Full steAm Ahead

 We hear so much about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) when we talk about education.  When you look at true innovation, it usually requires a strong dose of creativity.  Walt Disney knew this when he coined the term “Imagineering.”  The combination of imagination and engineering to create Disneyland.  As critical as STEM is, and we do need to have a higher proportion of students focusing on STEM, we cannot overlook the arts.  STEM alone will not create new technologies or solve some of the more serious challenges facing us.  Creativity is critical to the process.  Arts education helps develop the creative side of the mind.  Today, my colleagues at Boeing invited me to a Sir Ken Robinson  lecture that they sponsored for Arts Orange County and the Orange County Department of Education.  Robinson has authored a report for the UK government titled “All Our Futures:  Creativity, Culture and Education” plus he has written two books:  “Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative” and “The Element:  How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything.”  He also has the most downloaded video from the TED website.  In Segerstrom Hall, Robinson stressed to the group of educators that too often our school systems stifle creativity by not tapping into people’s natural talents and passions.  I feel this is one reason why we lose kids before they graduate as they don’t fit into the prescribed box.  I applaud Boeing for not only supporting STEM which certainly makes sense for their business, but also embrace arts education, knowing that they also need creativity to be successful as a global aerospace company.  It was from a colleague at Boeing where I first heard the idea of adding the “A” to STEM to create STEAM.  As we all work to improve the education of our youth, let us not forget that important “A.”   http://sirkenrobinson.com/skr/