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I was first introduced to STEM Fall 2017, while student teaching in a first grade classroom. I was not fully aware of what students were supposed to be doing during this time, but I could see that they really enjoyed it.  I learned that STEM stood for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. I wondered how students would incorporate all parts of STEM within the short time they were in class. I learned that most teachers break up the lesson, and have the students work on their projects over several different class sessions.  In my future classroom, I would implement STEM by giving my students rich materials, and allowing them enough time to explore and discover. All of my students will probably be on different learning and understanding levels, so this can lead to differentiation of learning. I want to challenge the students to inquiry and ask questions, but also look for ways to respond to their questions. I want my students to look forward to learning through STEM, and I want to be able to incorporate other subjects within STEM. 

From what I am aware about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), it can be implemented by making small, yet thoughtful, adjustments to a lesson. The language that a teacher uses can be useful when planning how to incorporate STEM in a classroom. For example, adding words such as Model, Design, or Experiment can be a way to implement STEM. Also, making sure that all STEM lessons are engaging and inquiry based is very important.

STEM can be incorporated in the classroom through different activities and content area. For example, during ELA, books about science, technology or engineers can be used to engage students attention in a certain field. Also, during social studies, an emphasis on the technological advances throughout time can be explored. Students can also create a timeline that shows when a new method of transportation was invented. The different engineers can be discussed and activities such as pretending to be an engineer or a certain scientist for a day can help students explore the field more in depth. For example, if we have an activity where students pretend to be a scientist who discovered rocks, they can write about the texture, color, shape and size. This activity is engaging and inquiry-based since students are asking questions about the rocks that they 'discovered'. For math class, it is important that the lessons engage the students and that they are inquiry-based which allows the student to build their own learning through questions and investigations. For example, if the unit is about regrouping, the students can explore by figuring out how the ones and the tens change instead of giving students the answer. As a teacher it is important that we are letting students use their creativity and helping them think critically about the content that is being taught in order for their learning to be meaningful. By using resources on this website it can help incorporate STEM into each content area by having a STEM objective in each lesson.  

This is my first semester student teaching through the University of Houston at an HISD elementary school. The grade level I am student teaching with is pre-k. It may seem that there is not much that could be done to implement STEM with students so little but on the contrary, there is much one can do to implement STEM in a pre-k classroom. In a classroom with little ones, one of the centers/stations is dramatic play, teachers could implement STEM careers with costumes, such as: a doctor, an astronaut, etc. The implementation of STEM in a classroom is crucial and critical to students and it is best to do so at a young age rather than a later age so that students can begin to develop an interest in it. Books are a great source of implementation of STEM in a classroom. Hands on activities is key for students at any age as well. Although they may not realize it, STEM is revolving around them constantly, so it is not too difficult to implement something that is already implemented with all the technology that is used, but more so a reinforcement of STEM needs to be applied.

I have always heard of STEM since high school, but I did not know what it stands for and what it meant. However, I also recently learned that STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Essentially, STEM is a blended approach of learning these subjects. Instead of teaching these subjects separately, teachers incorporate all these subjects together to teach students about skills necessary to succeed in the future, such as problem-solving, gathering data and evidence, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. I would implement STEM in my classroom by finding engaging, hands-on activities for my students. Rather than giving the students repetitive material such as worksheets, I would introduce more activities in which the students can explore and discover different things. By using the 5E model, I could create experiments in which the students are encouraged to make observations and ask questions. In my mentor teacher’s classroom, my mentor teacher implemented a 5E lesson where the students got to have a mini scavenger hunt to explore the different tools and materials used in a science laboratory. The students had some knowledge of some of the tools, but there was completely new equipment that the students had not use or seen before. My mentor teacher allowed the students to explore the tools by themselves and test them out to figure out the purpose of them. I would want to do something similar in my classroom. Another way I would implement STEM in my classroom is allowing the students to do more projects. I could give them a menu in which they can choose the activities/tasks according to their preference. It allows for the students to have differentiation in their assignments since they can choose what activities to complete. For example, if we are on the topic of place value, I would give the students of doing activities such as creating a place value mobile hanger, place value trading cards and things of that sort. I could also give them an activity in which they have to research the populations of cities or states and order them from least to greatest. 

