As educators around the world explore new ways to instill students with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful innovators in an ever-evolving 21^st century, there has been a growing emphasis placed on STEAM 鈥� an educational discipline that engages students with the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics.  Many educators believe STEAM (and its forerunner STEM) is a critical component of 21^st education. 鈥淓ducation is under pressure to respond to a changing world,鈥� education writer Jeevan Vasagar asserts in a Financial Times article.  As repetitive tasks are eroded by technology and outsourcing, the ability to solve novel problems has become increasingly vital.鈥�

STEAM inspires teachers to utilize project-based learning that intersects each of the five fields and cultivates an inclusive learning environment in which all students are able to connect and contribute.  Unlike traditional methods of teaching, educators use the STEAM framework to bring the disciplines together and enable students to use both sides of their brain at the same time.  STEAM not only teaches students how to think critically, solve problems and use creativity, it prepares students to work in career areas that are predicted to experience significant growth.

Why add the 鈥淎鈥� in STEAM?  When it comes to equipping our youth with creative critical thinking skills, STEM is not enough. The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) was one of the early champions of adding the arts to the earlier STEM education framework to create STEAM which emphasizes the important 鈥渟ymbiosis between the arts and sciences.鈥�  According to RISD, 鈥漈he goal is to foster the true innovation that comes with combining the mind of a scientist or technologist with that of an artist or designer.鈥�  Former RISD President, John Maeda, an early advocate for STEAM, has emphasized the concept that design thinking and creativity are essential ingredients for innovation.

The 优蜜视频 team is excited to be planning the 优蜜视频 STEAM-a-thon, a peer-to-peer fundraising event set to kick off on Saturday, September 18.  This four-week virtual event will feature opening and closing presentations, STEAM challenges/experiments for competition, a judges panel, prizes and a keynote speaker.  This is a wonderful opportunity to inspire young STEAM innovators from across the country and raise vital funding for 优蜜视频鈥檚 programs and services.   优蜜视频 needs your support!  We invite you, your family or your business to become a SPONSOR of the STEAM-a-thon.  In August, be on the lookout for information on the 优蜜视频 website about joining the STEAM-a-thon.

An article from the TED-Ed Blog titled (1) by Sir Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica recently caught my eye and led me to research more on the topic of the arts and their benefits to gifted children. As a dancer, my immediate thought was, 鈥淥f course dance is just as important as math!鈥� I know firsthand how it has positively shaped and affected my life both personally and academically.

Robinson and Aronica鈥檚 blog post is an argument for equity in educating the whole child, and the equal importance of dance and physical activity with the other arts, languages, mathematics, sciences and the humanities in the general education of every child. 优蜜视频 also practices the , which emphasizes each child鈥檚 potential as a whole person, rather than focusing on one specific area of talent or ability. There is more to gifted children than high test scores and academic achievement.

As stated in the article, math is intimately involved with the dynamics of dance, and dance can help restore joy and stability in troubled lives, along with easing the tensions in schools disrupted by violence and bullying. Dance and physical education also have important benefits for students鈥� social relationships, promoting many of the personal qualities that employers recognize as essential in a collaborative, adaptable workforce.

A guest blog post from on National Society for Gifted and Talented titled 鈥�4 benefits of introducing the arts to your gifted child鈥� (2) states that the arts:

1. Uncovers hidden talents
2. Reinforces learning in other subject areas
3. Provides a safe environment for mastering social skills
4. Relieves stress and promotes relaxation

The also holds a positive stance on (3). NAGC believes that arts education is fundamental to an appropriate education for gifted and talented learners and should be addressed through domain-specific opportunities and authentic integration across the curriculum. The arts offer students a way of thinking that is not available in other disciplines. Additionally, 优蜜视频 has many Scholars and alumni who are dancers and artists.

We at 优蜜视频 encourage students to pursue any interest in the arts and use them as a tool for a new challenge or as an opportunity to think in a different way. Check out our online to discover more articles, media and gifted programs and services on the subject.

Do you have a gifted child active in the arts? Share any resources and/or stories of gifted children and the arts in the comments below!

