Stem Learning Systems That I Have Found Into Learning Ecosystem

Being raised in a very STEM-centric family, I began to realize the importance of STEM at an early age from spending time with my parents during school breaks. My mother is a professor of electrical engineering at Georgia Tech and my father is a civil engineer who works for Georgia Power. I played around with Scratch and small robots when I was very young, spending a lot of time at Georgia Tech. What we, humans, can create fascinates me. I

The article uses informational quotes from respected individuals, like the dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences and principal investigator of STEM BUILD at UMBC, which gives the opinion of the individuals who have more experience in the field than the actual author of the article.

1. I have developed an interest in science during my high school career, and love watching new technology being created. I figure that I will most likely either continue on to medical school after I receive my undergraduate degree or try to work to design new technologies that will aid scientific research and study. Therefore, it was really a no-brainer for me to pursue various STEM related courses and subjects. In my opinion, the STEM field contributes to innovation and world progress more than any other fields. Without STEM fields, I most likely wouldn’t even be able to type this paper, or use the internet to submit my college application and scholarships. If the STEM field were to disappear, the world would stagnate. In order to prevent

STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematic) includes some of the most versatile and important careers in the modern world. Most new developments that are making the world a better place to live are from the influences of STEM fields. As the world becomes more technologically developed there is an increase demand for students well-trained in the STEM related fields. To keep pace with this rapidly expanding area of the economy requires an adequate number of P-12 teachers with the necessary content knowledge and skills to train the next generation. Currently, Texas is facing a critical shortage of teachers with strong backgrounds in STEM. This STEM teacher shortage is impacting student learning and if too many teachers pursue degrees

Evaluation is vital to education, whether it is a new reform or a back to basics approach. STEM education remains open to interpretation. Drew states that the quality and efficacy of programs across the United States require quantitative and qualitative evaluations (2011). These studies should include the long-term benefits of grant funding and best practices for sustaining effective STEM programs when the grants and funds from corporate sponsors terminate (Johnson, 2014). Ultimately, the evaluation and research requires dissemination to schools across the country in order to affect the necessary reforms.

According to Joey Rider-Bertrand education is seeing a strange side due to technology and engineering. Teachers are struggling to keep up to date on all the new activities involving technology and engineering. Rider-Bertrand states that class sizes have increase while funding has decreased. All students have expectations to achieve proficiency on state tests and meet graduation requirements. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. According to Rider-Bertrand, education is more focused on technology and engineering in the STEM program.

My area of interest deals with teacher efficacy in STEM education. The article I have chosen discusses issues related to teacher efficacy, standardizing STEM education, using educational theories, pedagogical approaches, increasing teacher capacity and supports provided to teachers in STEM education. This topic is relevant because it supports the idea of building the efficacy of educators in STEM that is needed to prepare our students for the 21st century global workforce.

In America, the state of education has always been a pressing concern, perhaps now more than ever. Improving education has been proven to strengthen the nation time and time again, specifically with regard to science, mathematics and technology. Ten years after the start of the Cold War on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first ever man-made satellite, Sputnik-1. This action by the Soviets caused immediate concern for the educational system in the United States because this launch proved that the Soviet Union had superior technological capabilities (SOURCE 1). America’s first action was to improve education, and this was done through the National Defense Education Act, which provided large amounts of funding to American schools, and supported American students who showed particular skill in math, sciences or foreign languages (SOURCE 2). During the Cold War, supporting education was used to support the nation as a whole. Today the United States faces a similar problem, mainly due to the declining focus on science and math in schools. Students have been losing interest in these subjects, and as a result, America has been falling behind in the global education ranks. This decline has been hurting America’s ability to continue to be a successful global competitor. Now the government is working to reverse this trend by supporting STEM programs. STEM is an acronym for the academics concentrations of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The purpose of

All that we do, and every single structure that we have, must be allied to livelihood of the effort of teachers and staff, directors, and principles, and those who work at the Department of Education in the distribution of education. It should be about instruction and instruction only. Student learning and accomplishment’s are the whole reason for our

Bybee, R. W. (2013). The case for STEM education: Challenges and opportunities. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.

This report navigates the current state of STEM demographic in the country. It examines the reasons why there are less females undertaking STEM majors and gives recommendations on the problems. A brief history on STEM is outlined and the discussion follows with in depth analysis on the subject. STEM is a very critical education discipline with an importance in the economy of the country. Much as it is important, few students choose a career path in STEM. Although, there are more than 50% female students in Colleges and Universities, 12% take STEM related course. Why is this? This report is a compilation of empirical data collected in journals on the same subject explaining

Abstract The authors use sociology of the college classroom to analyze their experiences as feminists teaching sociology courses in the ‘‘unconventional setting’’ of prison. Reflective writing was used to chronicle experiences in the classes. They apply the concepts of doing gender, interaction order, and emotion work to the prison classroom. Based on their analysis, the authors examine the challenges and opportunities for critical education in prison. They

In our ever evolving society we seem to be having a greater affinity to technical jobs and careers more integrated with our technology. It appears that we are heading into a world of Science, Technology , Engineering, and Mathematics or STEM. The STEM fields that are rapidly increasing relate to jobs that deal quite a bit with our newer technology and the creation and development of new and more efficient technologies. To compliment this increase in STEM careers, we need to focus our time, energy, and most of all capital on the lackluster STEM program in our school systems.

A STEM education is a necessity in the United States because the country is lacking knowledgeable people in such fields. However, one is better equipped for multiple job and career positions with the addition of a liberal arts education. It is nearly impossible to transition to different careers with only vocational training. In 2003, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development studied math and science literacy among fifteen year olds. The United States was ranked number twenty-four in math literacy (Drew 27). They are behind countries such as Finland, Slovak Republic, and Hungary. Likewise, the United States was ranked number nineteen in science literacy (Drew 27). It is obvious that the country is behind. STEM education needs to be reformed at the secondary and post-secondary levels of schooling. Katrina Trinko, a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors, agrees that more emphasis should be placed on STEM education; however, this emphasis should not be at the sacrifice of a good liberal arts education. She writes, “Even technology wizards can become more innovative with a solid background in liberal arts” (Trinko 6). A liberal arts education is beneficial to people in all career fields.

It is clear that STEM is a rapidly growing and advancing field that is needed for our human progression. There are so many different professions that fall under STEM education and many of them impact the world every day. According to former President Barack Obama "[Science] is more than a school subject, or the periodic table, or the properties of waves. It is an approach to the world, a critical way to understand and explore and engage with the world, and then have the capacity to change that world" (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Here, former President Obama is talking about how important science is as more than just a school subject; science can be taken out of school and used to impact many people and change the world. Some may say that there have been other fields in history that became very popular but