Rationale for STEM

Income inequality has reached its highest level since the Great Depression, and increasing disparities are eroding educational opportunities in the U.S. Education leaders need to restore opportunities and improve outcomes for all students-no matter where they come from, where they learn, or where they live. Providing access to STEAM initiatives in our schools helps to foster those 21st-century skills that are so critical for the children of today ensuring their future for tomorrow.

STEAM Education

  • helps students truly understand the world around them
  • gives tools for the student to better understand their education
  • encourages students to be comfortable with all subject areas without having to be an expert

The true value of coding: It teaches you to think differently

…more than an employable skill, coding is a gateway to using logic to solve large problems creatively.

Building blocks that blink, beep, and teach

Imagine a set of electronics as easy to play with as Legos. Introducing littleBits, a set of simple, interchangeable blocks that make programming as simple and important a part of creativity as snapping blocks together.

As schools continue to digitize and automate, where do teachers fit in?

Technology has transformed many things in schools, but the centrality of teachers isn’t one of them.

"[Science] is more than a school subject, or the periodic table, or the properties of waves. It is an approach to the world, a critical way to understand and explore and engage with the world, and then have the capacity to change that world..."

President Barack Obama, March 23, 2015

Inventing

  • Inventing gives students a sense of ownership. Not only are they learning the invention process, they are making a tool for a specific purpose. One of the best ways to understand how something works (In our opinion) is to take it apart and rebuild it. With inventing, they will take ownership of the entire project and become the expert of their invention.
  • Putting something in a student’s hand is a great way to get them engaged. When a student is engaged, they become excited. When a student gets excited about what they are learning, nothing can stop them from progress!

Coding

  • Coding is the language of the 21st century, but knowing how to code won’t be enough. What students are able to DO with code will be what matters. Students will need to be creative problem-solvers in order to be future-ready. By combining coding with powerful STEAM learning, educators can help students develop their creative & technical confidence.
  • Coding/ Programming is more than the language you use. Coding teaches logic and critical thinking skills that you can apply to anything. It teaches you to look at the bigger picture and how to break it apart to solve a problem.
  • For example, if you look at the big picture of an engine, you will find that you need three things for it to run; Fuel, Spark, and compression. If your car will not start you break it up into these three categories. Is my battery dead? Do I have fuel? Is that Fuel being ignited? When you learn how to think logically, you can truly diagnose any problem!
  • Furthermore, one should not worry as much about the language being taught. Every programming language follows a similar structure and has similar rules. Start with one and apply those skills to the next. Whether you are programming in COBOL or Java, the rules are the same.

Robotics

  • Robotics is very similar to inventing with the exception of each invention will be a robot. Robots are machines that are capable of completing tasks that are determined by the programmer. They are usually mobile and have the capability to move on their own through code. This is another engaging topic that gets the students excited.
  • Part of the robotics topic is programming. To build a robot is ART, to code a robot is STEAM

Making 3D Creations

  • Inspire students so they will begin to see the world in a way that would give them a chance to pursue things they never thought were possible.
  • An individual can impact the entire world through invention and innovation
  • Our goal should be to cultivate a workforce with the relevant and globally competitive capabilities to help all individuals thrive in the world marketplace, create and lead new innovative organizations, or pursue postgraduate degrees. Building, cultivating, prototyping, and persevering are all crucial skills of the making process that are instrumental in moving our students forward in becoming college and career ready.

Science

Science is everything around us, above us, and in us. Computer science, general science, physics, Bio Chemistry and environmental science are embedded in with emerging technologies, new medicines, agriculture, communications, travel and manufacturing. Science is the foundation of students’ future competitiveness in the global ecosystem.