STEM v STEAM Education: What’s the Difference?
Students investigating how to increase the efficiency of model balloon cars at Science Creates.
Reading age: 11-13 years
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Intended audience: Educators
Author: Gareth Campbell
I am a visual artist with a degree in Biochemistry. To me, the overlapping the arts and the sciences has not only enriched my practice but has become essential to it. As an educator I want to help young people experience the beauty that I see between traditionally divided disciplines.
In recent years, the emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in education has widened to include STEAM, which adds an "A" for the arts. This could easily be dismissed as another fashionable fad in education, but the concept has been practiced in other countries, such as the US, for decades.
In the UK the term STEM seems to have lost its power somewhat and, to some, has become a meaningless collection of disciplines that vaguely relate. But this misses the point of how powerful it can be to learn the STEM subjects side by side. They have skills that complement each other. Transferrable skills that allow you to take unforeseen side steps in your career later down the line. Skills that allow you to go into a completely alien field that you have no previous knowledge of. By adding the arts into the mix, I believe we have rejuvenated this notion. Augmenting it to a highlight the value of the arts and the skills that they bring to the table.
This addition is more than a minor adjustment; it represents a significant shift in how we approach teaching and learning for a modern world. Giving young people context to their scientific studies and refocussing us on the importance of skills over knowledge. STEAM plays a pivotal role in shaping the futureproofing skills and knowledge crucial for students today.
Students at Walhampton School investigating how an inkjet printer creates a full colour image using just three different colour inks.
The Value of STEM
STEM education is essential because it equips students with skills critical in today’s job market. It provides a deep dive into problem-solving, analytical thinking, and technical skills, fostering a strong foundation in STEM knowledge and quantitative reasoning. This combination not only meets the demands of traditional STEM careers but also enhances general adaptability across fields. In the UK, increasing numbers of initiatives focus on STEM learning, particularly in schools, to prepare students for roles in growing sectors like technology and engineering.
Students partaking in the first trial of The MoSAIC’s ‘Monochrome: The Physics of Colour’ workshop. Here the students were testing some of the activities in monochromatic light produced from a sodium vapour lamp. The full version of this workshop is now available to book.
From STEM to STEAM
For a recent talk I gave to students about the skills needed for careers in the space sector, I researched a few space sector job case studies. The top skills required for jobs according to the people who do them were as follows:
• Communication
• Time management
• Networking
• Being proactive
• Presenting
• Leadership
• Organisation
• Teamwork
• Problem solving
• Creativity
Take a moment to think. How well do you think our current curriculum nurtures these key skills? In individual classrooms and schools there is undoubtedly great work happening by dedicated teachers. But the curriculum on a national level is perhaps so focussed on STEM knowledge that we have no time to dedicate to explicitly fostering these skills.
To illustrate the point, I finished my recent careers talk with this lovely quotation from Vinita Marwaha Madill (Project Manager at Mission Control Space Services & Founder at Rocket Women):
“STEM field as a whole is based on innovation and creativity, and we need diverse viewpoints to innovate and provide creative solutions that encompass our entire population.”
[Quotation source: wearetechwomen.com]
The integration of arts into STEM to form STEAM offers a well-rounded approach that appeals to both creative and analytical thinkers. The arts foster creative problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and a holistic perspective. Including arts in a technical curriculum encourages students to look beyond conventional methods and think differently, which is invaluable in fields where innovation is key. By incorporating the arts, STEAM education gives students a fuller skill set that includes both technical precision and creative flexibility.
Complementary Strengths
While STEM emphasises specialised, technical knowledge and analytical skills, STEAM offers a bridge between creative and scientific disciplines. Both approaches enhance critical thinking, but STEAM’s inclusion of the arts opens pathways for students who may otherwise feel disconnected from purely technical subjects. This holistic approach recognises that creativity fuels innovation in all fields, and today’s interdisciplinary world benefits from workers who are adaptable and imaginative as well as technically skilled.
STEAM in UK Education
The UK’s educational landscape increasingly values both STEM knowledge and STEAM education, recognising the importance of both pathways. For instance, STEM learning in UK schools is being enhanced through outreach projects that encourage students to explore science and engineering. Simultaneously, many schools and organisations are adding programs that blend arts with technical studies, helping students see connections between disciplines. We must be a aware however that true STEAM learning doesn’t add a tokenistic task at the end of the lesson to shoehorn the arts in. When implemented purposefully, it can be a skills-focussed approach that teaches traditionally siloed disciplines hand in hand. However, schools and staff often do not have the time to dedicate to these initiatives. This is why The MoSAIC, offers free virtual exhibitions and subsidised in-person workshops that exemplify this integration, allowing learners across the UK to cultivate both creativity and technical skill in meaningful ways.
Whether schools adopt a STEM or STEAM approach, both are essential for preparing students for a rapidly changing world. STEM initiatives ensure students gain solid, relevant and transferrable skills, while STEAM broadens the scope, connecting logic with creativity. For students and educators alike, understanding both approaches are key to building versatile, innovative minds prepared to face the future with confidence.
Join The MoSAIC on this journey to take STEAM learning to the next level. It’s a paradigm shift, a bridge to a future where the arts and sciences work together.
About the author:
Gareth, a.k.a Gaz Lawrence, is MoSAIC’s founder. Gareth is a former science teacher and now works as an interdisciplinary artist and STEAM educator.
Gareth is currently reading: ‘Your Brain on Art’ by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
The MoSAIC is offers a range on STEAM workshops on Astrophysics, Colour Theory and Generative AI to show students and educators how creativity and other STEAM skills are necessary for the sciences and STEM subjects. Explore here.