The demand to integrate STEM teaching into the curriculum is increasing in schools across the U.S. Teachers who may have STEM lessons that are a bit lacking can use recommended tactics and methods to strengthen them. 

So says Anne Jolly, former teacher and education reformer, in a recent article on MiddleWeb.com. In the article, Jolly offers tips for teachers to make their STEM lessons soar. 

"We must offer all of our students the opportunity to graduate with STEM skills," Jolly wrote in the article. "And whether or not they develop those skills depends in part on how they respond to the STEM curriculum – to the quality of the lessons we teach."

According to Jolly, "when schools offer a STEM program, curriculum is critical. It’s not science, it’s not math, it’s STEM. And the lessons need to be shaped by STEM principles and criteria."

"Most kids like solving problems, and this is a real plus for designing STEM lessons that appeal to all students," she continued. "If they can apply what they learn in science and math (using the engineering design process) to come up with viable solutions to vexing problems, think what reality and purpose that can bring to their learning."

According to Jolly, it's important to "remember that STEM lessons focus on the designed world."

"For example, we design solutions to lessen threats to life," she wrote. "We design solutions to minimize damage to the environment. We design things to ease the amount of work necessary to accomplish something. The world we live in has been shaped in many important ways by people who have engineered solutions, largely through technology, to meet needs. In a sense, then, STEM curriculum will focus on designing and creating."

Jolly then offered the following sources teachers can use when teaching STEM:

• iSTEM Documents for Engineering Challenges (24 middle level STEM lessons. Click on folders.)
• PBS KIDS’ Design Squad Nation
• PBS Teachers STEM Education Resource Center
• EPA Teacher Resources and Lesson Plans
• eGFI – for Teachers>>Lesson Plans
• WeAreTeachers Pinterest sites
• BrainPOP Spotlight STEM (Be choosey)

Read the full story and comment below.

Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor