Integrating STEM Education Through Technological Design and Inquiry

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The project is developing a model for an integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (I-STEM) course at the secondary level that intersects social and humanities studies. Students taking the proposed course learn the relevance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in their everyday lives and gain problem-solving skills that will prepare them to address the global issues of tomorrow. As a first step, a cross-disciplinary core group of teachers are initiating the development of a STEM course model by implementing technological design projects in their own classes. These experiences are informing the development of the proposed I-STEM course model. The project includes a beta test of the experimental model at a nearby high school. Once the model is proven, the PI plans to use the existing infrastructure of the Materials World Modules (MWM) program that he developed to field-test and disseminate the I-STEM course nation-wide. The MWM program has a network of over 500 schools in 47 states. The proposed project is helping to reform secondary science education to be less discipline restrictive and more reflective of what happens in the real world where problem solving requires an integrated approach of disciplines. The PI plans to demonstrate that technological design is the strand that can tie subject matter together and enable true cross-disciplinary work among the traditional disciplines of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and include extensions into other subjects such as history, social studies, languages, arts, information technology, and business. The project is providing science teachers and school districts with evidence to support the inclusion of a robust I-STEM course model in their curricula and the template plus curriculum guidelines to enable them to do this. Finally, the PI also plans to introduce the I-STEM course to schools in other countries on all five continents via the Materials World Network that he has helped to create.