STEM became a catchphrase in the early 2000’s. Christenson (2011) credits Judith Ramaley for coining the term STEM in 2001. I had already been teaching science courses for about 15 years as a graduate student, Junior College instructor and high school teacher. When I first heard the term, I had to ask someone what is STEM? Afterwards, I thought to myself, I am STEM and have been all my life. My description of a STEM teacher is anyone who conveys knowledge to others involving science, technology, engineering and math. The setting can be formal or informal, on any educational level and covers all walks of life. Everyone is exposed to one STEM facet or another daily. It can be something as simple as washing your hands with soap and water or as complicated as leaving your home, traveling by automobile to the airport, flying to a foreign country on a jet airplane, and reaching your final destination via horse and buggy. How does soap remove dirt from our hands and clothes? How does the engine in a vehicle start? What are the mechanical differences between gas, diesel and electrical engines? How does the horse’s body turn food into energy to enable pulling a load? How does a plane lift off the ground and stay in the air?
We can learn the answers to all these questions from STEM teachers who are in formal class settings or practicing professionals in their respective fields. So, who are STEM teachers? Holincheck and Galanti (2022) searched for answers to the question Are you a STEM teacher? Their study examined the STEM conceptions of K-12 educators. In 2016, Stubbs and Myers interviewed three high school agriculture teachers to gain an understanding of how they perceived the importance of STEM in their curriculum. El Nagd et al. (2018) interviewed teachers at a STEM school and asked two major questions : “1) How do teachers define their roles as STEM teachers within a STEM school? 2) What do teachers identify as being important characteristics of STEM teachers?” (pg. 1). Honeywell (2023) showcased three outstanding elementary and middle school STEM teachers on their website. All of these STEM teachers have several things in common, such as incorporating hands-on activities either inside or outside of the regular classroom, involvement in extracurricular activities, invested personal interests in students, a passion for what they do, a deep interest in inspiring students while giving them the tools they need for success in life, and a love for their communities.
I leave you with the following question…Would you label yourself as a STEM Teacher? Why or Why not?
Below are self-descriptions of some of my STEMist colleagues when asked to respond to STEM Teachers: Who are they? What do they do? Why do they do it?
Tags: STEM, STEM Teacher, Teacher, Scientist, Engineer, Technology, Love, Inspire
References
Christenson, J. (2011). Ramaley coined the STEM term now used nationwide. Retrieved May 6, 2014 from http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/
El Nagdi, M., Leammukda, F., & Roehrig, G. (2018). Developing identities of STEM teachers at emerging STEM schools. International Journal of STEM Education, 5, 1-13.
Holincheck, N., & Galanti, T. (2022). Are you a STEM teacher?: Exploring K-12 teachers' conceptions of STEM education. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 23 (2).
Honeywell (2023). Meet 3 STEM Teachers Making a Positive Impact. Retrieved February 2, 2023 from https://www.honeywell.com/us/en/news/2021/11/meet-3-stem-teachers-making-an-impact/
Stubbs, E.A., & Myers, B. E. (2016). Part of What We Do: Teacher Perceptions of STEM Integration. Journal of Agricultural Education, 57 (3), 87-100.
“Would you label yourself as a STEM Teacher? Why or Why not?”
ReplyDeleteI think STEM is not only taking science, technology, engineering and math inside and outside of the classroom but also developing problem solving, critical thinking, practical literacy, creativity, and much more skills in our students. So I think learning STEM is an important and useful thing for everyone. I really hope that I can become a qualified STEM teacher and I am working hard for it.
Excellent. We need to encourage the students to practice STEM in their everyday life probably through project-based approach of teaching and learning, at least the students would also learn by doing.
DeleteShiwen, I agree that there are a plethora of skills that are required or enhanced by STEM that apply to everyone. No worries, you will become an awesome highly qualified STEM Teacher.
DeleteChidumebi, I concur that students learn better from hands-on activities. Do you think teachers become better at their jobs using the project-based approach?
Nice Input Mary. I still wonder how most STEM Educators are collectively approaching the potentials of STEM in sustainable development. However, here comes the essence of inclusive and diversified STEM education.
ReplyDeleteHi Abigail,
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt in my mind that you will become a great formal STEM Educator. You are well on the way by developing curricula and activities for the Zoological Park's summer campers. Many years ago people could only walk through and look at the exhibits. Later zoo workers would give demonstrations and allow visitors to touch the animals. Eventually, some of the exhibits included recordings which finally led to full fledge interactive displays. Now, camps and special one day activities are offered. In my opinion, you are already a great formal STEM educator. You are teaching the Zoo personnel what their programs need for success.
Kofi, your comment opened my eyes even more to the importance of not overlooking the "problematic students". We must offer them love, sympathy, empathy, and a place to vent so that we can better serve them.
ReplyDelete