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Consejos-STEM Education

10/30/2020

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How can I reinforce STEM learning at school with my child at home?

Learning begins at home. Parents are their child’s first teacher and having a supportive home environment is a key factor. STEM is everywhere and there are many ways to incorporate it in your daily life. 

There are some simple ways to reinforce STEM learning at home. STEM activities can begin in your kitchen. Following a recipe requires mixing and measuring ingredients which incorporate mathematical concepts. Encouraging creative unstructured play and collaboration will develop some of the soft skills that are needed in STEM. You can also foster problem solving by using guiding questions to talk your kids thorough finding their own solutions. 

Here are some resources that you can use to reinforce STEM learning:
  • How to Incorporate STEM in the Kitchen
  • From Engineer to Stay at Home Mom
  • Why Creative Play is Important ; Everyday Ideas for STEM & STEAM Education?


What inspired you to pursue your doctorate?

Martha

In 2014, I decided to pursue a doctoral degree in Educational Technology Leadership from New Jersey City University.  At the time, I had served as an assistant principal for over ten years and felt that I needed a new challenge.  With a doctorate degree in educational technology I knew that I would be able to share the knowledge gained with my faculty to better serve our students’ needs while keeping me current in this rapidly changing field.  


Angelica
Learning has always been one of my passions. After getting a bachelor's degree and two master’s degrees the only next logical step for me was a doctorate. All of my life I wanted to achieve that level of education. Being a Latina with a doctorate makes me a part of a very elite group. Only .01% of doctoral degrees are earned by Latinas, and I’m one of them!  When the opportunity presented itself I jumped on it. With two weeks left before the deadline I took my GREs and applied. The rest is history.

What is the best age to expose children to STEM fields? Is it ever too late for someone to start their STEM journey?  

Children can be exposed to STEM fields from a young age, even when they are too young to use technology. The world is moving into a knowledge-based economy which makes it more important to learn STEM skills early on. Although screen time should be monitored and limited for young children there are many ways to prepare a foundation for future STEM learning and fostering STEM Skills. Toys or games that develop any of the following soft skills will help your young child develop the necessary foundation to prepare them for a successful future STEM journey.

  • Creativity 
  • Inquiry Skills 
  • Critical analysis 
  • Teamwork and collaboration
  • Initiative 
  • Communication
  • Problem solving 


My children are remote learning and I want to avoid doing technology-related activities with them because they’re in front of a computer all day. Can you recommend STEM-related activities I can do with them? 

Many parents are feeling the screen overload and balancing that with unplugged activities is not only a good idea but a necessary one. There are many unplugged activities that can be done at home. A simple Google search for “STEM unplugged activities” can uncover a plethora of fun activities, appropriate for your child’s age, using simple household materials that kids can do at home. 

The following websites offer great resources and ideas for your child to continue honing their STEM skills in a non-digital way.

  • Code.org 
  • https://www.erintegration.com/2017/05/16/technology-unplugged-activities/ 
  • https://www.nasa.gov/stem-at-home-for-students-k-4.html

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STEM Education

10/26/2020

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Written by Angelica Safanova

STEM educators prepare students for careers in four specific areas: science, technology, engineering and math. These four disciplines are taught in a way that combines each subject through application to better prepare the student to succeed in a career in STEM. Because STEM careers are becoming more and more available, due to the speed with which innovation is taking place, good STEM educators are more important now than ever.

STEM educators must be knowledgeable in pedagogy and know enough of all four disciplines to be able to create engaging real-world lessons while presenting the material in a manner that students can understand and apply. Once a STEM educator presents the material and the task they act as facilitators guiding the students in their own learning. Because STEM schools are a relatively new initiative and STEM teachers are preparing students for jobs that do not currently exist, they are often learning themselves as they guide their students through the learning process.

STEM educator identities are ever evolving. As the technology market needs change and evolves so will the focus on material and tasks. This requires an educator with a different mindset and characteristics. STEM educators must grapple with the unstable identity of being a STEM educator. Many STEM educators identify with their stand-alone subject, for example a math teacher. “While many [STEM educators] have considerable teaching experience, they view themselves as “ developing or emerging STEM teachers. This identity multiplicity reflects the transition stage and possible internal struggle between the comfort zone of the individual subjects and the fluid state of the STEM setting (Nagdi, 2018).

STEM educators must display flexibility and responsiveness. Because of the unpredictable multi-disciplinary nature of STEM lessons, teachers must be comfortable with not knowing the answer, having experiments or tasks that just don’t work out, and be able to turn on a dime in a different direction if needed. STEM educators must see the merit in different perspectives and unorthodox approaches and value the knowledge that comes from each application. A STEM educator leverages unsuccessful tasks as teachable moments. STEM educators teach students to learn because they are aware that the content that they are teaching today will be obsolete tomorrow and that what really matters is that the students are given a safe space to learn problem solving skills, inquiry skills, design and critical thinking, and practice collaboration and creativity. 

