What is STEM SOS?
What is STEM Education?
What a great question! STEM Education is the curriculum that emphasizes on four basic subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It is an educational program that is overseen by the Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM), which is made up of over 13 agencies, including the US Department of Education. The program has received 3.1 billion dollars under the Obama administration. All grades have STEM courses from Elementary school and all the way to High school. Each course is taught based on real-life models. This program ensures that children become more knowledgeable and ready when they go into STEM careers in the future.
Why is STEM Education Important?
By 2018, job projections estimate the need for 8.5 million jobs that are STEM-related and there is a labor shortage in the manufacturing center. Even though STEM jobs may not require a degree, a bachelor's will be of significant help. According to the US Department of Education, 28 percent of students will find an interest in a STEM job, and 57 percent of those students will lose interest in them. Thus, the number of future workers in the STEM field will decrease, so it is important that this interest is maintained so that a shortage of labor will not be a problem. If students do not wish to pursue a STEM career, then the knowledge will still help them in their daily lives.
How Can STEM Education Shape The Future?
STEM education will be a major factor in the direction the future will take. The program teaches the next generation of potential workers in the STEM field, who will maintain and improve the infrastructure of the future. The world is growing in terms of population, which will create a greater demand for everything, so STEM education will work to teach the next generation of workers who will improve the world technologically such as building better roads, medical appliances, new power generators, and etc. The people of the next generation will greatly benefit from these improvements and the world will become a better place.
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STEMSOS Model:
Project Based Learning (PBL) is a constructivist instructional approach where students are engaged in meaningful inquiry of personal interest to them and where collaboration and personalized learning are emphasized. Research confirms that PBL is an effective and enjoyable way to learn and develop deeper learning competencies required for success in college, career and civic life. -Buck Institute of Education
STEMSOS is a rigorous, interdisciplinary, standards-focused, and engaging STEM teaching approach that is teacher-facilitated, student-centered and directed through sets of project- and inquiry-based (P&IBL) projects. STEMSOS PBL approach is to maintain the focus on standards-based teaching while enriching and extending the learning of students through PBL projects. The goal is to promote not only collaborative skills and student ownership of learning but also to promote student success in state and national standards.
STEMSOS PBL Showcase is designed to promote and share exemplary student work in PBL projects that can serve as valuable learning and teaching tools for students, parents, teachers, and other educators.
