FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT STEM

What is STEM Education?

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education is a relatively new mode of thinking about how best to educate high school students for the workforce and for post-secondary education.

STEM education is not simply a new name for the traditional approach to teaching science and mathematics. Nor is it just the grafting of “technology” and “engineering” layers onto standard science and math curricula. Instead, STEM is an approach to teaching that is larger than its constituent parts; it is, as Janice Morrison of the Teaching Institute for Essential Science puts it, a “meta-discipline.”

STEM education removes the traditional barriers erected between the four disciplines, by integrating the four subjects into one cohesive means of teaching and learning. The engineering component puts emphasis on the process and design of solutions instead of the solutions themselves. This approach allows students to explore math and science in a more personalized context, while helping them to develop the critical thinking skills that can be applied to all facets of their work and academic lives. Engineering is the method that students utilize for discovery, exploration, and problem-solving.

The technology component allows for a deeper understanding of the three other parts of STEM education. It allows students to apply what they have learned, utilizing computers with specialized and professional applications like CAD and computer animation. These and other applications of technology allow students to explore STEM subjects in greater detail and in a practical manner.

Why is STEM Education Important?

High school education must adapt to the changing needs of America’s economy. All sectors of the workforce – from entry-level jobs to more advanced positions – are requiring workers to have a greater capacity to think critically, work independently, and apply an ever widening set of sophisticated skills. Even entry-level jobs require these sophisticated skills from their “unskilled” workers.

Increasingly more college graduates are opting out of technical fields like engineering and the hard sciences, reducing the supply of potential workers for America’s emerging needs within these fields. As current workers in the engineering and hard science fields reach retirement age, the United States will not be able to fill these positions to keep itself competitive in the international labor market.

STEM education provides an early groundwork for fostering students’ interest in these kinds of careers and provides the entry-level skills for the workforce and for post-secondary education.

How Does STEM Education Affect My Organization?

As STEM education gains footing with our nation’s high schools, many facets of teaching and learning will adapt. From teacher education and in-service development to upgraded course materials and funding, STEM education affects a wide-range of high school policy and practice.

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