STEM: Why it Matters

STEM is an education curriculum based on teaching students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  What makes STEM unique, however, is that rather than teach the four disciplines as separate subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning program with ties to real-world applications. According to the STEM Coalition, by 2020 there will be a demand for STEM professionals with over 1 million jobs in STEM-related fields.

STEM education is different from traditional math and science teaching in that is uses a blending learning approach. This approach shows students how science, math, engineering, and technology are central to everyday life and integrated into all that we do. According to an article from Live Science, “What is STEM education?”, the goal is to gain student interest in these fields so that they will want to pursue them as careers. STEM education begins in the elementary school with introductory courses and subject awareness. In middle school courses become more rigorous and students begin to explore career opportunities. By high school, students are focused on application and are exposed to career pathways and exploring post-secondary options.

According to the US Department of Education, “all young people should be prepared to think deeply and to think well so that they have the chance to become the innovators, educators, researchers, and leaders who can solve the most pressing challenges facing our nation and our world, both today and tomorrow.”

(US Dept. of ED)

Go to the Pepper Resource Library and visit STEM Builder for STEM curriculum resources. Be sure to check out all our Pepper course offerings.

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Resource Library Highlight: BetterLesson

The Pepper Resource Library is a valuable component of Pepper that contains professional learning tools, curriculum, and open education resources. One of these resources is BetterLesson. Founded by a group of teachers from Atlanta and Boston public schools, BetterLesson strives to help prepare and support teachers by providing high quality lesson plans and curriculum resources. They are focused on collecting and sharing the most innovative content and practices from the highest performing teachers across the country.

They have partnered with educators across the country to run Master Teacher Projects and have created over 16,000 rich lessons, covering Common Core ELA and math, Next Gen Science, and Blended Learning. In addition, their community of teachers has contributed over 1 million resources proven to work in their classrooms. All of this content is completely free of charge and available through BetterLesson in your Pepper Resource Library.

The Master Teacher Project brings together more than 130 brilliant and creative teachers in grades K-12 math and ELA. These talented and hardworking teachers are sharing lessons they teach everyday. And these aren't just the normal lessons - they're lessons that are super accessible and classroom-ready. Teachers using the site can "like" lessons, provide feedback, download resources, and read Master Teachers’ commentary that provides insight for effective lesson implementation. BetterLesson is free, but teachers must create an account in BetterLesson to gain unlimited lesson browsing.

BetterLesson is one of several great resources available through the Pepper Resource Library.

Where is your Pepper Resource Library? You can find the link on the top center of your dashboard:

Then, once you're in the library, you can find BetterLesson here:

Also be sure to check out our Pepper course offerings - including new ELL and Writing courses for K-12.

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