Studies have shown that students K-16 have a significant increase on hands-on learning and critical thinking based on STEM.
Article 1 York college MAA Program created a curriculum on grade specific lesson plans based on their aerospace academy. Materials included crystal growth robotics, coding, hot air balloons, flight stimulation, arrow dynamics, stargazing, and earths materials and properties. Hands on activities based upon the fundamentals of physics, chemistry, and mathematics are placed highly in stem. Data based on over 1000 students concluded that students enjoyed STEM education at an early age. 92% agreed they enjoyed it while 88% agreed science is important in their life.
Another article supporting the claims of students benefiting from STEM , is author Tan Aik-Ling.
Ling States that a stem school is one that has a curriculum that aims specifically at developing students skills in mathematics science and technology however schools like this need well trained teachers in a field of science and mathematics to allow students to fully immerse themselves in the curriculum. Ling argues that the qualities of a 21st century scientifically literate person can only be achieved through a stem education that is grounded in the context of good secondary education as well. He questions how one can create a STEM curriculum to stay relevant in the 21st-century. These are his questions.
- How does a head of department for science lead her team on curriculum innovation ?
- What are some tensions and dilemmas experienced in the process of curriculum innovation?
The article concludes that to ensure progress in stem there are indeed challenges and tensions; experienced in assessment modes, and teacher professional development, as well as developing a reliable benchmarking for schools in a changing landscape.
Further into my research I found a multitude of articles relating to educational innovations that are perceived to be effective for preparing students for stem schooling. Many of these articles found practices such as student centered learning, family involvement, project based learning, cultural acceptance, team building. Many of these learning techniques give students high potential benefits to transgress what they learned into other areas of study. Allowing students to engage through educational innovation teaches how to seize opportunities to apply their understanding and skills to solve a wide range of problems whether in school or out of text.
Race and Gender play a large role in STEM development as well. Despite the recent increase in the number of women and people of color who study and work in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, women and minorities continue to be underrepresented.(Jennifer . M 2013) A study linked on micro agression based on race and gender are linked to decreased STEM-related interests and aspirations for girls and minority adolescents (VanLeuvan, 2004; Watt & Eccles, 2008). Girls report less confidence in their math and science abilities than boys as early as Grades 5 and 6 (Meece & Jones, 1996; Pajares, 2005) and often make decisions to leave the STEM pipeline in early to middle adolescence, before they fully understand the implications of their choices (AAUW, 2010). Further, girls with the highest math ability often choose to pursue science fields with the highest female representation (Perez-Felkner et al., 2012). In addition, African American and Hispanic students may not have access to advanced high school courses pivotal to college STEM success (Tyson, Lee, Borman, & Hanson, 2007) or may choose not to take advanced STEM courses (Riegle-Crumb, 2006). A recent study of high school students’ STEM interests found that 61% of African American students reported they were not interested in pursuing science or health care careers (University of the Sciences, 2012).
Following links based on data used:
https://journals-sagepub-com.ez-
https://link-springer-com.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu/article/10.1007/s12528-016-9113-1#Sec11
proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu/doi/full/10.1177/0042085913481364
Just Another College Student 