STEM Education Across the Learning Continuum

STEM Education Across the Learning Continuum

Author: Amy MacDonald

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-02-18

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9811528217

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This is the first comprehensive book to consider STEM education from early childhood through to senior secondary education. It approaches STEM as a form of real-world, problem-based education that draws on the knowledge and skills of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. Rather than presenting each of the separate disciplines to an equal extent, it focuses on STEM researchers’ perspectives on how their work contributes to effective STEM education in terms of building knowledge, skills and engagement. Gathering contributions by authors from various countries, the book explores effective STEM education from a range of perspectives within the international context. Moreover, it addresses critical issues in STEM education, including transition and trajectories, gender, rurality, socioeconomic status and cultural diversity. By doing so, it not only shares the current state of knowledge in this field, but also offers a source of inspiration for future research.


Successful K-12 STEM Education

Successful K-12 STEM Education

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2011-06-22

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 0309213002

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Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are cultural achievements that reflect our humanity, power our economy, and constitute fundamental aspects of our lives as citizens, consumers, parents, and members of the workforce. Providing all students with access to quality education in the STEM disciplines is important to our nation's competitiveness. However, it is challenging to identify the most successful schools and approaches in the STEM disciplines because success is defined in many ways and can occur in many different types of schools and settings. In addition, it is difficult to determine whether the success of a school's students is caused by actions the school takes or simply related to the population of students in the school. Successful K-12 STEM Education defines a framework for understanding "success" in K-12 STEM education. The book focuses its analysis on the science and mathematics parts of STEM and outlines criteria for identifying effective STEM schools and programs. Because a school's success should be defined by and measured relative to its goals, the book identifies three important goals that share certain elements, including learning STEM content and practices, developing positive dispositions toward STEM, and preparing students to be lifelong learners. A successful STEM program would increase the number of students who ultimately pursue advanced degrees and careers in STEM fields, enhance the STEM-capable workforce, and boost STEM literacy for all students. It is also critical to broaden the participation of women and minorities in STEM fields. Successful K-12 STEM Education examines the vast landscape of K-12 STEM education by considering different school models, highlighting research on effective STEM education practices, and identifying some conditions that promote and limit school- and student-level success in STEM. The book also looks at where further work is needed to develop appropriate data sources. The book will serve as a guide to policy makers; decision makers at the school and district levels; local, state, and federal government agencies; curriculum developers; educators; and parent and education advocacy groups.


Science Teachers' Learning

Science Teachers' Learning

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2016-01-15

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0309380189

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Currently, many states are adopting the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or are revising their own state standards in ways that reflect the NGSS. For students and schools, the implementation of any science standards rests with teachers. For those teachers, an evolving understanding about how best to teach science represents a significant transition in the way science is currently taught in most classrooms and it will require most science teachers to change how they teach. That change will require learning opportunities for teachers that reinforce and expand their knowledge of the major ideas and concepts in science, their familiarity with a range of instructional strategies, and the skills to implement those strategies in the classroom. Providing these kinds of learning opportunities in turn will require profound changes to current approaches to supporting teachers' learning across their careers, from their initial training to continuing professional development. A teacher's capability to improve students' scientific understanding is heavily influenced by the school and district in which they work, the community in which the school is located, and the larger professional communities to which they belong. Science Teachers' Learning provides guidance for schools and districts on how best to support teachers' learning and how to implement successful programs for professional development. This report makes actionable recommendations for science teachers' learning that take a broad view of what is known about science education, how and when teachers learn, and education policies that directly and indirectly shape what teachers are able to learn and teach. The challenge of developing the expertise teachers need to implement the NGSS presents an opportunity to rethink professional learning for science teachers. Science Teachers' Learning will be a valuable resource for classrooms, departments, schools, districts, and professional organizations as they move to new ways to teach science.


Teaching and Learning STEM

Teaching and Learning STEM

Author: Richard M. Felder

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2024-03-19

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13: 1394196342

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The widely used STEM education book, updated Teaching and Learning STEM: A Practical Guide covers teaching and learning issues unique to teaching in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. Secondary and postsecondary instructors in STEM areas need to master specific skills, such as teaching problem-solving, which are not regularly addressed in other teaching and learning books. This book fills the gap, addressing, topics like learning objectives, course design, choosing a text, effective instruction, active learning, teaching with technology, and assessment—all from a STEM perspective. You’ll also gain the knowledge to implement learner-centered instruction, which has been shown to improve learning outcomes across disciplines. For this edition, chapters have been updated to reflect recent cognitive science and empirical educational research findings that inform STEM pedagogy. You’ll also find a new section on actively engaging students in synchronous and asynchronous online courses, and content has been substantially revised to reflect recent developments in instructional technology and online course development and delivery. Plan and deliver lessons that actively engage students—in person or online Assess students’ progress and help ensure retention of all concepts learned Help students develop skills in problem-solving, self-directed learning, critical thinking, teamwork, and communication Meet the learning needs of STEM students with diverse backgrounds and identities The strategies presented in Teaching and Learning STEM don’t require revolutionary time-intensive changes in your teaching, but rather a gradual integration of traditional and new methods. The result will be a marked improvement in your teaching and your students’ learning.


