Chapter 1: Social Emotional Learning- The Heartbeat of Learning
1.4. How do STEAM subjects get richer when blended with SEL through doodling, music, or dramatisation?
Let’s pause to first unpack the acronym STEAM.
STEAM represents five areas of learning as noted in Yakman, G and Lee, H:
- Science: Understanding how the natural world works
- Technology: Human-made tools, systems, and innovations
- Engineering: Problem-solving through design, building, and testing
- Arts: Language arts, liberal arts (history, sociology, political science), and fine arts (music, drama, visual arts)
- Mathematics: Numbers, patterns, and relationships
The Challenge: Traditionally, these subjects are taught in isolation. Even within the “A” of Arts, language and liberal arts receive more time and weight in school curricula, while fine arts like music, drama, and visual art are often left on the sidelines.
Our Approach: This handbook advocates for two integrations
- Bring in the more accessible arts-based activities: Use simple, accessible fine art and performing art activities such as doodling, soundscapes, and role plays to enrich every school subject.
- Weave in SEL: Embed social-emotional learning across the curriculum instead of treating it as a stand-alone subject.
Think of learning like a workout: If you only lift weights with your arms, you’ll have strong arms but a weak core, legs, and balance. That’s what happens when students only train their “cognitive muscles” in STEAM subjects. They may excel at maths or science but miss out on creativity, empathy, and resilience.
Now, mix in SEL with doodling, music, and drama, and it’s like doing a full-body workout. SEL is the personal trainer: it motivates learners to try, helps them work well with teammates, and reminds them that struggling is part of getting stronger.
The expected outcome: Instead of learners who are strong in one area but wobbly in others, you get balanced, confident, and resilient. They not only know formulas but can feel their relevance, empathize with real-world impacts, and collaborate to solve problems creatively.
In short, integrating SEL with the doodling, music and dramatisation in STEAM has the possibility to creates learners who are not just academically capable, but also emotionally intelligent and future-ready.
