because in 21st century jobs, we are showing
our knowledge in an almost theatrical way with an emphasis on visual learning (2014 NAfME
Congressional Briefing). This means that as students are learning how to use visual creative
elements from elementary education, their skillset is developed early on to be able to adapt to the
needs of modern times. Examples of application of these skills would be a student presenting
using visual and dramatic elements for a new technological product and explaining his or her
findings in an effective and convincing way so that the audience may agree that their idea is a
great benefit. There is a definite correlation between a childs exposure to art and their success in
academics. The use of arts can have a psychological effect on a child by giving them the tools to
learn effectively and develop habits of using arts as an asset in their education which would lead
them to achieve success.
VII. Conclusion

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With the growing need of innovative thinking in any field, early childhood education is
where change should be made to build a strong foundation for the next generation. STEAM is
the idea that art should be integrated with STEM education. People are starting to see how art
and creativity are also needed in STEM fields. Teaching younger children with the skills of
applying creative thinking skills to formerly known as more logistic based fields may aide that
process. But, the curriculum of art integrated with STEM education can only be effective if
teachers are qualified, the teaching strategies endorse good learning habits and the environment
students are aide in developing their interests. A students education is also affected by their
psychological state which is influenced by how their cognitive development is nurtured and how
the arts are incorporated in their learning. These factors should be considered when trying to
teach in early childhood education because STEAM as curriculum itself can only be most
effective if factors such as these are implemented in the program. This is important because
every student is societys hope for the future and should be nurtured.

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Bromer, Billi L. "The Arts in Children's Lives: Aesthetic Education in Early Childhood."
Childhood Education 74.3 (1998): 182. Educators Reference Complete. Web. 13 Sept.
2016.

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Cohrssen, Caroline, et al. "Playing with maths: facilitating the learning in play-based
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