Significance of STEM
STEM subjects are gaining a lot of emphasis, but why, all of a sudden has it become so important? If done correctly the STEM subjects should enhance the education of future students so regardless of what profession they choose they will be prepared for life and be able to further improve conditions in the sciences for all. Learning the sciences develops critical thinking skills and improves problem solving across the board throughout the disciplines. Also there is much success for people who take on the STEM subjects. These people are innovators and global thinkers. We need to be able to carry the trend on into the future.
As global demand changes science and technology fields and jobs are increasingly becoming higher in demand. The US needs to become first in science and technology again in order to stay competitive. Many students do not like taking STEM subjects for the sake that they feel they will not do well in them or they don’t have the intelligence to be able to attempt them. This lack of interest is translating into staggering statistics. According to the STEM education coalition, only 45 percent of US high school graduates are ready for college work and fewer than 40 percent of students who enter college intending to major in a STEM field complete a STEM degree. In other studies, US students finished 27th in math and 20th in science in the ranking out of 34 countries.
In order for the US to stay competitive in the modern world STEM subjects must be taught diligently. US students, especially minorities and females, have been let down by their local educational districts in order to succeed in subjects associated with STEM. It would also benefit districts to implement summer programs in order to strengthen STEM learning.
Successful implementation of the STEM subjects could give the US the competitive edge it needs to compete on a global scale, especially with countries like China and India. The US needs to do its part in order to make STEM subjects more attractive to the student population. Through active participation of students and staff STEM education is within our grasp.
Though I agree that more work is needed in the STEM subjects, language and communication skills are also lacking in our school systems. As I always tell my daughter, to succeed in life there are only two important skills to acquire, one being able to solve problems and the other, being able to communicate effectively with others.
Yes, I do agree with your comment. We need more teachers experienced in teaching the STEM approach. If taught appropriately, it will foster greater project-based learning approaches that crosses all of these disciplines in order to facilitate solving everyday problems. Additionally, if aligned with common core standards, it has been shown to engage students and allow them to utilize both their left and right brain thinking in the same exercise.as an additional note, the new movement of STEM has been towards STEAM, which also includes the Arts (liberal, social, manual, physical, and fine arts).
Some very good points made here. The pervasive idea that someone can simply choose to think that they just aren’t a “math/science person” is also particularly detrimental. This lack of growth mentality has unfortunately received society-wide acceptance, further discouraging students (particularly females, where “statistics” are considered to be against them) to persevere through STEM subjects despite their difficulty.