STEM? by J Villis
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STEM education integrates science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with real-world applications to enhance student learning and competitiveness. Effective pedagogy is critical, emphasizing practice over rote content, and teachers should focus on integrated units that connect to students' lives. Utilizing the language of STEM in the classroom helps foster a mindset where students see themselves as active participants in these fields.
STEM? by J Villis
- 2. “STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real- world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise enabling the development of STEM literacy and with it the ability to compete in the new economy”(2009, Tsupos, Kohler & Hallinen).
- 4. Whether it is STEM or STEAM, it doesn’t really matter. We just need to get on with it! What is going to make a difference in STEM, is good pedagogy.
- 5. What can I take out? What is relevant? We need to take risks. As educators, we know what the important parts are. We need to shift the emphasis to practice not content, yes content is important, but pedagogy more so. Lets move towards integration. The Australian Curriculum is too full!
- 6. “If we teach tody as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow” (John Dewey).
- 8. How can primary school teachers improve their capacity of STEM? If teachers base their work on the HPC model, they could choose a few areas want to work on at a time. Teachers might choose to build integrated units of work, and identify all parts of STEM/STEAM. Interesting, weren’t we doing this years ago? to Some degree, yes. However, the difference now is use the language of STEM, and connections to real life experiences.
- 9. Simple way to begin to use the language of STEM: Refer to students as mathematicians, engineers or scientists. Instead of saying, “Stop, look, listen girls”, say, “Stop, look, listen mathematicians”. Or, instead of asking students to sit on the mat, invite all engineers to sit on the mat.
- 10. When we are talking about STEM, we are basically talking about great teaching!