A Step Away From Them: STEM and English!

So, STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths. The jobs of the future. We have a deficit of graduates entering STEM fields and our overall valuing of STEM patterns of study is minimal. For improvements in these fields and longevity of viable employment options to occur in Australia, a cultural shift needs to occur. There really is no doubt about it and this need is reflected in new funding models and the push of the STEM focus in all levels of education - from primary school to tertiary study.

When considering my context, a large, comprehensive high school, it is clear that we need to provide the skills for our students to live fulfilling and productive lives in the future and it is evident that these areas are going to predominantly be in the fields of STEM.

So, I have been hearing a lot about this (my partner is a Science teacher) and it has got me thinking. As an English teacher where does my subject area fit in? How does an appreciation of culture, language - in all its modes, as well as literature, assist students to deal with their world post education? How exactly can we ensure that the arts get a look in when STEM is the future? How do the arts support STEM fields?

The Secretary's Update Archive includes an article entitled '21st Century Teaching & Learning' which opens with the sentence, 'Many children now start school technologically literate.' This is indeed true of our current cohort as most students carry some kind of smart device with them at all times. Students are proficient in their use to entertain themselves, utilise search engines to some degree of efficiency, to communicate widely with people they would consider friends, as well as family members and acquaintances. But what about the utilisation of smart technology to communicate and produce various types of texts for specific purposes (BOS, 2013)? To enhance their lives of learning and skill development? Are students literate enough in technology to be able to utilise the plethora of tools now available to them? Can the technology so intertwined with STEM based subjects be supported and extended through English?

I guess the premise of my consideration of STEM and English is firstly, that literacy underpins every subject and whilst each discipline has its own set of literacies, I feel that English (and this brings me to my second point) and the study of literature in its various forms is the reason we have culture and memories and discussions about who we were and who we may be in the future. Without the element of humanity provided by the study of the arts, what is the point? Where is the beauty? Where is the underlying purpose?

The arts are as important to the students of the 21st century even more than ever before. Those who are always connected with a wider socially driven milieu, in a world so vastly different to the one of previous generations need a place to develop their humanity and skills that will see them take on the future, whatever it may look like. The following skills are ever-present in the English classroom and underpin the need of STEM subjects beautifully.