STEM overview
Education is well known as one of the most capable and highly reliable way of success in individual’s life. This aspect makes it possible for a large number of individuals to be well conversant with the different ways through which they can manage to remain completely effective in the operations that they involve in and the way through which they can operate effectively.
This aspect has led to many countries and governmental systems establishing effective and capable curriculums to ensure that they empower their students with the skills sets that they need to attain the ability of living better lives. In Australia, the government aims to integrate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the educational program, with an aim of ensuring that all the students are provided with effective technological, scientific, and computing capabilities which will increase their skills in operation. This paper provides an eight week program, which is aimed at offering an integrated STEM educational experience.
STEM overview
STEM is a combination of four main subjects, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, which are all known to cover the most essential areas of study for students. In Australia, there is a significant need to enhance effectiveness in teaching these areas since by understanding them, students are regarded as individuals with the skills and capabilities that they need to be regarded as capable and effective. The competitiveness of the Australian educational system significantly relies on the ability of the students to be well conversant with these areas. The aim of STEM integration is enabling students to be able to utilize the knowledge they obtain from these pillar subjects in real life. Without a clear understanding of how to carry these instances out effectively, it becomes completely difficult for individuals to be capable and effective (Gregory, 2011).
When an individual is taught about a certain subject, the knowledge obtained can only be useful to him or her when he or she has the ability to utilize that knowledge to sole real life problems. With this regard, therefore, STEM integration aims to enable students to have the capabilities they need in order to be able to use the knowledge that they have obtain through learning in their daily ways of living. In order to ensure that every student has the ability to utilize the knowledge learned in each of these four main and highly essential areas, it is appropriate to establish a learning STEM program that will help the students learn and manage to implement their knowledge in real life situations (Gubnitskaia, & Smallwood, 2014).
The eight week program
This program provides a plan that can be utilized in a learning system, to help students of any educational level to integrate STEM in their learning. The unit from the program is taken once every week and provides important information to students on how to implement skills in any of the four major areas described by STEM.
|
Week |
Area of Study |
No of lessons per week |
Time session |
Skills and content |
assessment |
|
1 |
Mathematics |
1 |
Morning session |
In this session, students should be taught how to solve problems in an effective manner. Mathematics has a lot of problem solving and thus it is appropriate to utilize those teachings to enhance effectiveness of how students solve problems. The skills of application are also important for students to be taught and enabled to understand. |
After the instructor has provided the necessary teachings, it is import ant to ensure that every student has understood what was taught through an effective assessment. The assessment should be based on the teachings and the level that the students taking the unit are in. |
|
2 |
Technology |
1 |
Afternoon session |
Students should be taught how to utilize different forms of learning to utilize technology in a better way and ensure that all individuals remain fully capable of enhancing their effectiveness through its utilization. The current technological |
An assessment of the understanding that the individuals had is appropriate. This assessment is aimed at determining whether the students attain an understanding of technological aspects and the means through which the technology is of benefit to other individuals. |
|
3 |
Science |
1 |
Morning session |
The students should be taught scientific concepts and its relationship with life aspects. These teachings should help them attain an understanding of the different ways through which they can implement scientific knowledge in the different operations that they involve in. the other aspect of consideration is the means through which they can remain effective in operating appropriately. |
An assessment of the students should be carried out to determine whether they are able to apply knowledge scientifically, in order to solve real life problems. The importance of the study in the topic is ensuring that all the individuals attain an ability to address any form of scientific knowledge requiring situation effectively. |
|
4 |
Engineering |
1 |
Morning session |
The aspect of engineering is viewed as a complex aspect by a large number of individuals. In every education level, however, there are certain engineering concepts that individuals require to learn. For this unit, individuals should be taught how to utilize any form of engineering knowledge that they learn and ensure that it helps them solve real life problems. |
The assessment of this unit should include determining whether the students have attained an ability of utilizing the knowledge and skills that they obtained in communicating with each other. This aspect has led to a large number of individuals being less effective in the operations that they involve in. |
|
5 |
Mathematics |
1 |
Morning session |
The students should be taught an advancement of the previous mathematical application knowledge provided last week. This lesson should be continuation of the previous work covered. |
The teacher should focus in ensuring that students completely understand what they are taught. Clarity should be provided in explaining the aspects provided. |
|
6 |
Technology |
1 |
Afternoon session |
Further explanation of how to apply technology in real life situations should be provided. Individuals should be provided with an advancement of information and improvement of how they should operate. |
Students should be assessed on their ability to apply technology in addressing situations that present to them in their lives. |
|
7 |
Engineering |
1 |
Morning session |
An advancement of the previous lesson regarding education should be made. The individuals should be provided with improvements of operation and the individuals should be provided with more information on how they should operate more effectively. |
An assessment of whether the students have gained all the knowledge and understanding they require to apply engineering knowledge should be made. |
|
8 |
Science |
1 |
Afternoon session |
The students should have all the scientific knowledge they require to become scientifically capable individuals. This lesson should help in ensuring that they are completely skilled and capable of applying that scientific knowledge. |
The assessment should be utilized to help the individuals manage to remain capable of operating effectively. The individuals should remain fully able to operate in the most appropriate way. |
Ensuring that students understand the STEM content.
The main purpose of the unit is to ensure that the students manage to fully attain the capability of utilizing the knowledge that they learn in school. Students of any grade can effectively be helped by taking the STEM integrated program. The most important aspect that they should all consider, however is the need to understand and establish effectiveness in the activities that they involve in, which can be associated with these four areas. The instructor, who is instructing students of different levels about different aspects of applying knowledge from the four main education areas should be highly skilled and capable of helping students to understand. Effective teaching strategies are also appropriate to ensure the understanding of the students in the issues that operate and apply (Freeman, Marginson, & Tytler, 2015).
