Tech+and+Learning+Journal+Article+Summary

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/tl_201001/index.php#/26

The State of STEM

The article discussed the engagement of young people in the course of engineering and the integration STEM. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and has become casually known as science education. This is a misrepresentation of STEM.

One focus of this article was to provide K12 students with an engineering course in school that creates effective ways for them to learn core math and science concepts. The article stated that students make up their minds by fifth grade about whether they like math and science. An engineering course in the elementary classroom with hands-on learning would help students form a positive outlook on learning math and science. The goal of this study is not to specifically produce engineers “but to integrate design concepts within the STEM programs.”

A committee did a survey in areas of related conceptual learning, and development of engineering skills and their impact, and collected information on pre-college engineering programs in other countries and proposed recommendations based on those results. Some recommendations included supporting long-term research in this area. They would include researching components analyzing how design ideas have developed in students over time, the funding of research integrating scientific inquiry and mathematics into the engineering course, focusing on attracting girls, African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian, infusion of engineering and technology into math and science classes, and requiring professional development for teachers. By fully integrating STEM into the curriculum, the 21st Century Skills would be addressed in the classroom and would improve teaching and learning in all STEM subjects.