I always knew what STEM stood for (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), but I was not quite sure of how it was or could be implemented into a classroom. Once I gave STEM more attention, I realized we use this a lot more than we think we do. For one, we use technology a lot in the classroom that I am student teaching in and I plan to do the same in my future classroom. The students are completeing learning tasks on the computers and iPads every day. I feel as if this is a different way of learning that could be more beneifical to some students. Another way to implement STEM into the classroom would be to do more projects or experiments. This would pull in the science and engineering side. On Fridays, the students are given the choice to go to any other classroom in the grade level and do a project. One classroom may be building robots, another may be an experiment, another may be crafting, another may be technology use, but behind each of these classroom activities, this is completely student based, all the teachers do is supply the materials. This is a school wide thing that is done, but I would love to take the time to do something similar in my classroom if the whole school could not implement this. 

I went to a magnet middle school so my teachers incorporated STEM pretty much into everything we did. What I liked most about what my teachers did was allowing us to do hands-on activities that were to be completed over multiple days. We were able to build and create a lot, especially in our engineering class. I plan on introducing topics in such an engaging way that all students are interested in learning the material, such as an experiment or an example of what they'll be doing. Giving students options when it comes to projects or activities is something else I would like to do to incorporate STEM since all students have different interests. If I am covering a certain topic each option would be focused on one of the words, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Just from my experience with STEM, it makes learning a lot more fun and enjoyable while also relatable to the real world. Allowing students to use technology is also something I plan on doing. Students will be able to use computers to research topics and/or ideas. Allowing students the freedom to find what interests them within the STEM field is my overall goal.

I did not attend school in the United States until much later on, thus I was never exposed to STEM. I have siblings that are in elementary school and they talked about STEM occasionally. It was only until taking CUIN 4311 that I learned STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. I think the first step is to surround students with a learning environment that supports STEM. Teachers can incorporate posters or classroom decorations that promote STEM. Educators can get students familiarized with scientific terms such as design, model, and experiment by incorporating them into questions and lessons. I believe one of the important components of STEM is students’ engagement. This is essentially getting students to be engaged into problem-solving assignments that spark their curiosity and enable them to use a variety of skills. A problem-solving assignment includes meaningful and authentic situations and hands-on activities. This allows students to apply the knowledge and skills they learned in class to solve real-life problems. I’m a big believer of technology in classroom because it is engaging for students. Technology offers more opportunities for students to explore their creativity and resources. Later in the future, I think I would struggle with implementing STEM into a lesson because I am a new teacher who is not experienced with it. However, I can always find help because there are tons of resources online and the teaching community is extremely helpful.

 The very first time that I heard of the term STEM, was actually my freshman year of high school. My parents had enrolled me in a charter school, whose main focus was STEM, however I remember wondering why all of their focus would be in science, technology, engineering, and math, when there were other subjects like reading and history. However I soon learned that just because the school’s main focus was on the STEM subjects, it did not mean that we would not learn about the other subjects. It only meant that the school would try to incorporate as much STEM into the other subjects as much as possible.

Now that I am older, I see the importance of implementing STEM as much as we can in the classroom. One of the simplest ways to promote it would be by having technology available in the classroom. For example, if I was trying to get my students to read, I could offer them the option of reading on the computer, Ipad, or kindle. I could have my students solve math problems on the computer. Or if I assigned them a science project, I could allow them a few minutes at a time to do some research on the computer. Another way of incorporating STEM into the classroom is by having the children build things. While observing a math classroom, I noticed that the students were given an assignment where they had to order decimals from least to greatest however they were not given any numbers to place in order. Instead, the teacher thought that it would be fun for the students to create a sort of spinner board that they could number from 1-9. The students were also given a paperclip and were allowed to use it as a 'landing hand'. The materials for this assignment were so simple, but because the students were able to create something on their own they were a lot more enthusiastic about their math lesson. I don't think that incorporating STEM in the classroom should be something too complicated. These are just some of the ways that I would more likely than not use to implement STEM into my future classroom. There are many fun and creative ways of incorporating these subjects into different content areas. 