References:

聽鈥淭he world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside by a generous hand. But- and this is the point- who gets excited by a mere penny? But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days.鈥� 鈥� Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

As someone prone to dwell in the weightiness of things, this idea has been a real gift to me. Beauty and goodness in some shape or form abound on this earth. All we need to do is notice. Though there are many ways to nurture 鈥渁 healthy poverty and simplicity,鈥� humility and attentiveness are a good place to start. When we engage our lives and surroundings with humility, we allow ourselves the grace to be surprised and delighted, without presumption or judgement. Learning to be attentive is just a way of showing up.

I find that when I spend a little bit of time looking at something carefully, it helps me see everything else a little bit differently. Blind drawings are one of my favorite ways to practice this.

Blind Drawings
Blind drawings have a two-fold pay off: First, they are a wonderful way of slowing down and examining a familiar object in a new way. Second, they always yield quirky, expressive, and just downright interesting representations of the subject. For this exercise, spend 2 minutes drawing an object without ever looking at your paper. I will demonstrate by drawing one of my hands. (See detailed instructions below.)

Supplies
A piece of paper, a pen and two hands

Set-Up
Grab a paper and pen and set it up so that you only need one hand to draw. Now, rest your non-dominant hand in a comfortable and visually interesting position. Your non-dominant hand (the hand you will be drawing) should be far enough away that you can鈥檛 see it when you are looking at your paper.

Before you begin to draw, take a moment to carefully examine the resting hand; allow your eyes to slowly trace the exterior and interior lines. What shapes do you see? How do the different parts relate to each other? If you were to draw horizontal and vertical lines across your hand, what parts would line up with one another?

Ready, set, draw!
Remember, the trick to this is not thinking about what you are drawing, but focusing mainly on what you are seeing. Now, pick up your pen and rest it on your paper. Fix your eyes upon the object resolving to not look at your drawing hand or paper at all for the next two minutes. Choose a starting point with your eyes, place your pen on the paper (remember, don鈥檛 pick it up for the next two minutes) and begin to draw.

When you are finished, you may look at your drawing and feel disappointed by how much it does not look like your hand. BUT, I want to encourage you to take a moment and look at the drawing, not as a representation of a hand, but as an expression of your observation. People are my absolute favorite subjects to draw this way. If you are up for it, try that next!

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Every gifted person has a unique story. The following story is part of a series of posts depicting the many faces of gifted by highlighting gifted children and adults we have found through 优蜜视频 programs. 优蜜视频鈥檚 鈥� mentioned in this story 鈥� links gifted high school students from across the country with mentors who advance each participant鈥檚 skills through the application of knowledge and exposure to real world experiences.

Alexandra Balcazar
优蜜视频 Apprentice at The Huntington Museum in 2001
Outside Professional Assistant, Victoria and Albert Museum

鈥溣琶凼悠� does not take intelligence for granted; rather, it fosters and develops it. The Apprenticeship Program made me more confident in my abilities and opened up many new possibilities for me. Having a program like 优蜜视频 was invaluable, and I feel very lucky to have participated,鈥� Alexandra Balcazar, a 2001 Apprentice, explained.

Alexandra was in 11th grade when she found out about 优蜜视频鈥檚 summer Apprenticeship Program from her Pasadena high school biology teacher.

鈥淪ince I enjoyed and did well at biology and had been considering going to college for it, my teacher thought the program in botany at The Huntington Museum would be a good match for me. I also liked the idea because I had always enjoyed The Huntington as a visitor, so it was exciting for me to be able to go behind the scenes to intern there. Also, I was pretty shy, so I thought it would be a good way to meet other like-minded people,鈥� Alexandra went on to say.

She worked with Mentor Jim Folsom, The Huntington鈥檚 chief Botanist. 鈥淭he main project was to study the chemical and biological mechanisms of the Venus Fly Trap. Our group conducted several experiments with the plant to measure how quickly the fly trap would respond to stimuli and whether it would respond differently to various types of 鈥榖ait鈥�. We also did some studies in perceptions of real versus fake flowers, asking visitors about what they saw and what made them think a flower was real or not.鈥�

A few experiences from Alexandra鈥檚 Apprenticeship stick out in her mind. 鈥淚鈥檓 never going to forget the moonlit garden tour of The Huntington and the overall feeling of being part of a team that helps the museum and gardens function. Having the opportunity to meet so many experts in their fields was inspiring and encouraging, because they were so down to earth and easy to talk to. My Mentor clearly loved his job, and he passed that excitement along to the Apprentices.鈥�

