MTHED497D:

Lesson 1 Overview

The guiding questions for this lesson are

• Why is there a current focus on STEM education in the United States? and
• What opportunities exist in my local context for students to engage in integrated STEM education?

Objectives

At the conclusion of this lesson, you should be able to

• begin to articulate what STEM education is,
• begin to articulate current arguments for supporting STEM educational opportunities for students in grades K–12,
• describe societal and educational factors that have led to the recent focus on STEM education, and
• identify and describe examples of STEM education that exist nationally and locally for K–12 students.

By the end of this lesson, make sure you have completed the readings and activities found in the Lesson 1 Course Schedule.

---

*Please use the General Course Questions Forum in the Getting Started module to post any questions you may have about the syllabus, assignments, course policies, course content, or general course concerns. This discussion board will allow everyone to gain further clarification on any questions you may have.

Why STEM Education?

On the U.S. Department of Education’s website, the introductory paragraph on the page titled Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math: Education for Global Leadership reads,  

The United States has developed as a global leader, in large part, through the genius and hard work of its scientists, engineers, and innovators. In a world that’s becoming increasingly complex, where success is driven not only by what you know, but by what you can do with what you know, it’s more important than ever for our youth to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to solve tough problems, gather and evaluate evidence, and make sense of information. These are the types of skills that students learn by studying science, technology, engineering, and math—subjects collectively known as STEM. (n.d., para 1)

STEM education has become a “hot topic” in the United States over the last decade. Millions of dollars in federal funding have been allocated to STEM education initiatives, there has been an increase in the number of public and private schools that have a focus in the STEM disciplines, and the current job market for STEM careers is healthy and growing, as illustrated in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1. Projected Increases in STEM Jobs Text Alternative

Bar Chart Title: Projected Percentage Increases in STEM Jobs: 2010–2020. 

Chart indicates the following increases:

• all occupations: 14% increase;
• mathematics: 16% increase;
• computer systems analysts: 22% increase;
• systems software developers: 32% increase;
• medical scientists: 36% increase; and
• biomedical engineers: 62% increase.

In this first learning activity of Lesson 1, you will learn about these and other motivators for why STEM education has come to prominence in the United States. You will watch three videos about STEM education and then read portions of a book titled STEM Integration in K–12 Education: Status, Prospects, and an Agenda for Research (instructions for downloading the free PDF can be found in the course schedule). This learning activity culminates with you writing responses to a number of prompts in your Learning Journal.

---

Reference

U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Science, technology, engineering and math: Education for global leadership. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/stem

STEM in My Local Context

So, you may be wondering at this point,

• Are there any opportunities like the ones I saw in the videos in my area?
• Where could I see integrated STEM education in action?

This next assignment asks you to investigate opportunities for K–12 students to engage in integrated STEM learning opportunities in your local context.

STEM in the Classroom

Watch the videos listed below. While you are watching, take notes about the arguments that are made for the United States paying more attention to STEM education; the examples of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines being integrated in classrooms; and any questions that the videos raise for you.

Lesson 1 Wrap-Up and Self-Assessment

To what extent are you convinced that STEM education is important in today’s political, social, and economic world? Suppose you are asked by a friend at a social event a question like “I’ve been hearing a lot about STEM. So what’s the big deal?” Could you articulate current arguments for a focus on STEM education?

Hopefully, you could use what you’ve learned in this lesson to answer your friend’s questions about STEM. At this point, it will be helpful to make some notes about what you’ve learned in this lesson—those notes will serve you well throughout the course and in completing your final project for the course.