Integration of STEAM With Local Context for Enhancing Early Childhood Students’ Creativity

Abstract

This article aims to: a) review, analyze and synthesize the literature related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) education and Context-based Learning (CBL); and b) developing the Context-based STEAM instructional model for enhancing creative skills in early childhood. The authors analyzed the STEAM instruction from the national and international contexts by using content analysis. Then, the researchers synthesized the teaching steps of STEAM Integrated with Local Context (L-STEAM) for enhancing early childhood students’ creative thinking. The teaching steps from these literatures were analyzed. From the analysis, the authors synthesized the L-STEAM teaching model consisted of six teaching steps: a) Introduce STEAM problem, b) Investigate, c) Act, d) Share, e) Apply and Extend and f) Self-assessment. At final, the authors raised one example of L-STEAM lesson plan for teaching the Toys and Accessories topic for early childhood students. This example may guide other early childhood teachers in applying local context in teaching with STEAM in any subject they assigned to teach.