鈥淔rom a social perspective, it was one of the best experiences I could have had in high school. We stayed in Occidental College dorms, and we had a couple of incredibly fun residential supervisors who kept us busy and entertained when we were not at The Huntington. I think it was the first time I was around kids from many different educational backgrounds, and it was simultaneously comforting and thrilling to meet other people who were friendly, ambitious and very, very intelligent.鈥�

Alexandra went back to high school with a new perspective after apprenticing at The Huntington. 鈥淭he program gave me hope to find similarly intellectually stimulating environments and people in college and beyond. It also dissolved some feelings of intimidation I had about working in a professional, research-driven place with lots of brilliant people (brilliant people are nice and normal too!). I went to an under-privileged high school in Pasadena, and while there were some excellent, dedicated teachers and a handful of kids who worked hard academically, the standard for the overall student body was set low, with few expectations for students to go on to higher education. As an Apprentice, I was given proof that working hard academically, and being a conscientious, aware person can offer rewards, and it made me more determined than ever to do well in school and apply myself to new projects.鈥�

Alexandra currently works in London and lives in the seaside town of Brighton, England. She describes her post-high school journey as a long and winding road. 鈥淎fter high school, I took a turn from biology and realized that I loved art history. I ended up being an art history major and medieval studies minor at Smith College, in Massachusetts, and did my junior year abroad at St Andrews, in Scotland. While at Smith, I started interning at the college鈥檚 art museum as a tour guide, and during the summer, I interned at Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum in Plymouth, MA. I loved art and museum work, but in the last semester of my senior year, I took an introduction to costume design and fashion history course and became hooked on the study and design of costume.鈥�

鈥淎fter graduating in 2006, I wasn鈥檛 sure if I wanted to be a costume and textiles curator or a costume designer, so I tried out both, while doing substitute teaching on the side. I interned at the L.A. County Museum of Art (LACMA) in their costume and textiles department and worked on the accessioning and cataloguing of 18th and 19th century garments, which eventually formed the basis of LACMA鈥檚 鈥楩ashioning Fashion鈥� exhibition from 2010. I loved interning there, but in reality, one generally needs at least an MA to do curatorial work, and I just wasn鈥檛 ready for that yet. I put museum and costuming work on the back burner for a while and decided to get my California Teaching Credential instead. However, just after getting my credential, an opportunity arose to become a costume/wardrobe assistant for short films and TV, and I jumped at the chance. At that point, I was a qualified teacher, but my earlier costume aspirations were revived. I also worked as an apprentice at a shop in L.A. called reVamp, which makes period-accurate fashion reproductions from the first half of the 20th century. I learned pattern-making, cutting and sewing, which was all helpful in learning more about the technical aspect of fashion.鈥�

鈥淚n 2011, I decided finally to go for my Masters. I went to the University of Sussex in Brighton for my MA in Art History and Museum Curating. Sussex has a link with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), an incredible design museum in London. It was through that link that I began my involvement with the V&A.鈥�

Although Alexandra started out as an intern, she is currently an Outside Professional Assistant (or OPA) at the V&A. 鈥淎s an intern, I started the archiving process for a recent V&A exhibition of digital art, researched fashion designers who use digital technology in their clothes, and assisted with public events put on by the Contemporary department. As an OPA, I am continuing as an assistant for museum events, which includes setup, installation and de-installation of art, facilitating public activities and liaising with artists who are involved with the events.鈥�

鈥淚 just finished my dissertation, which was about digital art in museums, so that is a new area of interest for me. I still love costume and fashion history, and so I am actively pursuing curating jobs in that area, too, but to be honest, I have no idea what I will be doing in ten or twenty years鈥� time. Maybe go back teaching? Curating? I am completely okay with not knowing where things will lead, but I just want to be able to enjoy what I am doing, so that enthusiasm is reflected in my work. Last May, I got married here in England, to a lovely Brit who is getting his PhD at Sussex, so while he finishes the degree, we鈥檒l be here for a least a few more years.鈥�

Alexandra still keeps in touch with some people from 优蜜视频 and hopes to catch up with fellow Apprentice alums soon. 鈥淚 did actually run into Jim Folsom, my mentor from The Huntington, while visiting the gardens a couple years ago. It was wonderful to see him again, and it was really nice to hear that he remembered me and the work I did while I was there. He is so knowledgeable and such a nice guy, so it was great to catch up with him and his work.鈥�

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