One of the whole points of the STEM "movement" is that too many intangible subjects have detracted from our students' abilities to master (and excel) at basic, practical skills. Particularly in today's highly-specialized, advanced global economy, concrete skills and a basic level of expertise are often found missing, which is why technicians and specialists in certain STEM fields are highly paid (even though they may lack the watered-down university education they could themselves have paid highly for).
STEM education provides a tangible foundation of basics to be built upon. Entrepreneurship can indeed be fostered in those that show talent, but we should not (again) lose focus on the technical aspects of education. If the proposed "STEEM" acronym were on a test, and you had to "choose the one that doesn't fit the set," I think it's obvious which one it would be.
The concept of STEM education is to regain balance in a liberal arts education that has drifted way too far into the conceptual worlds of "art," which is why we have too many lawyers and not enough scientists/researchers, too many communications degrees with too few electrical engineers. The kind of "mission creep" described above will just re-set the current problem.
Let's recognize that, unlike the STEM fields, "innovation," and "entrepreneurship," while inspiring buzzwords, cannot even be easily defined (besides, "you know it when you see it"). In spite of that, I'm sure Mr. DeBiase has developed a great curriculum to sell us.
Would it really be "smart" to buy it?
Worth quoting:
“I think there is something missing from our high school though post secondary STEM [science, technology, education, math] programs. Something that would better prepare our students for the competitive global economy. I think they also need to be equipped with the skills that can bring it all together for them–entrepreneurship. So lets reboot it, and for those of you who look for the next acronym, we can call it STEEM. STEEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Math. With innovative entrepreneurial curriculum in the mix, we can get to work on developing the best equipped generation to help lead the next phase of growth of our innovation economy.”
- Dean DeBiase, chairman and CEO of entertainment.com, co-founder of boardroominnovation.com and Innovation Excellence, and a co-author of The Big Moo.
JM: Given the nature of our hypercompetitive global economy and the lack of incentive, opportunities and innovation in the moribund wage-and-salary system, it makes sense to introduce a more expansive Silicon Valley mindset early and often. And STEEM makes STEM a whole lot more interesting to more students.