STEM Project-Based Learning

STEM Project-Based Learning

Author: Robert M. Capraro

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-04-20

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 9462091439

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This second edition of Project-Based Learning (PBL) presents an original approach to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) centric PBL. We define PBL as an “ill-defined task with a well-defined outcome,” which is consistent with our engineering design philosophy and the accountability highlighted in a standards-based environment. This model emphasizes a backward design that is initiated by well-defined outcomes, tied to local, state, or national standard that provide teachers with a framework guiding students’ design, solving, or completion of ill-defined tasks. This book was designed for middle and secondary teachers who want to improve engagement and provide contextualized learning for their students. However, the nature and scope of the content covered in the 14 chapters are appropriate for preservice teachers as well as for advanced graduate method courses. New to this edition is revised and expanded coverage of STEM PBL, including implementing STEM PBL with English Language Learners and the use of technology in PBL. The book also includes many new teacher-friendly forms, such as advanced organizers, team contracts for STEM PBL, and rubrics for assessing PBL in a larger format.


Exploring the Intersection of Science Education and 21st Century Skills

Exploring the Intersection of Science Education and 21st Century Skills

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2010-01-26

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 0309150647

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An emerging body of research suggests that a set of broad "21st century skills"-such as adaptability, complex communication skills, and the ability to solve non-routine problems-are valuable across a wide range of jobs in the national economy. However, the role of K-12 education in helping students learn these skills is a subject of current debate. Some business and education groups have advocated infusing 21st century skills into the school curriculum, and several states have launched such efforts. Other observers argue that focusing on skills detracts attention from learning of important content knowledge. To explore these issues, the National Research Council conducted a workshop, summarized in this volume, on science education as a context for development of 21st century skills. Science is seen as a promising context because it is not only a body of accepted knowledge, but also involves processes that lead to this knowledge. Engaging students in scientific processes-including talk and argument, modeling and representation, and learning from investigations-builds science proficiency. At the same time, this engagement may develop 21st century skills. Exploring the Intersection of Science Education and 21st Century Skills addresses key questions about the overlap between 21st century skills and scientific content and knowledge; explores promising models or approaches for teaching these abilities; and reviews the evidence about the transferability of these skills to real workplace applications.


STEM Education in the Early Years

STEM Education in the Early Years

Author: Kevin Larkin

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-08-30

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 981192810X

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This book analyses and synthesises past and current approaches to STEM Education in the Early Years, particularly the role of digital technologies and play based pedagogies, and provides a look forward to a new way of conceiving STEM Education. It presents a literature review of existing best practice in STEM education, both in Australia and internationally. It also presents theoretical and pedagogical discussions that outlines a new approach to STEM Education, based on a four-year, longitudinal, Early Years project. It provides educational frameworks for educators' use to enhance student learning in STEM, both in formal school contexts and beyond. This book focuses on a number of core themes in the research literature, including STEM education policy (nationally and internationally); the economic, social and political implication of STEM Education; the nexus between digital technologies, STEM, and play based pedagogies; the confidence and competence of early childhood educators and their professional development requirements; STEM education beyond formal schooling; and a new pedagogical approach to STEM education.


Art, Design and Science, Engineering and Medicine Frontier Collaborations

Art, Design and Science, Engineering and Medicine Frontier Collaborations

Author: The National Academies Keck Futures Initiative

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2016-08-24

Total Pages: 121

ISBN-13: 0309443504

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Science and art were not always two separate entities. Historically, times of great scientific progress occurred during profound movements in art, the two disciplines working together to enrich and expand humanity's understanding of its place in this cosmos. Only recently has a dividing line been drawn, and this seeming dichotomy misses some of the fundamental similarities between the two endeavors. At the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative Conference on Art, Design and Science, Engineering and Medicine Frontier Collaborations: Ideation, Translation, and Realization, participants spent 3 days exploring diverse challenges at the interface of science, engineering, and medicine. They were arranged into Seed Groups that were intentionally diverse, to encourage the generation of new approaches by combining a range of different types of contributions. The teams included creative practitioners from the fields of art, design, communications, science, engineering, and medicine, as well as representatives from private and public funding agencies, universities, businesses, journals, and the science media.


Science in Early Childhood

Science in Early Childhood

Author: Coral Campbell

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2023-12-31

Total Pages: 319

ISBN-13: 1009339745

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Science in Early Childhood is the essential science education resource for all pre-service early childhood educators.


STEM Integration in K-12 Education

STEM Integration in K-12 Education

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2014-02-28

Total Pages: 143

ISBN-13: 0309297990

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STEM Integration in K-12 Education examines current efforts to connect the STEM disciplines in K-12 education. This report identifies and characterizes existing approaches to integrated STEM education, both in formal and after- and out-of-school settings. The report reviews the evidence for the impact of integrated approaches on various student outcomes, and it proposes a set of priority research questions to advance the understanding of integrated STEM education. STEM Integration in K-12 Education proposes a framework to provide a common perspective and vocabulary for researchers, practitioners, and others to identify, discuss, and investigate specific integrated STEM initiatives within the K-12 education system of the United States. STEM Integration in K-12 Education makes recommendations for designers of integrated STEM experiences, assessment developers, and researchers to design and document effective integrated STEM education. This report will help to further their work and improve the chances that some forms of integrated STEM education will make a positive difference in student learning and interest and other valued outcomes.