STEM, STEAM And Now STREAM: What Does All Of This Mean?

You see these acronyms everywhere but what do they really mean?

It seems like now-a-days educators are always talking about STEM, STEAM, STREAM and with good reason. The importance of STEM is to educate and prepare children in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Soon after STEM, evolved STEAM – science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. By incorporating art into the mix, this adds the design and creativity needed to look at a situation and develop a plan. This allows children to increase their technical skills but use creative ingenuity. Now let’s add the newest acronym, STREAM – science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and math. This movement recognizes that reading is foundational to all early childhood education subjects. Essentially, STEM, STEAM and STREAM are being implemented to ensure that your child receives a well-rounded education.