Trying to blend art with math and science is an unnecessary and fruitless idea. These two subject matters exist on two completely different planes and cannot work together. The STEM program has worked for many years and it has been successful. Schools can still provide good quality education and cultivate creative thinkers without incorporating the STEAM education system. Renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma would disagree. He says “The values behind arts integration–collaboration, flexible thinking, and disciplined imagination–lead to the capacity to innovate.” Scientists have been creating new inventions and innovations for years without the blending of art and science in education. The most important piece of new scientific breakthroughs is being able to apply prior knowledge of math and science to what you are trying to achieve. Yo-Yo Ma also believes that focusing education on STEM “is short-sighted.” I disagree with this statement because the STEM system gives students the tools to come up with ideas and innovations for the future using the things they learned in the math and science field. For example, environmentalists have learned about the climate and come up with ways to preserve our future for the long-term. For these reasons, incorporating STEAM into our education is not necessary and will not add much to our school systems.
I really like your argument against STEAM in schools. You did a solid job of bringing up various points to refute Yo Yo Ma’s points without ever being disrespectful to him. I also really liked how you stuck to mostly factual points and strayed from opinions. Having an argument that’s mostly opinionated can undermine any evidence you have so nice job. One suggestion is if you need another reason to argue against STEAM is that you can argue against the process of implementing it rather than argue against it directly. This makes your argument 3-dimensional because you have completely different reasons that form the same argument. Otherwise, really good argument!