It’s all over the news: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education ranks among the country’s most pressing needs. Countless news stories talk about the renewed national concern with educating students in the STEM fields, and policy initiatives such as Common Core push forward with new attempts to fill that gap. But just what is causing this emphasis? And what can be done to solve the problem?
Underscoring the Importance of STEM Education
Image via Flickr by marymactavish
Perhaps the greatest reason that creating a STEM-educated generation is so important is the fast-approaching gap of workers in STEM-related fields. The baby boomers, those Americans born in the post-WWII era, are retiring en masse over the next few years, and there is a dearth of qualified labor to replace them in the science and engineering fields.
Department of Commerce projections show that, in the coming years, STEM jobs will have one appropriately skilled individual for every 1.9 positions — an entirely unsustainable number. Without new entrants, America’s industrial, technological, and infrastructural continuance is in jeopardy.
The Advantages of Starting Early
Although math and science may seem the domain of “adult stuff,” the fact is that quality STEM education must begin at an early age. UC Irvine research shows that early math proficiency translates into later academic success.
Moreover, while the STEM disciplines might appear dense and less fun-oriented than some others, the foundational aptitudes that feed into excellence in math and science are creativity and ingenuity. These subjects can be made enjoyable and interesting for kids. However, prompt action is vital. Young brains are the most pliable they ever will be, giving children an advantage in knowledge absorption that will only fade with time.
14 Key Resources for STEM Educators
Acknowledging the need is well and good, but how, exactly, can educators help? One good start is by finding good information to incorporate into your STEM learning class modules. The resources listed below should provide a good start to anybody looking to accelerate lesson plans for their STEM class:
- MIT Open Courseware: As one of the world’s premiere educational institutes, with a focus on technology and engineering, MIT has a history of excellence. With the Open Courseware program, MIT has put that excellence into the hands of everybody, offering course materials for no cost. While college-level coursework may be too challenging for younger students, informed educators will be better able to design appropriate and challenging lessons to prepare their students.
- KoolLearning : Content mashups & powerful teacher tools, blended in dynamic online learning modules. Start with our curated Course Catalog for delivering courses as-is, customize our courses with teacher generated resources or any OER, or create a course from scratch. The KoolClassroom app within Office 365, KoolLearning blends a professional and consistent learning experience to students that is the best fit for them with the powerful Office tools that teachers already use.
- National STEM Video Game Challenge: Kids love video games, which are the fastest-growing entertainment field in the world. The link between video games and STEM skills is obvious. The National STEM Video Game Challenge encourages kids to work with educators to create games of their own. The process not only helps kids acquire useful skills, but also points out the ways that STEM learning can provide them with appealing jobs in the future.
- How-to-Geek: This website reads like many of the more popular list-based websites in vogue at the moment. But instead of listing “Top 10 Buffy Moments” or “The One Facebook Feature You Can’t Live Without,” How-to-Geek informs its audience on how to interact with technology in practical, everyday ways. Good lessons connect abstract academic ideas with real life. A study of How-to-Geek will help you make STEM learning come alive for your students.
- Tuts+: Moving to the next level in computer learning, Tuts+ lets users learn basic programming skills for free through its website. (It also offers more advanced learning services for a fee.) If your students express an interest in making their own computer software, this might be a good place to start them off.
- Wikiversity: Wikiversity takes the Wikimedia paradigm and applies it to education, encouraging educators to design online lessons allowing others to learn for free. Scouring its ranks will turn up hundreds of tutorials on STEM topics as well as a bewildering variety of other topics.
- Khan Academy: Khan compiles lessons, media, and resources for the full range of subjects, with an emphasis on the K-12 level, which ensures that the materials will be grade-appropriate. Get ideas for lessons for your students, or just brush up on your STEM skills yourself.
- PEOI: Professional Education, Testing and Certification Organization International (PEOI for short) is an organization that provides free post-secondary level education on a variety of topics, mostly related to tech and science. Again, some of this material is likely to be beyond the grasp of younger students, but it is useful both as a source of inspiration and as a no-cost way to better your own understanding of the subjects.
- Academic Earth: For those unsatisfied with just one online university, Academic Earth links together online learning resources from a variety of top universities in one convenient place. Video lessons themed around specific areas provide a useful resource for putting together a lesson of your own.
Compilations and Other Lists of STEM Resources
Of course, several other sites have compiled their own comprehensive resource lists. Here are six of the ones we find are the most useful:
- 50 Sources of Free STEM Education: This list from TeachThought compiles several places online to get educated on STEM topics, including a wide range of online universities and tutorials. Pillage them for lesson ideas, assign sites to your class, or just learn a thing or two yourself.
- The 10 Best STEM Resources for preK-12: This NEA list focuses on curriculum and development resources for primary and secondary school teachers. Ready-made lesson plans and exercises make class preparation a breeze.
- STEM to STEAM: Resource Roundup: Our friends at Edutopia have created an excellent curated compilation of STEM resources for educators and students alike. They range from long-form articles on the subject to pieces that involve integrated studies, humanities, and maker education.
- Top 10 Online STEM Resources for Advanced Students: Sometimes it can be hard to challenge more advanced pupils. This list by Engineering.com compiles resources for STEM professionals looking to brush up on the latest. If there’s a student in your section who just can’t seem to stop working ahead, perhaps challenging them with higher-level coursework like this can help keep them in the game.
- 7 STEM Apps for Higher Order Thinking: Graphite’s short list of apps is a great resource for teachers, parents, and students who want to integrate mobile technology and apps into their STEM curricula. Many of these apps are ideal for learning to develop a “higher order” understanding of scientific principles.
- The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: Compiled by mastersindatascience.org, this impressive list includes 239 “cool” sites related to science, technology, engineering and math. It includes STEM challenges and contests, career resources, philanthropic and government initiatives, games and apps, camps, and much more. It’s also organized according to age and grade level.
Technology, at the risk of creating a tautology, is the wave of the future. The societies that continue to prosper will be those that catch that wave and let it guide them going forward, innovating and transforming the world.
The exact methods to be used to encourage growth in the tech field are debatable, open to discussions on best-practice pedagogy and policy design. However, STEM education is an opportunity that we can’t let slip through our fingers. With careful planning and an eye to what future children want and need, we can maximize the nation’s STEM potential and build tomorrow together.
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