Growing up I never really heard about STEM. There was a growing importance placed on math and implementing technology into the classroom, however I never heard of it called STEM or what it meant until I got to college. Once I got to college all everyone was talking about was STEM programs and majors and clubs. It took me a while before someone explained what all the fuss was about. Now that I am becoming a teacher, I am realizing the growing importance on STEM and implementing it into my future classroom. 

One way to do so is to have technology readily available for all students. This does not mean assigning homework that must be done on a computer, because some students may not have access. This means that as the teacher, I need to create time for my class to go to the computer lab together, or find resources for my students to use during stations and centers. Children love technology and are more interested in information when it is on a computer screen. Another way to implement STEM into my classroom is designing class activities that are catered to science and engineering, even if we are in a Reading or Social studies class. 

Throughout elementary and middle school, I had never heard of STEM. It was not until I went to a cereer and technical education high school in twelve grade that I found out that STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In my CTE high school, there were different classes that geared students towards either a certification in the sciences or in engineering. For instance, we had a pharmacy technician class as well as a medical billing and coding course. These classes were very hands on and encouraged exploration and the use of technology. 

It really suprises me now that my younger cousin who is in fourth grade is familiar with what STEM is. At the elementary level, students have already been introduced to each component of STEM in their classrooms. As a teacher, I would be sure to try to implement STEM activities into my lessons. I would do this through hands-on activities, using the computer lab often as a means of allowing students to use technology for activities, and even simply through asking more though-provoking questions that encourage the students to think deeply and critically as well as being creative. 

Growing up I was not aware of the STEM education. In high school I was in a program called D.R.E.A.M. that stands for Designing with Rice Engineers through Achievement and Mentorship and it was Rice University students that had a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field that mentor small teams of high school students. They wanted to open our minds through mini projects that included decision making, analytical awareness, reasoning, and creative expression to develop growth. Now that I am in a classroom I observe that some teachers break up lessons specifically for math, science, and reading but they all use technology for each one. It is very important that the lessons engage the students and that they are inquiry-based which allows the student to build their own learning through questions and investigations. It is also important that we as teachers let our students use their creativity to help them think critically about the content that is being taught in order for their learning to be meaningful. I will allow my students to use technology for research and videos that are based on the topic we are going over in class. There are a lot of resources of STEM online and in books that will improve and incorporate it inside of the classroom.  

In school I was not taught about STEM and I didn’t I know anything about it. It was not until I started college that I heard what STEM stood for and the benefits that it offers. Doing classroom observations in different elementary schools and starting the student teaching program has helped me see what I could possibly do to incorporate STEM in the classroom. Something that I would start off with is including the vocabulary that is involved in STEM. This could be like trail, design, or experiment. I could also ask my students critical thinking questions. Whether in math or science, asking critical thinking questions can help broaden their thinking and help them develop a growth mindset. I would also want to make sure that I incorporate experiments in the classroom. In science I could give children the opportunity to build a something that they believe is needed or possibly improve what has already been made. I would want my class to know that when it comes to STEM there is no limit on what they can do. The more they learn and try the better they will become.  

Incorporating STEM in our classrooms can support students’ academic growth. If we focus on the four disciplines which are science, technology, engineering, and mathematics we can help our students develop critical thinking and reasoning skills that they can use inside and outside of the classroom. If we expose our students to STEM early we can increase their interest in STEM careers that they can pursue later in life. During early childhood education there is a lot of opportunity for students to explore and investigate in the classroom. Some ways that STEM can be incorporated in the classroom is by changing the way we ask questions. We can use specific vocabulary words that support STEM education. Also, incorporating technology such as computers, iPads, and cell phones is another way to incorporate STEM in the classroom. Students can have access to e-books and complete activities online. A third way to incorporate STEM in the classroom is by having our students problem solve or design. The problems that we give them can be real-life problems. This will make the content relevant and increase their interest. STEM education is continuing to grow in classrooms. As educators, we should continue to integrate and support STEM in our classrooms.

