Department of Education, University of the People

EDUC 5272: ADVANCED PRACTICES FOR TEACHING THE STEM

FIELDS AT THE
ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVELS
University of the People

Dr. Christine McLaughlin

December 13, 2022

STEM Letter to Administration

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Dear Administration Team,

I have been learning about STEM in one of my courses and I really think that it should be

introduced at the preschool level. STEM is a teaching and learning approach that combines

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics and focuses on problem-based learning and

hands-on methodology. It emphasizes the development of logical and critical thinking skills by

providing students with opportunities to learn and understand things from a real- world

perspective. It equips them with skills that are required to succeed in their future careers.

(Geeksforgeeks, 2022).

As we know, the first five years of children’s lives are the most critical part of their

development. This is the time when their brains are undergoing rapid changes, therefore, the

connections need to be made or the neural pathways may disappear. When they engage in

STEM activities it will make the connections in the brain and build the neural pathways so it is

imperative that they are introduced to it from this age as this is the time when their brains are

ready to assimilate new information. (Paper Pincone, 2020).

Futurists across the world believe that the workforce of the future will require specific

skills and abilities such as flexibility, creativity, social and emotional sensing and reasoning,

collaborative problem-solving, grit and resilience that ‘are not included in the general

curriculum. These skills are critical and when students engage in hands-on inquiry-based STEM

education it will build the foundation for social and emotional intelligence, raise their

confidence, and foster their abilities to plan and reflect. During early childhood is the time when

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children should play, discover and wonder. Hands-on STEM education enables them to enter a

world that is full of excitement and fun, where they get opportunities to ask questions and

investigate the world around them. They want discovery about the world and as such the

questions that they seek are related to STEM subjects. Their natural inquisitiveness will drive

their eagerness to learn. It is a collaborative process in which students are encouraged to raise

questions and explore their interests. In a playful way, They become familiar with scientific

processes and learn to think scientifically using play. (ACECQA, n.d.).

Children are naturally curious and inquisitive and are constantly trying to find out about

the world around them. If they are introduced to the STEM areas at his age, they will develop

permanent interest. McClure, Guernsey, and Ashbrook (2017) believe that when students are

engaged in STEM from a tender age, it is a crucial part of their learning and development. If they

receive instruction in STEM areas, it will promote the development of design skills, systems

thinking, reasoning, collaboration, communication, exploration, and persistence. When they

engage in hands-on, active learning it will support their executive functioning which promotes

many higher-level thinking and learning skills such as the ability to pay attention, persist on

given tasks, self-monitoring, organize and plan, as well as understand different points of view.

. Sneideman (2013) believes that it is very easy to teach STEM to young children as they
are perfectly adapted to learning the concepts. Teachers have to, therefore, provide them with
opportunities to investigate and encourage them to ask questions and tap into their natural and
innate curiosity about the world.

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Some of the activities that teachers can do to promote STEM are outlined by Pro Solutions

Training (n.d.):

● Allow students to build with blocks to help build the foundation for basic math and

geometry skills.

● Let them get outside the classroom and take a walk and encourage them to ask questions

as they walk and collect items such as leaves or stones, that canbe used to create

projects.

● Engage with parents by asking them to continue some of the activities at home that are

done in class in order to reinforce their impact.

● Take field trips that illustrate STEM activities in order to cement classroom learning and

let students have real life experiences.

● Read picture books to students in order to communicate STEM topics.

● Allow students to engage in water play as this is an important sensory experience that

helps them to learn about different concepts and will contribute to their learning of

deeper math and science concepts.

● Let students identify shapes in their environment as this promotes observation which is

critical for success in STEM.

● Encourage students to become critical thinkers by asking open-ended questions.

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 In order for this initiative to be successful teachers need to undergo some training to

equip them with the knowledge and skills that are required to successfully implement STEM in

their classrooms. It would be great if some funding can be allocated for them to enrol in

professional development courses that emphasizes STEM in the early years. They would also

need resources and a time for common planning. I can also volunteer to do some subsequent

workshops to help prepare them for this initiative. There are also some other options that can be

considered to prepare teachers in the STEM areas as outlined by Lynch (2018):

● Allow persons who are certified to teach math, science, and engineering to teach the

STEM areas.

● Teachers should be trained to to think outside of the textbook and come up with

innovative ideas to teach.

● Pay for the cost of training.

With the implementation of any new program there may however, be some challenges

that they might face as outlined by Weng et. al., (2020):

● Some of the teachers may be able to use the new technologies in teaching and learning.

● They do not have the training to implement STEM in their classrooms.

● Teachers might not have sufficient time to collaborate and plan with each other.

● Some teachers might not see the importance of the implementation of STEM due to lack

of self efficacy.

McClure (2017) also believes that some teachers have a negative attitude towards

Mathematics so that may also be a challenge. They also may not be interested in attending the

professional development courses as they may not have the funding or time. I believe that some

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of these challenges can be overcome if they are provided with the required support and if they

are made to see the importance of implementing STEM into their classrooms.

I am willing to have some further discussions on how we can make this a success. Thank you for

your time and consideration.

Yours respectfully,

Proactive Teacher

References

ACECQA, (n.d). What is inquiry-based STEM education and why is it important?

https://www.startingblocks.gov.au/other-resources/factsheets/what-is-inquiry-based-stem-
education-and-why-is-it-important#:~:text=Hands%2Don%20inquiry%2Dbased

%20STEM,abilities%20to%20plan%20and%20reflect

Geeksforgeeks, (2022). What is STEM Education and Why is it Important?

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/what-is-stem-education/

Lynch, M. (2018). HOW SHOULD WE PREPARE STEM TEACHERS?

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/how-should-we-prepare-stem-teachers/

McClure, E., Guernsey, L., & Ashbrook, P. (2017). Where’s Spot? Finding STEM opportunities
for young children in moments of dramatic tension. American Educator, 41(3), 12-15.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1156381.pdf

Paper Pinecone, (2020). 10 Reasons Why STEM is Important in Preschool.

https://www.paperpinecone.com/blog/10-reasons-why-stem-important-preschool

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Pro Solutions Trianing (n.d.). 8 ideas for incorporating STEM learning in the preschool
classroom. https://www.prosolutionstraining.com/resources/articles/8-ideas-for-incorporating-
stem-learning-in-the-preschool-classroom.cfm

Sneideman, J. M. (2013, December). Engaging children in STEM education EARLY! Natural

start alliance. http://naturalstart.org/feature-stories/engaging-children-stem-education-early

Weng, X., Jong, M. & Chiu, T. (2020). Implementation Challenges of STEM Education from
Teachers’ Perspective
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346702627_Implementation_Challenges_of_STEM_E
ducation_from_Teachers'_Perspective