Putting the T and E back in STEM
Education
By Stephen Best, SIGPL
A funny thing happened a couple decades ago that we are still struggling with now. In the late 80’s and beyond, as reports like “A Nation at Risk” were coming out and students from other countries began showing up American students in mathematics and science, the standards movement was born. We realized that one of the possible reasons that we were no longer leading the world was that the education provided to our students was inconsistent. So, we reacted… putting together standards for mathematics and science by defining the content for the classes we already had in place in our schools (biology, chemistry, algebra, etc.). And, to strengthen those, we virtually ignored the CONNECTIONS and APPLICATIONS that were possible in those topics.
And now, twenty years later, we are still trying to fix this. The Common Core standards for mathematics focus on using mathematical ideas in project based activities to engage in higher order thinking. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which just finished their second public review and will be released during the coming school year, extend this further by incorporating Engineering and Technology cross-cutting strands across all core ideas at every grade level. SteM education will now become STEM.
So, what does this mean for our classrooms? Here are three items for what to consider to put the T and E in your STEM program, as well as some examples of projects that other teachers are doing that can give you ideas for what to do.
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Technology does not just mean computer applications. I know that saying this to MACUL members is like saying there is no Santa Claus, but maybe it is time for us to think more broadly about technology. NGSS suggests that we include all types of human-made systems and processes as technology; not just modern computing and communication tools. This requires a shift in thinking, but helps students better understand the purpose, function, and role of technologies in our lives.
Engineering, technology, design, and real-world applications of STEM topics should not exist in a vacuum. Some are tempted to think that adding technology and engineering means adding new lessons or units to the existing curriculum and instruction, which makes us all more anxious about “covering content”. This is not about covering content, but radically rethinking what we do in our current science and mathematics courses and units. The idea is to integrate engineering design and considerations of technology into the learning activities for students so that they make the connections between topics.
Design requires a different way of thinking and teaching. Unlike the focused skills and knowledge we often teach in science and mathematics, a focus on engineering and technology introduces something dramatic and fearful to some - creativity. There isn’t just one solution, but rather, a range of options that students can develop that incorporate the science and mathematics concepts, but also introduce design processes. What does this look like in real life? It’s
FALL 2012 | MACULJOURNAL
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