ECE 7706 Module 5: Article Three

STEM, STEM Education, STEMmania

Mark Sanders

Synopsis: 

      In the 1990's, the program started out as Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology, or SMET; however, there were some complaints that this acronym sounded too much like "smut", it changed to STEM. This concept was first introduced in college graduate programs, but the acronym led people to believe the program was about Stem Cell Research, but in actuality it was an Integrated STEM Education graduate program. STEM is not something that needs to be said on its own; it needs to be said with something attached to it such as STEM education or STEM teachers/teaching.  It was also stated that STEM education is different than integrated STEM education because the subjects need to be combined and integrated in order to create a deeper understanding of the content areas. Even in a STEM education environment, students can become uninterested in subjects such as Math and Science, so it is important to keep the students interests with the integration of the technology aspect of the STEM pedagogy. However, teachers need to keep up with the change in content and times, so teachers need to be taught and prepared with the proper pedagogical teaching skills to effectively teach in a STEM integrative classroom. Also, within the original graduate programs the teacher-students are required to reflect upon integrative practices throughout their semesters and are able to collaborate across disciplines with other teachers. It is vital that if STEM education is started in younger grades that it is continued throughout the students education in order to ensure their overall interests in these specific fields.

Sanders, M. (2009). Stem, stem education, stemmania. The Technology Teacher, Retrieved from http://esdstem.pbworks.com/f/TTT+STEM+Article_1.pdf

Reflection: 

      Initially coming into this course, I did not know what a STEM program was, so I truly enjoyed reading the background information on this type of educational program. I have not heard anything about this program in terms of implementation in my school, but I do think that it would be a great way to get our students ready for their future. This article mentioned that students, even in elementary school, loose interest in subjects like Math and Science, but from what I experienced this year in my third grade classroom, my students loved both of these subjects. Therefore, if we were able to further their interests by incorporating technology in to the curriculum, then students will be more motivated to continue their education in these content areas. However, I don't think that an integrated STEM program is the only thing that is going to motivate our students. If we build of any our lessons off of the students interests, then the students are bound to become interested in the content they are learning. This also goes back to a constructivist or inquiry based classroom- as long as students are fully engaged in their learning then they will become more and more interested in the content. Just as in the STEM education program, we need to be giving students real-world problems so that they can experience real-world content application.