STEM careers pay very well. College graduates with STEM degrees earn much more than their counterparts with degrees in other fields. This fact alone should leave no question about the importance of preparing students for careers in STEM (Lynch, 2018). Great STEM educators are an asset to a school district and to our nation. STEM educators must stay abreast of new technologies and pedagogies for teaching STEM at every grade level even if that means relearning something that they already know in a different way. Alvin Toffler said, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” As STEM educators we must be able to unlearn and relearn and teach our students to do the same in order to be able to compete in the global marketplace of the future.


Refrences
Lynch, M. (2018, April 2). Education Week American Education News Site of Record. Retrieved October 18, 2020, from https://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?cid=25920011

Nagdi, M. E. (2018, October 05). What makes a STEM teacher? Developing identities of STEM teachers at emerging STEM schools. Retrieved October 18, 2020, from https://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcblog/2018/10/05/what-makes-a-stem-teacher-developing-identities-of-stem-teachers-at-emerging-stem-schools/

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Martha Osei-Yaw. Ed. D.:  My STEM Journey

10/5/2020

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My STEM Journey began in 2014 when I decided to pursue a doctoral degree in Educational Technology Leadership from New Jersey City University.  At the time, I was an assistant principal in a large urban community and was looking to enhance my professional growth.  Since then, I have completed my doctoral degree and serve as a school principal.  As a first generation Cuban-American, I am proud of being the first in my family to have accomplished this goal.

Along the course of my academic studies, I learned about the disparities that existed for young girls and underrepresented students in the field of STEM.  This became an area of interest since I was working in a bilingual magnet school in an underserved community.  After conducting much research on the topic, I decided to utilize the knowledge gained to bring enhanced STEM learning opportunities to the students and families that I serve.

Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to attend STEM conferences across the country and as far as Wenzhou, China.  Although each and every conference has been impactful there was one event that changed the course of my educational career.  It was a conference hosted by the Latinas in STEM Foundation in partnership with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey.  It was then and there that I learned about the profound work being done by the Latinas in STEM Foundation to encourage younger generations to pursue and thrive in STEM fields.  I also learned firsthand about the importance of educating parents about STEM career options for their children and how to finance a college education.  Since then, our school has hosted yearly Latinas in STEM 101 Conferences for the students and parents in our school district.

STEM education has been a huge driving force in my life.  It has afforded me the opportunity to share my experiences, research and best practices with educators in the field.  This information has been chronicled in a book that I co-authored with Dr. Deborah Nagler (Building a K-12 STEM Lab:  A Step-by Step Guide for School Leaders and Tech Coaches).   It has also inspired me to level the playing field with the ultimate goal of providing STEM opportunities for all students.

Martha Osei-Yaw, Ed.D is the Principal at Alexander D. Sullivan School.
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What is STEM Education?

10/1/2020

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STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  STEM education combines these four disciplines into one cohesive subject and focuses on connections between the theories and the world around us.  Instead of teaching each topic separately, STEM educators use project based learning to highlight how these subjects are intertwined.

In addition to learning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, students can gain skills such as technology literacy, problem solving, communication skills, initiative building and social skills.  These skills can be applied to any future career path, not just STEM careers.  There are a variety of ways in which teachers can introduce STEM to students including videos, charts, and posters.  Efforts are being focused on introducing students to STEM at an early age so they can develop interest in science and mathematics careers.  STEM has evolved over the years and will continue to do so.  
STEM education is a priority in the United States. The United States announced the STEM Education Strategic plan in 2018.  This plan lays out a five year initiative in which all Americans will have access to high-quality STEM education.  The STEM Education Strategic plan outlines a path that the US can take to become a leader in STEM literacy, innovation, and to make students more marketable in the workplace.
  • From 2019 to 2029, employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 11% (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
  • Between 2017 and 2027, the number of STEM jobs will grow 13 percent, compared to 9 percent for non-STEM jobs (Education Commission of the States)
  • According to the Pew Research Center, as of 2018, STEM occupations have grown 79% since 1990.
  • A STEM worker with some college education earns 26% more than a non-STEM worker. (Pew Research Center)
  • Women in life sciences has increased from 34% to 47% since 1990.  (Pew Research Center)
  • Women are still underrepresented in engineering (14%), computers (25%), and physical science occupations (39%)(Pew Research Center)
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