For what it's worth, the site Brilliant.org might be worth subscribing to. It's mainly STEM, not STEAM (no arts), but it's really in-depth and interactive re: hard science, and it can take you up to very advanced levels.
Kevin Kim, Think Like a Teacher
Yeah—what's the point of a diagnostic test if you're not supposed to act on the diagnosis? I guess that's part of the typical illogic of ponderous bureaucracies. Frustrating.
I currently live in Seoul and work for an educational company here (EFL). A lot of the same institutional-level problems crop up here as well. and it doesn't help when the top of the hierarchy is composed of half-wits who love declaring "I have an idea!"... and the idea turns out to be lamer than scrambled monkey brains. And with Korean hierarchical thinking, no one lower on the totem pole has the balls to say the boss's ideas all suck, and that the company really needs to reevaluate what direction it's going in. Talk like that and get fired. I'm mostly isolated from the toxic top dogs, as I work quietly in our R&D department inside a small room with a Korean-fluent American boss and two other coworkers, but this BS drifts like a noxious cloud even into my precincts.
I could rant all day about that nonsense. Instead, I'll just stop here.
Kevin Kim, Think Like a Teacher
Thanks for doing this, however opinions may swing. My hope is that the book (well, booklet) provides certain basics without being too radical. I really don't think I say anything particularly crazy in it, but I guess a reader's mileage may vary. Also: as the book's author, I know there's a temptation to want to jump in the thread after someone makes a critical remark or otherwise expresses disagreement. I will avoid that temptation and remain silent (unless someone poses me a direct question) so that others may have the floor to discuss or dispute the book's ideas without any interference from me. Again, thanks.
Kevin Kim, Think Like a Teacher
PS: oh, and if your hard copy of the book had any quality issues, I apologize. I am, frankly, not that impressed with Amazon's print-on-demand service. I ordered two copies of the book for myself and saw uneven margins and poor text alignment. Also, with the second copy I ordered, two pages of the book just fell right out, indicating very bad binding. I had to manually glue the pages back in. I hope your own copy of the book didn't give you that much trouble, but if it did, I apologize on behalf of Amazon.
As you know, STEAM = science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. That already gives you some idea of what's in store. For science, expect the usual: earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, maybe astronomy (orbital mechanics, etc.). There will be obvious overlap with technology (think: mechanical and electronic devices) and engineering (which will include the fields of statics—i.e., unmoving structures—and dynamics—i.e., moving, flowing phenomena like liquids). The arts will be along the lines of fine arts (painting, drawing), plastic arts (sculpture, pottery, etc.), and performing arts (singing, drama, etc.). Math at a STEAM school will take you quickly through algebra, geometry, algebra 2, pre-calculus, and well into calculus. This is obviously just an overview. You'll need to research the details. Hope that helps a bit!
Kevin Kim, Think Like a Teacher
First, let it be said that lack of interest in art is not a sin. There's no need to force the issue (not saying or implying that that's what you're doing!).
Next, I'd agree with other commenters that sources exist to help kids get into art from various angles. I'm a bit of a cartoonist myself, most comfortable with black-and-white line art. Maybe your son could start off with something as simple a "how does drawing this single line affect the whole picture?" exercise. Take a black-and-white photocopy of the Mona Lisa and let him draw a mustache on it, sucking the dignity right out of the picture and immediately revealing the power of a single stroke of the pen. Amazing how simple lines can do so much for things like meaning and context.
Commenter "Knitstock," in this thread, has some really good suggestions that are in line with my own belief that learning needs to be body-centered (kinesthetic) to be engaging. Art that requires painting, or building, or sculpting, or dancing, etc., is all good. Lecture, the mere dispensing of information, is the kiss of death. You already seem to be getting your son bodily involved in learning through various activities (piano, sports); art should be no different.
And help your son understand that art is often where you find it: even sports can be art! Go on YouTube and hunt down beautiful, spectacular moments in sports and talk about how those moments rise to the level of art. The sky's the limit. Good luck!
Kevin Kim
Think Like a Teacher: A Parent's Guide to the Basic Principles of Homeschooling