In the rise of new forms of an educational system that are being developed regularly to universalize education among students, STEM is a new form of curriculum that focuses on four basic disciplines, which includes science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Shifting from the paradigm of theoretical knowledge this form of education is rather applied in nature and this interdisciplinary. To fully understand the question of what is stem education, it is to be highlighted that these four disciplines are integrated in order to form a cohesive form of learning rather than being taught as discrete and separate subjects.
The main reason why the stem program is being popularized in the United States is that the present stream learners have not shown interest in these topics while previously this country was known to create the most brilliant leaders in these departments.
The Origin of STEM education
In a recent report published by the U.S. Department of Education, of all the students that have been recorded merely 16% have shown a serious interest in the various subjects that are incorporated in the stem learning program and even less have shown high levels of proficiency particularly in mathematics. Only 28% of high school students have shown clear-cut interest in the various departments included in the stem program. It has also been recorded that almost 57% of the same students are more likely to give up on these subjects by the end of their High School years.
Keeping this in mind the Obama administration has announced in the year 2009 a new campaign that would inspire and motivate students from various age groups to take active participation in stem subjects. This was known as the “Educate to Innovate” program which tried to address the widespread issue of inadequacy when it comes to teachers who were skilled enough to impart education on this particular subject. The final goal of this machine is to find American students who show genuine interest in mathematics and Science and build knowledge so that they can Excel internationally in these departments.
Efforts to spread STEM Education
There are 13 agencies that have partnered in the Committee which was formed to specifically focus on Stem Education. This committee is put in active effort into building a national strategy to make use of the federal funds for stem education. They have provided a basis for helping students to build favorable conceptions about the stem subjects and to increase their involvement with this department. They also want to reach out to students who are underrepresented when it comes to these stem fields and together form an inclusive education system focusing on these versatile subjects.
With this in mind, The Department of Education presently provides a wide variety of programs that are based on stem subjects as well as research programs with specific interest for these departments. The general idea is to build a group of young minds that are invested and engaged in the stem program.
Why is Stem Education So Important?
When you want to understand what is stem education and why is it important, you must focus on the various advantages that students who have shown active interest in stem education have over others. The main reason Florida stem education is been focused on All Around The United States of America is that not only are there a number of job fields available for those taking an active interest in the stem but also these are high paying job roles that can seriously benefit the economy and life of people who study these subjects. A study that was published in 2018 estimated that there are over 8.65 million job roles available for those students who are interested in stem-related subjects.
In fact, the manufacturing sector alone is facing a shortage of about 60,000 employees which can be supplied if students take part in these stem subjects. Cloud computing on the other hand has been able to create almost 1.7 million job opportunities between 2011 and 2015. The recent trends clearly indicate that the student interested in the stem subjects have a number of job opportunities in a variety of sectors including traditional engineering, mathematics, computing, physical sciences as well as life sciences.
More advantages of STEM Learning
Another huge advantage of taking part in stem learning is that most of the stem jobs that are offered in today’s market do not require any higher education. Even High School graduates are able to take jobs in the sectors without a College degree. A very few of the entry-level positions in stem jobs required more than a bachelor’s degree. If you have a genuine interest in stem-related subjects. Then undertake a four-year degree to get a huge salary and also improve your standard of living. In fact, in comparison to the other non-stem field jobs, there are more job roles available for stem students.
The Incorporation of STEM Learning
It is not simply Understand stem education meaning, this form of education also needs to be actively implemented in today’s education system in form of blended learning. This is one of the most unique features of stem program: It does not focus on the traditional means of education where theoretical knowledge about science and math are incorporated in a monotonous fashion, instead of stem learning takes a more blended format of education where the scientific methods are not only shown to the students but their real-life applications are also elaborated. It is very important for developing computational thinking and problem-solving skills in the young mind. Stem education can be taken from a very young age and can be incorporated very easily in the following ways:
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In elementary school:
The focus is to simply introduce and raise general awareness in the young mind about the various stem fields. Also, tell them about their general application in various facets of life. Here, the structure of learning basically takes a problem-solving and inquiry-based system. The four subjects are coherently merged as stem subjects. The fundamental goal in these developmental years is to generate interest in youth about the various stem subjects. Furthermore, they develop a genuine interest to pursue these subjects in the future.
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In middle school:
After an introduction in elementary stages, the stem subjects become more challenging during the middle school years. Students are now made to understand the academic requirements to pursue a career in the stem fields. The goal is to explore the various stem careers and to form a passion to engage with the subjects.
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In High School:
The challenge here in middle school is to incorporate stem subjects and learning opportunities to students in an application-based format. There are a number of pathways and courses that are available now in the various stem fields. These courses bridge the gap between books and real life.
Conclusion:
With the implementation of stem education and the successful application of the stem education grant, most students can be inspired to pursue these subjects in the future.
