Philly.com – Joel L. Naroff
“Nothing affects economic competitiveness more than workforce quality. Talk about capital investment all you like, it is the productivity of employees using that technology that ultimately determines the efficiency and success of a firm and the growth of our economy. That is why the focus of attention has shifted so sharply onto education. Unfortunately, one of the “solutions” being proffered by educators, STEM, could cause more problems than progress. Its narrow approach is likely to fail because businesses succeed not simply because of technical skills but through the ability to imagine the future and work toward it. The alternative to STEM, STEAM, is the way to go. OK, what in the world am I talking about? STEM focuses educational activity on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEAM simply adds the Arts to the formula. Basically, the question is: Do we want technically prepared students or those who think more generally or imaginatively? This is not a new question. Universities have been grappling with it for decades. In the mid-1980s, I chaired the University of Massachusetts’ General Education Council, which was tasked with restructuring the graduation requirements that all students of all majors had to meet.”(more)