Introduction
Some guiding principles when implementing Stem, the different Stem practices, the three approaches to integrated Stem and some additional guidelines. Hopefully this will help us on our own journey in implementing the Stem program this year. Information from this comes from this amazing book called Stem Lesson Essentials Integrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics written by Joanne Vasquez, Cory Snyder and Michael Komar. Whenever I refer to a book, this is the book I will be referring to.
Executive Definition
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There are many different interpretations of what Stem is and how educators use it in different settings, but we will use the book’s definition of Stem, which is an interdisciplinary approach to learning that removes the traditional barriers that separate the four disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics and integrates them into real-world, rigorous and relevant learning experiences for students. Our program will strive to not only integrate science, technology, engineering, and math, but also social studies, language arts, art, music, and other disciplines.
implementation of the Executive
which is to help students function and thrive in our highly technological world and to help the country remain competitive in the global economy. According to the National Resource Council’s report called Successful K-12 Stem Education, Stem Education develops understandings and competencies needed for personal decision-making, political and cultural engagement, and economic productivity. The second goal is not as recognized as the first, but I think it is extremely important, which is the connection between disciplines. The implementation of this idea creates opportunities for students to gain deep conceptual understandings and develop valuable skills that can be applied in different contexts.
Integrating disciplines shows students that finding solutions to exciting and meaningful problems requires the use of knowledge and skills from different disciplines working together, interrelated and interconnected. Think of disciplines as tools, all working together for a common purpose. The book provides some guiding principles of Stem. First, focus on integration. As I mentioned earlier, we need to help students see the connection and interrelationship of concepts by helping them connect concepts that may seem unrelated to them. Second, determine relevance. This idea is emphasized throughout the book.
STEM education
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It is our job as educators to explain why the knowledge and skills learned are useful, why they should be interested. It is easy to explain relevance when students are given real-world problems, current situations, global issues, or any engaging event. Third, emphasize 21st century skills. The workplace our students will enter requires a workforce that can access information, solve problems creatively and collaborate with others.
Then challenge your students. You want to give students challenges that are not so difficult that students give up, nor so easy that students find the work boring. Finally, mix it. Provide learning opportunities that use problem-based and project-based and problem-based approaches. Students are given a problem to design creative solutions. In project-based approaches. Students are given the choice of how to produce products or develop solutions that demonstrate their learning, as well as having a voice in how they are assessed.
Executive practices
Here are the science and engineering practices from Next Generation Science Standards. Asking questions and defining problems. Development and use of models. Planning and conducting surveys. Analyze and interpret data using mathematics and computational thinking. Constructing explanations and designing solutions, engaging with evidence, and finally acquiring, evaluating, and communicating information. Here are the math practices from the Common Core State Standards. Understand the problems and insist on solving them. Think abstractly and quantitatively.
Build sustainably and critique the reasoning of others. Model with mathematics. Use appropriate tools. Strategically focus on accuracy. Look for and use structure, and finally look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. Finally, the book also foresees technological practices. But before I list these practices, I want to talk about the definition of technology. Commonly used for anything needs to be connected, especially a device that is electronic. However, the National Resources Board states that technology is any modification of the physical world made to fulfill needs or wants. So a hammer or a pencil would be examples of technology.
Stem
The book categorizes technologies into six groups that help students understand the world in which they live. They are transport, construction, electricity, medicine, food and water and communication. So here are the tech practices. Practice in one. Learn about the web of technological systems upon which society depends. For this practice, help students think more broadly about technology and highlight how the technologies being created are here to serve our needs and wants. The second practice is learning how to use new technologies as they become available.
Help students learn how to use new technology, how to choose the right ones for a situation, and observe how others use technology. The third practice recognizes the role that technology plays in the advancement of science and engineering.
Practice four is making informed decisions about technology given its relationship to society and the environment When implementing these practices, it is important as educators to model the use of the words technology, science, math, and engineering. Here are some examples. What have you learned about gear technology? How can we apply the science of motion to this roller coaster project? What is the appropriate math skill we need to solve this problem? What will you plan to help carry the items across the river?
built-in Executive
Now we will talk about the three approaches to comprehensive interdisciplinary integration or thematic integration, interdisciplinary integration and interdisciplinary integration. , or even pirates.
It provides a cohesive learning experience and shows students that you can learn about a subject in different ways through different disciplinary perspectives. It is recommended that you create a topic based on the standards of each discipline, as well as using the interests of your students. The downside to this approach is that the connection is made only through the subject and nothing else. No learning objectives are combined to create opportunities for deeper understanding.
interdisciplinary integration
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Teachers organize shared learning across disciplines. Learning objectives from two disciplines merge to form a single core concept or skill. The book provides an example of an interdisciplinary unit by a science teacher who wants his students to have a better understanding of scale, the range of sizes of the planets, and the distance between them in space.
The math teacher offers help by having the students scale a model of the solar system using the ratios they learn in class. The science learning objective focuses on the similarities and differences between the planets and the math learning objective focuses on the ability to apply the use of ratios.
The combination of these learning objectives forms a single core skill, which is the scale of a model that helps students understand the size of the planets and the distance between the planets in the solar system. This integration allows students to go beyond just learning about the surface features of the planets, but instead gain a deeper level of understanding of the solar system through the scale of size and distance. It is important to note that this approach is not entirely different from multidisciplinary integration
Multidisciplinary integration
These three approaches differ in their degree of integration. Thus, in interdisciplinary units, the disciplines are recognizable but become less important than in the interdisciplinary approach. Finally, we have interdisciplinary integration, where students embark on real-world problems or projects where students apply knowledge and skills from two or more disciplines. These problems and projects should also be relevant to the students.
Teachers should organize around students’ questions and concerns, listen to their ideas and also observe their interests. So that students can take ownership of their learning. The interdisciplinary version of the example module we looked at earlier consists of skills and concepts from many disciplines. The essential question, or driving question for the unit was this. How would a meteorologist predict the weather on planet X?
This question drives the unit, prompts the inquiry, and requires achievement of the learning objectives to answer the question. In science, students would give a weather report from a different planet. They should learn how people predict the weather and imagine what it would be like to live on another planet. In art, students would build studio sets for weather forecasting.
In English, students would write the script for the predictions and in math they would figure out how long it would take for a radio transmission from Earth to reach them. All of these learning opportunities from different disciplines help answer the basic real-world, project-based question. It is important to note that you do not need to incorporate all of Stem’s disciplines into each module. Project-based learning or PBL is very important for interdisciplinary learning.
Interdisciplinary Integration
According to the book, project-based learning plus problem solving equals interdisciplinary learning. There are three elements of the core PBL question that drives the entire unit. Standard core learning objectives that give direction to the unit and to students’ prior experiences. Here are some other features of the Stem
characteristics of the Strain
PBL students are the center of the learning process. It is important that students work on their decision-making skills and apply their own interests and past experiences when creating their flagship product or solution. Teachers are more facilitators or coaches who help manage time and logistics. Then the work is central and not secondary.
They should be broken down into manageable chunks or small tasks and culminate in a product or deliverable. These projects should include continuous and multiple types of assessment, with models and rubrics that students can use as a guiding resource. And of course, there should be opportunities for reflection, feedback and improvements on their creation For more information on PBL, you will find links to resources in the description below.
planning a Stem lesson or unit;
Here are the strategies the book provides for implementation. Identify content standards. Identify big ideas and key concepts. Identify key or driving questions. Establish what students will know and be able to do as a result of the unit or lesson. Create multiple and continuous assessment opportunities during learning experiences. Plan interdisciplinary learning activities You will need to decide which multi, inter or trans approach will be most effective for the learning objectives.