I never knew what STEM was until I reached high school. Now I know that is stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. However, I remember it being a separate program for students who excelled in mathematics and science. It was meant to further their knowledge and give them a head start into the exploration of their career choice. Only a few students participated in this program. Within STEM, there were a lot of hands-on activities that captured the attention of students who were not even in the program. The students participated in activities such as robotics or making boats out of cardboard boxes. The students’ experienced trial and error, and the scientific approach to a given problem. These opportunities were limited to the few students who were in the STEM program. As a teacher, I would like to extend those opportunities to every student. The students do not know about these opportunities unless they are presented to them and sometimes they may not feel comfortable entering a subject group they do not excel in. I would like to implement more hands-on activities that would engage the students to explore past their comfort zones and discover new things.

When I was in school, STEM was always my favorite area. These four concepts always made sense to me and I loved working with numbers. However, I know a lot of my peers did not enjoy STEM and had negative experiences in these subjects. In my classroom, I do not want my students to have these negative feelings towards STEM. Instead I will implement classroom culture of growth mindsets. In this way, students will be encouraged to make mistakes and learn to grow from them. Additionally, I will push my students to think more about the process of solving problems, than the actual answer. In order to accomplish this goal, I will model metacognition to my students when giving them problems or questions. This will allow them to see my own thoughts and how I am focusing more on solving the problem and the different ways that I could approach the problem. Additionally, I will question everything I do and question all students at various times to make sure that everyone is understanding the justifications of my actions. More than these two though, I will give my students a wide array of different activities throughout the year. This way, they will be able to find what is interesting to them. Some students may enjoy counting money while others are interested in fractions. I will make sure take notes on what my students are enjoying and focus on helping them find enjoyment in all activities. Additionally, I will help them find the real-world application for why we are learning how to do these problems. In this way, they will become more encouraged to learn the skill because they know they will be using it during their entire life. 

Hello everyone,

My name is Alejandrina Martinez and I am currently in Student Teaching I at the University of Houston. I was introduced to STEM last year during a research assignment regarding the correlation of Low-SES (Social Economic Status) and achievement gap in education. In my findings, I learned about the importance of implementing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in my future elementary classroom. I plan to expose my students to STEM education in order to equip them in developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. As a facilitator, I will help my students identify real-world problems that are developmentally appropriate to their grade level. In my lesson plans, I will include hands-on activities that will support them in exploring problems and designing solutions using educational technology. Students’ experiment results can be analyzed using mathematical strategies and my questioning will include specific vocabulary that help them make a connection between curriculum content and the skills needed for a STEM profession.

I have always had a soft spot for all-things science. In elementary school science was always my favorite subject. During after school programs I attended in leu of childcare I always remember picking the Science option which usually led to a presentation from a very eccentric individual from the Mad Science Houston program. I luckily felt as though my teachers during my grade school career emphasized the importance of all subjects, including science. This is something I do not see in every classroom today as I am starting off my first year as a student teacher from the University of Houston. I have conducted research and written papers about the lack of STEM implementation in our schools today and how the lack is greater in certain demographics such as gender and SES. Learning about how STEM is important but how it does not always make it to the top of the list in school curriculum has inspired me to make sure that STEM is somehow always incorporated into lessons--especially if these subjects are brushed aside. I want my students to learn in a variety of ways. Keeping activities hands-on and experimental will inquire students engineering and science skills. Math without limitation and with the encouragement of reasoning and analyzation will provide my students with deep understanding of math concepts while also tapping into their inner-scientist. Technology has become such a strong factor in classrooms. Making sure technology is used effectively and efficiently will help lessons and curriculum open doors for children's learning. Science, technology, mathematics, and engineering are all much too important to pass over as non-essential in classrooms. Making sure these subjects are incorporated into everyday learning is vital in the success of my future students.

