introduction to stem integrating science, technology, engineering, and math
TRANSCRIPT
Introduction to STEMIntegrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
Things To Think About…
Kids form their opinions about academic subjects at a very early age…
They also determine their OWN ability to succeed in these subjects at an early age…
“School” math and science often means memorizinghuge amounts of sterile, often unconnected content. It leaves out the joy and wonder of discovery…
To a student, a “problem” is a bad thing. To scientists and engineers, a “problem” is anopportunity – to create, to enhance, to solve, and there is no one “right answer.
In the “real” world, problems are often not clearly defined, and there is no one “right” answer.
What can we do about that? What if…
• What students learn in school could prepare for jobs that haven’t even been created yet?
• Students asked questions about things we want them to learn
• Students could apply the knowledge they learned directly to a real-life problem?
That’s Where STEM Comes In:
Our future needs:• An educated workforce that can think
critically and collaborate digitally.• Employees with technical skills and
advanced knowledge.• Creative thinkers who can help develop
new ideas and solutions to problems that don’t yet exist.
STEM Means:
Integrating instruction
Applying Inquiry to learn
Incorporating technology and engineering into the teaching of subject areas.
Moving away from teacher-centered classrooms
Encouraging curriculum that is driven by:• Problem-Solving• Discovery• Active Student Engagement
So…How Does STEM Work?
• STEM integrates science, technology, engineering, and math into one COHESIVE, hands-on, contextualized learning experience.
• The engineering component puts emphasis on the PROCESS and DESIGN of solutions, not on the solutions themselves, encouraging discovery, exploration, and problem-solving
• The technology gives students a way to apply what they’ve learned.
Pedagogy of STEM
Effective STEM integration:• Promotes student motivation and engagement• Connects to prior knowledge• Focuses on long-term retention• Provides explicit, authentic practice and
application of critical thinking skills
An Effective Integrated STEM Curriculum Contains:
Relevant Problems to make learning meaningful
Authentic Projects to promote higher level thinking
Hands-On Experiential Learning to increase retention
Opportunities to Design and Create to motivate students to think, problem-solve, and discover
Benefits of STEM Education
• Teaches independent innovation
• Allows students to apply skills they’ve learned
• Engages students, tapping into a variety of learning modalities and styles
• Helps prepare students for the workforce by teaching them how to think critically.
What is Engineering?
• Engineering is problem-solving…
• Engineering is the practical application of science and math to solve problems
• Engineering is everywhere…
PROBLEM!!!
• THINK of a problem.
• WHY is it a problem?
• HOW will you fix this problem?
• WHAT is your solution?
• HOW well will it work?
• WHAT might you do differently?
The Engineering Design Process
Engineering Design ProcessVS
Scientific Inquiry ProcessEngineering Design Process
Scientific Inquiry Process
Identify the need or problem Formulate the problem
Research the need of the problem
Information gathering
Develop possible solutions Make hypotheses
Select the best possible solution
Plan the solution
Construct a prototype Test solutions (perform experiments)
Test and evaluate the solution
Interpret data, draw conclusions
Communicate the solution Present the results
Redesign Develop new hypotheses
Challenges of Implementing STEM Curriculum in the Middle School
Classroom
• Not enough time in the day• Difficult to measure results• Teachers are unfamiliar with
where to start• Lack of resources and
materials• Pressure to teach the
curriculum• Standards must be
addressed
Project-Based Learning
• Provides the context and application for STEM instruction.An approach to instruction that This approach is designed to engage student interest and motivation, teaching and reinforcing 21st century skills.
• Requires students to think critically, be creative, has real-world relevance, provides multiple opportunities for varied assessment, and allows for multiple outcomes.
• Allows students to drive the process and own the outcome.
A Good Project:
• Involves students’ own communities whenever possible
• Is ill-defined
• Takes an inquiry-driven approach to problem-solving
• Has a clearly defined goal, but many possible outcomes.
• Is collaborative – students work together to complete the project.
• Is interdisciplinary – the skills students learn and refine go beyond one field of study.
• Is authentically assessed – assessment is integrated with learning, reflecting how quality is judged in the real world
• Has real-world applications
Project-Based Learning WorksheetBegin with the end in mind: What do I want my students to understand and to know how to do?
What’s the BIG IDEA? Craft the essential question. What do I want my students to find out?
Think about assessments? How will I measure what my students are learning? How will I assess what they’ve learned?
Map out the project.
Facilitate – How will I facilitate learning by discovery? How will I manage the project?
Creating and Implementing Integrated STEM units
• Determine your access point – choose what you know best
• Define concepts from other content areas that support this access point
• Design a culminating project that provides a context and a real world application to content area instruction, giving students a way to demonstrate their learning
• Get out of the their way!