What is STEM?
Yep, you guessed it, the photo above is a shelf from Dollar Tree. Every time I go to this aisle, I start thinking of things to make and do. A teacher interested in STEM could spend a lot of dollars, one dollar at a time, and his/her students would love it. In the past few years, the acronym, STEM has become quite popular. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. It's used primarily in the education arena, but recently more and more companies are using the term to describe the types of skills and thought processes they expect from their employees.
It's not hard to see the rapid changes happening in our world. We no longer just lock our doors when we leave home, we have a doorbell camera that we can access, via our smartphone, to see, in realtime, anyone who steps up onto our front porch. We can check our smartphone to see if we remembered to put the garage door down, and to change the thermostat on our way home. Our computers, even those in our homes, are networked so that we can print wirelessly and access files and such on different devices. Insurance companies are now providing virtual doctors. Rather than having to make an appointment, wait, then drive to the office, we can use our device camera to communicate with the doctor, show him the pink-eye, and he submits the prescription paperlessly to the pharmacy. We enjoy these luxuries and advances, and want to see them continue and improve. In order for this to happen, the companies who bring us these new features must have employees who can not only think about such solutions, but make them work. They need employees with STEM backgrounds.
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It was 1686 when Isaac Newton first described inertia. "Every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force." It was 1959 when Nils Bohlin, aware of Newton's Law of Inertia, developed the 3-point seatbelt to counteract inertia. This invention is now standard equipment in automobiles, and is credited with saving billions of lives in car crashes.
We can see by the speed at which new advancements are entering the scene, that pure science is no longer enough. Students still need to learn that there are four states of matter--solid, liquid, gas, and plasma, but that is not enough. What problems are related to changes of state? How can changes of state be controlled? How can dangerous gases be detected? We currently use salt to melt ice on bridges and roads, but salt speeds up corrosion, what other solutions are yet to be developed? Along with pure science, we must teach students how to put their knowledge to use. Problems are not few in number. We rely upon science and technology to engineer new solutions. Undoubtedly, some solutions, will lead to new problems. Along with pure science, STEM teaches students how to think like problem-solvers. What is STEM-Mindedness? STEM-Mindedness is a focus on problem-solving and critical thinking. STEM-Mindness also involves the perseverance to keep trying when there appears to be no resolve, or when multiple iterations of a product are necessary. STEM-Minded students are curious and they have teachers who foster their curiosity with class projects, research opportunities, and out-of-the-box prompts to continue learning. Students who are STEM-Minded tend to seek a culture of collaboration to share ideas and work to develop solutions. |
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What is STEAM?
Quite often, we see the acronym STEAM. This integrates the arts with STEM. The aesthetics of the products we buy are important. When we shop for a thermostat, but we don’t necessarily want to see the internal wires and the cylinder of mercury. We want an artistically designed thermostat with digital components, subtle hues of color, and curves to serve as functional art on our wall. Marketing is evolving as we make more online purchases. Research shows that Generation Z, “has been shaped by the recession and is prepared to fight hard to create a stable future for themselves.” They are more attuned to ads and will resist purchases that previous generations could not pass up. The future of marketing will rely upon people to study markets and produce advertising campaigns that result in sales. The arts, including physical design, color choices, script-writing, video-recording and editing, etc. are important to pair with STEM for the future. |
How can I teach STEM/STEAM when my standards occupy so much time?
STEM/STEAM is not a curriculum, in and of itself. It, instead, is the way assignments are designed. Our state curriculum standards are not intended to limit teaching! They are intended to be the basis for our instruction, but how we teach the standards, how we use the standards to spark ideas, and how we help students realize the relevance of the standards is largely a matter of choice.
In the 6th Grade Science Standards (8.P.3A.6), it states, "Obtain and communicate information about how various instruments are used to extend human senses by transmitting and detecting waves (such as radio, television, cell phones, and wireless computer networks) to exemplify how technological advancements and designs meet human needs." This information could be taught with a short video, some notes, and a quiz. It could also be taught as students research the history of cameras, then study what each of the specifications of their cell phone camera means, maybe they could make pinhole cameras, then go through the design cycle to improve their design!
STEM/STEAM is not the curriculum, it is the design of the curriculum. Students tend to retain knowledge that is applied to things familiar to a greater degree than they retain that which was taught through rote or scripted means. If we are a little creative, and relinquish the idea is that the teacher is the all-knowing soul in the classroom, any classroom can be a STEM/STEAM environment.
STEM/STEAM is not a curriculum, in and of itself. It, instead, is the way assignments are designed. Our state curriculum standards are not intended to limit teaching! They are intended to be the basis for our instruction, but how we teach the standards, how we use the standards to spark ideas, and how we help students realize the relevance of the standards is largely a matter of choice.
In the 6th Grade Science Standards (8.P.3A.6), it states, "Obtain and communicate information about how various instruments are used to extend human senses by transmitting and detecting waves (such as radio, television, cell phones, and wireless computer networks) to exemplify how technological advancements and designs meet human needs." This information could be taught with a short video, some notes, and a quiz. It could also be taught as students research the history of cameras, then study what each of the specifications of their cell phone camera means, maybe they could make pinhole cameras, then go through the design cycle to improve their design!
STEM/STEAM is not the curriculum, it is the design of the curriculum. Students tend to retain knowledge that is applied to things familiar to a greater degree than they retain that which was taught through rote or scripted means. If we are a little creative, and relinquish the idea is that the teacher is the all-knowing soul in the classroom, any classroom can be a STEM/STEAM environment.
How can I teach STEM/STEAM with no (or few) supplies?
- Ask parents to donate Dollar Tree gift cards.
- Ask students to bring in specified household items.
- Use Donor's Choose.
- Write a grant for supplies.
- Ask representatives from local industry to visit and lead an activity with your class.
- Have students complete upcycling projects.
Additional STEM/STEAM Resources
