Location
The Radisson Resort at the Port, Cape Canaveral
Start Date
28-4-2015 8:00 AM
Description
In the 1990s the National Science Foundation moved to identify critical subject areas which most directly impacted the economic development in our nation. Science, math, engineering, and technology were recognized and combined to form the acronym - SMET; unfortunately, SMET sounded too much like smut, so the NSF wisely decided to find a better acronym, and STEM was born. So since inception it would seem, STEM has struggled with its identity. As a result, the first and most pressing challenge of STEM Education is recognizing what STEM is and what it is not.
STEM’s identity crisis is evidenced by its many variations: There is STEM, STEMC – because computer science and coding are really important for our future technological development; there is STEAM – add an ‘A’ for the arts because no great products were ever created without artistic sensibilities, just ask Apple; STREAM – add the ‘R’ for reading because no one can be successful without knowing how to read. It would seem that everything in the curriculum is important and wants to be included, but the problem is when everything is important, essentially nothing is.
The Challenges of STEM Education
The Radisson Resort at the Port, Cape Canaveral
In the 1990s the National Science Foundation moved to identify critical subject areas which most directly impacted the economic development in our nation. Science, math, engineering, and technology were recognized and combined to form the acronym - SMET; unfortunately, SMET sounded too much like smut, so the NSF wisely decided to find a better acronym, and STEM was born. So since inception it would seem, STEM has struggled with its identity. As a result, the first and most pressing challenge of STEM Education is recognizing what STEM is and what it is not.
STEM’s identity crisis is evidenced by its many variations: There is STEM, STEMC – because computer science and coding are really important for our future technological development; there is STEAM – add an ‘A’ for the arts because no great products were ever created without artistic sensibilities, just ask Apple; STREAM – add the ‘R’ for reading because no one can be successful without knowing how to read. It would seem that everything in the curriculum is important and wants to be included, but the problem is when everything is important, essentially nothing is.
