The “E” in STEM: Engineering and Design for K-2

STEM, the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, has become an important topic in education circles. Many believe that educating our students in these areas will be crucial to both their future and the future of our country. When many think of STEM classes and activities they tend to think primarily of middle and high school courses. However, STEM education is vital to elementary learning as well. According to an article on WeAreTeachers, STEM: It’s Elementary, studies on STEM education have shown “that kids who experience STEM early through hands-on learning are the ones who will be best equipped to develop a strong understanding of STEM concepts as they get older.” This article provides four ways for teachers to get started with STEM in the elementary classroom:

• #1: Change Your Lens - Look at lessons and activities you’re already teaching and see how they can incorporate STEM principles.
• #2: Enlist a Village of STEM Educators - Work together. Collaboration with fellow teachers can ease the transition.
• #3: Integrate STEM Across the Curriculum - One of the goals of STEM education is that it is not taught separately, but is weaved throughout the all subjects.
• #4:  Give Kids More than Just Access to Technology - Students need to understand that technology is more than just a place to gather information, but can be an important tool for creating and designing.

Pepper has recently released a new course, Engineering Design - K-2, that will help early elementary teachers as they incorporate new standards in Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science (ETS) as a disciplinary core idea. This course focuses on the topic of Engineering Design as students ask questions, make observations, and gather information. Participants will work to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool. Course activities are divided into five features:

1. Big Question
2. Exploring the Evidence
3. Constructing Explanations
4. Comparing Explanations to Scientific Knowledge
5. Communicating and Justifying Explanations

Find out more about this course by viewing the Course Detail.

Your Pepper learning community can help you effectively implement STEM concepts and ETS standards. Check out our new Engineering Design - K-2 course as well as all our other Pepper Courses and our Resource Library as you learn with the collaborative support from other inspiring educators like you.  

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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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