Why STEM?
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Who are our students? How are we preparing them for the jobs of the future?
Today students will be future professionals that will encounter real world problems that we cannot even imagine. Will they be prepared for a future full of unknown challenges? |
What are some future STEM careers? What will our future professionals face at work?
Our STEM students will be prepared for future challenges like ending world hunger. They might be part of a group of engineers and scientists that will design effective ways to grow more food using less land. They may also find a cure of a disease that has yet to afflict humans. So preparing students to be critical thinkers, problem solvers, to collaborate and be innovators may be just common sense. |
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If we analyze where we stand in terms of technology and all the scientific global issues that we face daily, we will understand the need for an education reform geared to science, technology, engineering, and math. The goal of STEM Education is to prepare students for post-secondary study and the 21st century (MSDE, 2012). Maryland State Department of Education. (2012). Maryland State STEM Standards of Practice. Maryland.http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/stem 21st century Learning Skills
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China and Korea graduate over 35% of the STEM professionals, while Russia graduates over 25% of the STEM professionals. Unfortunately, the US graduates less than 10% of the STEM Professionals. This chart represents the need for the US to produce its own engineers and scientists. Not surprisingly, a good majority of scientists and engineers working at US companies are not US graduates. The US relies heavily on scientists and engineers from countries like China and India. 21st century learning skills will help prepare our students for future challenges. We call these 21st century learning skills because they will empower our students to be part of the workforce of this century. |