Moonshot thinking: Is it STEM or STEAM

I watched Moonshot thinking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uaquGZKx_0&feature=youtu.be

As a teacher in the arts and a faculty member of the Imagination, Creativity, and Innovation Cohort at UOttawa’s Faculty of Education, I am all over this type of forward thinking. My teachables are art and science, incidentally. The video was inspiring regarding innovation from a science and tech perspective, but as I watched it, I thought of the artists that created it. Those who actually created and filmed that video; the shots and visual compositions are aesthetically quite beautiful. I was reminded, once again, of our current trend to bolster creativity through science and tech while failing again to recognize the intrinsic, implicit and explicit value that the arts bring to this process. “Find your passion; take risks; curiosity and wonder; courage and persistence; a little bit of crazy…” These phrases have always used in and applied to the arts. Yet, the arts still continue to struggle for foothold and support in schools. I find it quiet astounding and “choose to be bothered” by this disregard.

Dustin Timbrook’s TEDx Talk: Creativity is not a gift. (22 min) speaks to this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLhRFcUehm4

For me, it is the responsibility of a creative administrative leader to Improve the Instructional Program (OCLF) by making sure that the arts in my school have equal footing with every other subject area—yes even literacy and numeracy. And I will hold myself accountable (OCLF) for that. It means setting a new direction (OCLF) in education that embraces imagination, creativity and innovation that does not solely focus on science, math and tech. I support STEAM, not STEM. This supports learning the will take our students into an unknown and unchartered future.