STEM, in the context of education, is a way to integrate content and skills from the core disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and weave them into integrated lesson plans which utilize those skills in a project-based approach. Teaching STEM means doing away with the artificial walls that separate content and instead showcasing how the different disciplines are all connected and dependent on each other in the quest for truth. STEM lessons should help develop valuable life skills by using content knowledge in a real-world context to help our students prepare for continuous education and entering the 21st century workforce.
Content knowledge is knowledge about a particular content area, such as a PE teacher having content knowledge about physical activity. In education that would refer to the facts, concepts, core-ideas, and theories inherent to disciplinary subject areas. The success of a teacher depends on mastery of the subject areas taught. Content knowledge is the valuable metric that measures the success of an educational program.
Content knowledge in STEM is more than the quantity of content knowledge of each of the individual disciplines summed up. Learning about each of the disciplines and more importantly how they interact and supplement each other is integral to grasping the concept of STEM education. When you tackle a problem using content knowledge from STEM, you will engage in inquiry, logical reasoning, collaboration, and investigation in order to find a solution. Understanding and studying the core ideas of the main disciplines will better prepare you to become a lifelong learner.
In addition to the didactic knowledge of the individual disciplines, development of 21st century skills are part of the content knowledge in STEM. There are 12 abilities listed as 21st century skills that students need to prosper and continue to grow in their future careers. These skills are considered essential to any employee in any industry and are expected to be understood prior to being hired. Developing these habits is essential to students’ success in their civic, personal, and work life, as some of these skills and habits include collaboration, communication, creativity, informational literacy, and initiative.
You will encounter a different definition of what it means to have content knowledge in STEM depending on where and what grade level you teach. In Maryland there are standards of practice which define what it means to be a STEM proficient student. At the elementary school level, students investigate the natural world by engaging in projects in which they explore technology and engineering solutions while applying relevant mathematics concepts to real-life issues or challenges. The MD STEM standards of practice ensure that lessons are crafted with the purpose of creating STEM proficient students that are able to answer complex questions, investigate global issues, and develop solutions for real-world problems, while seamlessly applying the core tenets of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
We live in the age of information. What we know and what we do not know are changing day by day, second by second. The amount of available information ripe for cultivating to knowledge is expanding at an exponential rate, changing the world along with it. To have content knowledge you must understand the process of learning in a metacognitive way. Just like how we have to view ourselves as part of the overall system rather than as isolated beings, all the individual disciplines are necessary to create fundamental STEM knowledge. Proper STEM education provides a foundation for continuing the quest for knowledge. We must teach students how to use their STEM content knowledge to construct solutions to the problems of today and tomorrow.
Content knowledge is knowledge about a particular content area, such as a PE teacher having content knowledge about physical activity. In education that would refer to the facts, concepts, core-ideas, and theories inherent to disciplinary subject areas. The success of a teacher depends on mastery of the subject areas taught. Content knowledge is the valuable metric that measures the success of an educational program.
Content knowledge in STEM is more than the quantity of content knowledge of each of the individual disciplines summed up. Learning about each of the disciplines and more importantly how they interact and supplement each other is integral to grasping the concept of STEM education. When you tackle a problem using content knowledge from STEM, you will engage in inquiry, logical reasoning, collaboration, and investigation in order to find a solution. Understanding and studying the core ideas of the main disciplines will better prepare you to become a lifelong learner.
In addition to the didactic knowledge of the individual disciplines, development of 21st century skills are part of the content knowledge in STEM. There are 12 abilities listed as 21st century skills that students need to prosper and continue to grow in their future careers. These skills are considered essential to any employee in any industry and are expected to be understood prior to being hired. Developing these habits is essential to students’ success in their civic, personal, and work life, as some of these skills and habits include collaboration, communication, creativity, informational literacy, and initiative.
You will encounter a different definition of what it means to have content knowledge in STEM depending on where and what grade level you teach. In Maryland there are standards of practice which define what it means to be a STEM proficient student. At the elementary school level, students investigate the natural world by engaging in projects in which they explore technology and engineering solutions while applying relevant mathematics concepts to real-life issues or challenges. The MD STEM standards of practice ensure that lessons are crafted with the purpose of creating STEM proficient students that are able to answer complex questions, investigate global issues, and develop solutions for real-world problems, while seamlessly applying the core tenets of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
We live in the age of information. What we know and what we do not know are changing day by day, second by second. The amount of available information ripe for cultivating to knowledge is expanding at an exponential rate, changing the world along with it. To have content knowledge you must understand the process of learning in a metacognitive way. Just like how we have to view ourselves as part of the overall system rather than as isolated beings, all the individual disciplines are necessary to create fundamental STEM knowledge. Proper STEM education provides a foundation for continuing the quest for knowledge. We must teach students how to use their STEM content knowledge to construct solutions to the problems of today and tomorrow.