Is STEM our Answer to Supporting the Mathematical Processes?

By: Ashlyn Smith 

       As the debate continues across the nation about how to close the ever-growing achievement gap in math and science's, students continue to lose interest in these fields (National Education Association 2015).  According to the "Washington Post" many countries are outpacing the United States in education based on the 2012 PISA scores and how this lack of achievement is mounting. We face the challenges on how to effectively integrate educational pedagogy, mathematical process standards, content into the classroom and guiding those students to success.  So how do we as educators                       

focus on engaging students in mathematical content, supporting the process standards and let’s not forget the necessity to integrate technology into all of the above.  One approach that has become popular is through the integration of STEM education.  So the question is how do we properly integrate STEM education while still implementing these process standards?

Process standards give educators a guide used from kindergarten through 12th grade to help students make connections between different topics and foster deeper mathematical thinking.  A primary concern with these process standards are that they are taught before students are fully developed or ready to apply them and the current ways of teaching these standards may no longer be working.  With students expected to use these mathematical standards such as explaining their mathematical thinking, using problem solving methods to analyze data, and applying mathematics to real-world scenarios educators are seeing the importance of incorporating STEM activities for reinforcement.  The National Research Council (2012) states “ STEM activities address a child’s interest, abilities, and progress; and ensures that standards are implemented in ways that are meaningful, relevant and support a child’s development in making connections between concepts and standards.”

        Texas Instruments launched "STEM Behind Hollywood" an exciting new education program developed with assistance from The Science & Entertainment Exchange, the National Academy of Sciences, as well as actress, neuroscientist Mayin Bialik that incorporates real-world STEM activities using zombies, superhero’s, space and forensics.  Each lesson starts with a fictitious scenario, that is associated with a STEM career, students then are given multiple acts to complete their mission.  The first act begins with students using prior background knowledge and allows students to formulate their own questions and use these questions to problem solve on how they will address the issue at hand. Students are given more information once they solve their first mission and so forth. The process standards are seen throughout the activity; students analyze the information to eventually justify their solution all while using multiple ways to record and display their mathematical thinking.   
        Another company that is supplying educators with STEM lessons and materials is Lego Education. Lego Education’s mission is to provide educators with materials that will ignite lifelong, enthusiastic, and active learners through hands-on STEM activities.  Many of these activities apply mathematical problems that may arise in our everyday life.  Lego math activities  have students use real objects to model real world information that was given to them to solve and communicate mathematical ideas. Using a hand on approach such as Legos is becoming more popular to promote student success in the 21st century we live in.

            STEM education is more than a grouping of subjects or an educational fad that will come and go.  It’s an intentional way for educators to provide hands-on learning that will challenge students to investigate using real world problems to foster deeper learning.  This profound learning will promote a deeper insight for students on the process standards and how they are supposed to utilize and apply math in their daily lives. As John Dewey states “Give the pupil something to do, not something to learn, and the doing is an of such nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.”

National Education Association. (2015). Students Affected by Achievement Gaps. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/20380.htm 

National Research Council. (2012). A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards.

Global Standards Picture- Source: http://www.tumblr.com/search/global%20standards
Lego Education Picture- Source: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/lego-helping-nurture-future-engineers-6073152