STEM Education

Why STEM?

STEM education includes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, as is in the name. It is very straightforward; there is often only one correct answer, which I enjoy. There is no opinions nor bias when grading these kinds of assignments. However, there is a right and wrong way to defend one's answer. In general, STEM covers all those topics that we classified as 'science' and 'brainy' in grade school.

STEM education is important because it is a way of interpreting life and a way of improving future life. For example, biology can help students understand why they feel stronger after they eat protein after a work out or why birds leave white poop on their windows (and why that poop is white!) Engineering can help create energy efficient, welcoming buildings that people sleep in. Technology can help people live more time efficient lives by creating crafty tools. And math-- it pulls everything together! Math can be used in science, technology, and engineering.

It's important to incorporate and enhance STEM in public education because it's so essential to living. When a student goes to a restaurant with their friend, they will feel confident if they can actually calculate the tip on their receipt without the help of peers. When a person has a pet, they would want to know how the physiology of their body differs from their guinea pig's anatomy and why it's so important to never feed their guinea pig grapes! (This is simply an example. I have not heard of a physiology class that focuses on guinea pigs.)

The bigger picture of why we should enhance STEM in education is the future of our students. We are raising the future. If we spark an interest in a student to pursue engineering as a major, they may create the next big thing that cleans the ocean or prevents pollution. If we instill a love for biology in our student, they may choose biology as a career path and discover the next cure to cancer! We have the potential to influence the future of our students' lives and all of the lives that our students may touch with their knowledge.

After exploring the resources on LiveBinder, I continue to believe in the importance of STEM education, but for different reasons. LiveBinder is a website that organizes a variety of resources, depending on who sets it up. I first skimmed through a few of the articles, which didn't stand out to me deeply: they were about how little women are part of STEM and how technology is important to incorporate into the classroom for STEM. These are things I've read about over the last year and a half. One of the articles in particular really stood out to me. Deangelis (N.D.) states that learning STEM topics helps students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These skills can then be applicable to other subjects as well, including reading and writing (Deangelis, N.D.) I completely agree. The scientific way of thinking (make an observation, create a hypothesis, test it, etc.) can be applied to all aspects of life, even art.

Resources

Deangelis, S.F. (N.D.) Why STEM? Success starts with critical thinking, problem-solving skills. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/insights/2014/06/stem-success-starts-critical-thinking-problem-solving-skills/