The eight week program
With an effective instructor, the lessons that require being taught to students about different topics can be fully addressed easily. It is very important for students to understand the content of STEM that they are taught since, without its understanding, the STEM program would not be considered to have managed to accomplish its purpose. The program should also have the ability to address all the needs that students might have on its operations and how many of the STEM content operates. It should involve a large number of practical activities where students practice on how to implement the knowledge that they obtain from the program in real life situations.
Challenging problems or questions from students.
Like all other forms of study, the STEM program units are likely to have some challenging problems or queries, where students require guidance and assistance. There is, therefore, the need to establish a plan in which these aspects will be addressed with the high level of effectiveness. Within the lesson, therefore, the last ten minutes should be spared for the instructor to address any query that may be causing problems in understanding to the students. A student would thus be given the opportunity to ask the instructor any challenging issue concerning the area of study during this session. When explaining to that student, other students who may also be facing challenges are likely to achieve results from the same (Bystydzienski, & Bird, 2006).
Student Voice and Choice
The project is mainly intended for the students. With this regard, therefore, it is significantly important to ensure that their choice and explanations or opinion regarding the project are considered during the project development of implementation process. With this regard, therefore, the project developing team should consult with the students first before any form of development takes place. The consultation can be informed of a simple research where a survey or questionnaires are utilized to obtain student opinion and information regarding the project. After the analysis of this data, their preferences can be considered and the most appropriate ones incorporated in the learning process. This aspect would make the project more friendly and appreciated by the students compared to when their opinions and vice is not considered in the establishment process.
Authenticity
To ensure that the project manager to meet is the purpose, it is significantly appropriate to ensure that it is authentic. The program will be made authentic by including all the important aspects of reality and providing the students with information about this authenticity. Without an appropriate consideration of how authentic the program will be, it is difficult to establish the effectiveness of the program. The authenticity of this program will be defined through the use of practical tools and ensure that individuals are effective in the means through which individuals can remain completely effective (Blessinger, & Carfora, 2015).
Discussion of management and communication process
Like all other school programs that require being addressed, it is important to include aspects regarding this project at the management level. A large number of individuals are less capable of addressing the different aspects of communication and management of a program of this magnitude. With this understanding, therefore it is important to establish a reliable management group that will involve in the activities of managing how the project is implemented and integrated into the Australian curriculum, to empower students and ensures that they have all the important aspects that they need.
Ensuring that students understand the STEM content.
This group of individuals also requires being of highly skilled and capable people who have all the skills needed to implement effectiveness. With this regard, therefore, training and development sessions will be established for the administrators of the program, in which they will receive the skills and capabilities that they need to retain their effectiveness while in operation. This aspect will enhance the effectiveness of management for the project and thus guarantee that the project will be effective completely on how it operates.
Part 2
Issues that might arise during the implementation of an integrated unit for the first time in a traditional school setting
The process of implementing this unit has the potential aspect of raising some issues which require being addressed. The first main issue that might arise is resistance from the school’s members of staff and students. The school has a certain way through which it is used to operate in. With this regard, therefore, it is difficult to make significant changes like the introduction of an integrated unit without the individuals in that institution being well conversant and introduced to this aspect.
With this regard, therefore, it is appropriate to establish a change resistance strategy that will help to attain the support of school staff members and the students to the project. Another issue that might arise is the problem of ineffectiveness. Since the program has not been established in any other traditional form within any other school, it is difficult for people to be well capable of retaining the effectiveness of how they operate. With this regard, therefore, an effective training program is appropriate to help all the individuals contributing to the success of this program retain high levels of effectiveness (NSW, 2017).
Discuss the management and communication processes that might need to be employed to successfully implement an integrated STEM program of work.
Management and communication are essential to this program’s success. To guarantee this success, the first major aspect of consideration is effective management strategies that will ensure the program is managed in the most appropriate manner. This management capability can be obtained from the selection of an effective management team with a good leader, which have individuals with all the necessary management skills.
To attain such a team, a training and development program should be implemented within the organization to help train these individuals and supplement their effectiveness. A transparent communication base should be established in which all the information is shared and communicated to individuals when necessary. This process will help to ensure that the program obtains the necessary support which will enable it to become fully successful (Microsoft, 2017).
References
Microsoft, (2017). Curated STEM Resources: Microsoft. Retrieved from https://education.microsoft.com/courses-and-resources/resources/STEM-resources
Microsoft, (2017). Hacking STEM Lessons & Hands-On Activities. Retrieved from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/education-workshop/default.aspx
NSW, (2017). Advice on programming integrated STEM: NSW Government. Retrieved from https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/understanding-the-curriculum/programming/stem-support
Blessinger, P. & Carfora, J. (2015). Inquiry-based learning for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs : a conceptual and practical resource for educators. United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing.
Bystydzienski, J. & Bird, S. (2006). Removing barriers : women in academic science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Drew, D. (2011). STEM the tide : reforming science, technology, engineering, and math education in America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Freeman, B., Marginson, S. & Tytler, R. (2015). The age of STEM : educational policy and practice across the world in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. London New York: Routledge.
Gubnitskaia, V. & Smallwood, C. (2014). How to STEM : science, technology, engineering, and math education in libraries. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Gregory, K. (2011). Successful K-12 STEM education : identifying effective approaches in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press.
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