STEAM has become an integral part of the 21st-century education system. Students, therefore, have to be guided so that they can be well prepared to take up a world where the job market is volatile.
Students in Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) should be prepared on how to approach the work environment. Young people are more eager about technology than the previous generations.
Amy McCooe, CEO of Level Up Village, an online education company said that this makes them the right candidates to steer the global economy in the future. Therefore, they should be introduced to their passions at an early age, where they learn early about what is required of them.
McCooe continued by saying,
We have students who are passionate, engaged and comfortable with technology, yet students are living in silos and not equipped with the 21st-century skills which they genuinely need to be part of the global workforce of tomorrow.
STEAM explained in a webinar
In a webinar hosted by Ediweb.net, McCooe expressed her frustration of the phrase the future belongs to the young people. She challenged her audience to look at the future from a different perspective, by reminding them that we are already in the future. 20 years inside the 21st century is the future.
She continued by arguing that what is now needed for young people is support. She explained that the types of jobs these students will hold will be of their time and not the future because the future is already here, it is now. STEAM options can help students prepare for the future environment.
McCooe also argued that the important skill now that a student can possess is learnability. She said that the ability to decode, interpret and synthesize new information gives students an edge in performance in the ever-changing and volatile world of technology, or in any field that they may end up in. STEAM may be the most challenging but without preparation and engagement with these challenges in the environment, students will find themselves disadvantaged.
Essential questions about their choices
Amy also mentioned a little about the authenticity of a student, where she said that students are able to self-explore and ask themselves essential questions about their choices and decision making. She said this process defines how they are able to solve problems and express themselves.
She added that the authenticity of students in the current era is well informed, unlike the previous older generations. She also argued that the current group of young people is well-equipped technology-wise than older people now and this will help them navigate the future.
Teachers should also be involved in students’ life and progress and ask them questions and examine how they synthesize and evaluate information related to those problems.
