MINT-AG Secundaria

Hier teilen wir mit euch einige Überlegungen aus stemjobs.com, an MINT Lehrer gewendet Daraus könnt ihr auch besser verstehen, worum es in dieser AG geht, und was uns Lehrern wichtig ist!

1. STEM education is the intersection of science, technology, engineering, and math.

It is not about teaching each subject in isolation. Rather than teaching these subjects separately, the focus of STEM education should reveal to students the ways in which these subjects connect and intersect. When students are given the opportunity to make connections and apply what they’ve learned in one subject to something in another subject, they gain a deeper understanding of the concept and begin to understand its importance.

2. STEM education is an ongoing, long-term effort to teach students to think critically and solve problems.

It is not something you do for 30 minutes every Tuesday. True STEM education develops over time, teaching students to think, helping them see the real-world value of the content they’re learning, and using student-centered approaches to make learning meaningful and engaging. When done well, an emphasis on STEM will ignite a sense of wonder and curiosity in your students.

3. STEM education is for everyone.

STEM is not only for the boys, nor is it only for those students who excel academically, or those from certain ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. These children don’t need a teacher to tell them to focus on other subjects, they need additional support to overcome the barriers that block their paths to becoming more adept in STEM. Educators who limit their own expectations for high STEM performance to only certain students due to their own implicit or explicit biases are performing a disservice to kids and themselves. By encouraging all students to do their best in STEM education, teachers will strengthen their teaching skills while ensuring every kid has a chance to reach their potential.

4. STEM education includes the arts.

STEM does not exclude the arts just because it’s missing the A. STEM education relies on creativity and creative expression to spark innovation and flexible thinking. The benefits of music education on STEM learning have been well documented, and teachers can even use to teach STEM concepts.

Formal artistic productions such as plays, musicals, and concerts cannot happen without STEM skills behind the scenes, and new advancements in STEM fields cannot happen without creative thinking to spawn innovation. They are naturally intertwined, regardless of the letters in the acronym.

5. STEM education leads to careers in every field.

STEM education is not only for those looking to become engineers and scientists. STEM professionals can be found everywhere, even in the fields students are most passionate about like sports, entertainment, music, social media, and personal technology. Most STEM careers (70 percent, to be exact), require less than a bachelor’s degree, meaning students can train for them through a certification program, apprenticeship, or associate degree program. Many offer on-the-job training and will pay for employees’ continuing education.

Students with a strong STEM education are in high demand, meaning they can often work in different fields of their choice thanks to their transferable skills like critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration.

Instead of getting hung up on competing acronyms, remember that we’re all working to support students as they prepare for the jobs and challenges of the future by emphasizing key 21st century skills. Whichever acronym you identify with most, our goals are the same and have a positive impact on our students each and every day.