STEM Education

The future success and leadershipof the United States lies in the hands of our educational system. Studentsattaining degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) arecontributing to a big-picture solution for many of today’s problems.

With the recent release of this year’sglobal innovation index (an inclusive study identifying the most progressivecountries in the world), it’s clear that the United States has fallen short ofits reputation. Compared to other developing countries, the U.S. is behind interms of mathematics and science literacy as well as innovation-basedcompetitiveness. With hundreds of thousands of unfilled STEM jobs in theAmerican job market, there has never been a better time to emphasize theimportance of STEM in our K-12 education system.

Methods to integrate STEMeducation into K-12 learning include the application of model-elicitingactivities (MEA) and project-based learning (PBL); both of which combinecreative thinking, problem solving, and self-critiquing in symbiotic fashion.

• Model-eliciting activities are open-ended, realistic, andself-assessable. They focus on practical applications such as judging a paperairplane contest or identifying a subject of theft.
• Project-based learning is built around hands-on projects andteamwork assignments and is characterized by the phrase “learning by doing.”The five-step PBL process of reflection, research, discovery, application, andcommunication further enhances the effectiveness of the education process.

With these activities and othermethods for teaching science, technology, engineering, and math, K-12 educatorscan help foster STEM education interest for future students around the countryand the world.

To learn more about STEMeducation and its importance, watch the video below, provided by the University of Cincinnati’s Master of Education Online Program. 

(Editor’sNote: We will be publishing articles in upcoming months that address bothmodel-eliciting activities and project-based learning. These and other bestpractices apply, with appropriate support and design, for higher education andadult education as well as for K-12.)