News bulletins on social media and news sites contain topics that students need to understand now so that they can make informed decisions for their world today and tomorrow. STEM literacy is crucial to learners struggling to understand the multitude of information bombarding them through television, social media and the internet. Students in K-12 must become STEM literate so that they can identify, understand and solve problems in the world around them. STEM Literacy promotes innovative thinking and creativity as well as collaboration, problem solving, and most importantly, critical thinking. Today’s challenges need answers from our students but first they need to understand issues including climate change, space travel, robotics. By using real-world applications of scientific data and storylines, students become critical consumers, problem-solvers, and change-makers. Students who are STEM literate will be able to think critically and act responsibly about issues that impact them. In this session, lessons and strategies will be shared with teachers to inspire and to support their students as they develop STEM literacy skills. These lessons will encourage students to explore, explain and develop solutions to real phenomena and solve real problems.
TAKEAWAYS:
Three Takeaways:
1) Teachers will become familiar with technology, literacy and adaptive learning for middle school and high school students.
2) Teachers will be introduced to the free materials available that align with NGSS standards.
3) Teachers will be given ideas on how to incorporate these lessons in class
SPEAKERS:
Diane Ripollone (Cardinal Gibbons High School: Raleigh, NC), Kathy Biernat (Zanilu Educational Services, LLC)