1) How would you describe STEM education
to a friend or family member in informal conversation?
When I speak to people about STEM education, my goal is to dispel the
idea that it is a contemporary “buzzword”. Many people’s first impressions of
the term “STEM” is that it was born out of a bureaucratic process like NCLB or
Common Core, and will be pushed out of the education system in a few years. My
first point is to explain that STEM is a way of getting rid of the question “Why
am I learning this?” in classrooms. STEM has such a strong emphasis on
real-world scenarios and career-oriented tasks that, when a lesson is planned properly,
a student never has to wonder why they are learning a subject. STEM education also
has emphasis on learning through problem solving. It is a much more organic way
of learning, rather than having a student take notes in a lecture. Hands on
learning is a great way to keep students active and engaged in the classroom.
2) Why do you think STEM education is (or is
not) important?
STEM education has become important, and more so than
ever in the last ten years. With more career fields popping up all over the
nation, it is important to allow students to learn about potential careers that
can have an impact on their lives and the world. With STEM education properly
implemented, concepts that are abstract in a textbook become tangible and
easily understood concepts that can inspire students to become engaged in
science and math classes that may otherwise seem too intimidating.
3) What
is the value of incorporating or enhancing STEM in public education.
I think that STEM has
the ability to inspire boys and girls in classes that are often deemed boring
or difficult. Negative stereotypes in classes like math, biology, physics and
chemistry often prevent students from even enrolling in these course unless
they are required. If STEM education in public schools goes beyond teaching
towards a standardized test and becomes relatable to a student’s everyday life,
it may not become such a daunting prospect.
1) How were your initial thoughts reinforced by
the resources you explored?
I think that the Huffington Post is incredibly relevant to the way STEM
should be taught. Instead of fighting students over their use of personal
technology, the teacher in the article invites and encourages students to use
their cellphones in a way that is positive in the classroom(Mason 2016) . It
also provides students with a new use for their phones, as a research tool. I
agree with Bullington (the teacher from the article) when she states that while
the material in class is important, the process of problem solving using modern
technology is more important. To be able to point out to students that their
phones are more useful than just a tool for social media is an incredibly important
lesson.
2) What are some additional reasons to
incorporate STEM education into your planning and instructions?
One of the things that I had not considered before
reading the U.S. News article what the factor of diversity in the STEM field (Bidwell
2015). Increasing the amount of STEM education in public schools, as I
mentioned before, allows science and math to become more accessible fields in
school, which could inspire entire classrooms of students, regardless of
socio-economic status, gender, or ethnicity, to pursue careers. One needs to
think of STEM education not as a means to complete tests at the end of the year,
but as a means to inspire students to strive towards successful careers,
lifestyles, and societal contributions.
Social Media Survey
So, I misinterpreted the assignment (but as a result found out about the Magic School Bus reboot, so I'll take that as a win). So I when back to Facebook and reached out to my friends via social media regarding what STEM is to them. Here's what I got:
References
Bidwell, A. (2015, February 24). STEM Workforce No
More Diverse Than 14 Years Ago. Retrieved January 26, 2017, from http://www.usnews.com/news/stem-solutions/articles/2015/02/24/stem-workforce-no-more-diverse-than-14-years-ago
Mason, R. (2015,
November 19). Student Solutions to Global Problems: STEM Education in South
Carolina. Retrieved January 26, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randal-mason/student-solutions-to-glob_b_8591808.html
Addendum: I browsed Twitter and Facebook looking for STEM resources and I found a few exciting things. First, I found out that the cartoon and book series The Magic Schoolbus is coming back to PBS! In these new episodes, they will focus entirely on STEM subjects. As a child I LOVED this show and the books. I read about the ecosystems solar systems, sound and friction. To this day, I use examples from the book series to teach nutrient cycles.
ReplyDeleteI also found a number of STEM teaching resources on twitter simply by typing in "#STEM" into the search bar. Some were platforms for clickbait and political standpoints. However, one particular twitter feed, The STEM Education Alliance at the College of William and Mary, is really awesome and helpful. They provide interesting, real-world scenarios for STEM lessons, as well as current events and studies related to the STEM field. I recommend that all the people in the SU program check it out! Link: https://twitter.com/stemeducation
References: Kim, K (2017) 'The magic school bus' will return to teach new generations about STEM. Education week teacher. Retrieved from: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2017/01/magic_school_bus_reboot.html?cmp=soc-edit-tw
Ted, I could not agree more on your explanation of STEM education and how the proper instruction should remove any questions as to why students are learning the material as well as engage students on a deeper level. I also feel that good STEM classroom instruction leads to more DOK Level 3 and 4 questions and discussions that are student-centered in nature rather than teacher-lead lectures on Level 1 and 2 questions.
ReplyDeleteLearning what you did about the lack of diversity, what is one way that you think you could support more diversity at your school for STEM education and what would this added diversity do to their entire classes STEM education?
Ted,
ReplyDeleteI like your emphasis on getting rid of the "why am I learning this" mentality. I think that it is definitely not always intuitive to kids why they are learning what they are learning, and STEM offers a solution without having to explain in depth why they need to know every topic.
Also, I had no idea the magic school bus was coming back! It's great that you use these books as a reference for your students because they do a great job of explaining things in simplified terms. Do you ever show any clips from the magic school bus? How do your students respond to these references?
Like Jennie, I love the idea of framing STEM education as a way to remove students questions about why they are learning what they are learning. A fundamental of STEM education is connection to real problems or experiences that students have. In fact, I think this idea ties directly into the Mason's point that personal devices can be used to make STEM instruction richer and more engaging. One constant frustration I have in my internship is that my mentor teacher and I disagree about the place of students' devices in the classroom. I believe that "outlawing" cell phone use in a STEM classroom sets a horrible impression of ignoring this incredible technology that nearly everyone has at their fingertips! Instead, I'd love to spend energy creating lesson plans that utilize mobile devices in ways that are appropriate for class and help students to see that this technology has so many amazing uses. Have you done any activities in your classroom where the students use their own technology?
ReplyDelete