STEM is something that can and should be imprelemted into any classroom. In my pre-k class, I make sure to include books in the libary and read alouds in each theme that inclue STEM aspects. These books can be one's that have characters who work in STEM careers, use science, technolocgy, enginieering, and mathematice to solve a problem they're facing, or even just books asking questions and giving informatrion about STEM subjects, to build the students background knowledge of those topics. I create hands-on activities that allow my students to connect what we're learning to their experiences, and I ask questiuons to try to guide their understanding of the topic to include the science, technology, engineering and math aspects. Another way I ensure that my students are gaining background knowledge is by using all of the correct vocabulary. I don't open the block center for playing, I open it for buidling and constructing, and theroughout the year, there are higher expecations about what types of structures will be built in that center. We also have iPads for the students to use, and they can use coding games along with phonics, and math games, giving them their first taste of enginieering.

In my future classroom, I would like to implement STEM activities through interactive and hands-on stations. I would like students to be able to experience STEM in engaging activities that allow them to explore these subjects in depth and develop their own understanding of the subjects. I would make sure these stations explore STEM a variety of different ways like conducting an experiement, drawing pictures of their observations or writing a response to something they did in their science center. I would also like to relate these stations to how STEM works in the everyday world. This will help students understand that STEM is not just something that they learn about in the classroom, but it surronds them in their every day lives. 

I would implement STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in my classroom by using language like: experiment, trial, design, collaborate, etc. By using this language we are getting students familiar with the STEM vocabulary. Another way I would integrate STEM in my classroom would be by exposing students to educational technology like iPads, computers, etc. I feel like a lot of hands-on activities should also be incorporated into my lessons because I will be giving students the opportunity explore, experiment, design and collaborate.

I am a student at the Univeristy of Houston, this is my first semester student teaching and I am in a Pre-K classroom. Implementing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is important at a very young age. Some people may not realize but children learn a lot from a very young age through exploration. We mainly incorporate STEM through center time, which is something I plan on doing in my future classroom. Allowing students to explore with hands on activities, using ipads or computers at one of the centers, blocks and legos are great for engineering allowing children to see how they work, and helps their creativity to build, and mathematics through hands on activities, using connecting cubes, shapes. Some people may think applying STEM in the classroom can be challenging, but it can easily be done through center time as the students are rotating this way they get the opportunity to explore all of them throughtout the week. 

Hi everyone! My name is Carina Alcantara, I am a student at the University of Houston. I am currently a Student Teacher in a 4th grade writing classroom. I know that STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and it can be easily implemented into any lesson. Since I am in a writing only classroom it can be a bit challenging to implement STEM into the lessons. Most of the work they do is narrative writing, essay or grammar. Although it can be challenging it is not impossible. For example, I could have the students do a quick write about science or technology for a warm up. Incorporating STEM could be as simple as reading a book about engineers or the students using laptops and iPads to explore topics. In my future classroom I plan to incorporate STEM by making sure that all STEM lessons are engaging, and inquiry based. I also plan to give all my students enough time to spend exploring the STEM lessons. I plan to incorporate STEM to all content areas not just math and science. I believe that STEM can occur at any time not just in small groups. I want my students to look forward to learning through STEM.

Hello everyone! I see that most of us are from UH and for those that are not I would like to begin this post by introducing myself. My name is Marcela Berrones and I am a Student Teaching 1 at University of Houston. I learned about STEM when I was working at a charter school about two years ago. It stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. At a first glance I thought, WOAH how can we incorporate four subjects into one! I substitued for the STEM teacher a few times and saw how she would have hands on activities for the kids to do. She would give them a set of directions, present with materials and they would have to built or follow the directions on paper. Afterwards they would have to record their experiment on their science notebook. 

I have always liked Science but when I heard of this concept I felt a little intimidating because of the math involved. After subsituting a few times I realized that STEM can be very practical to those students who feel intimidated by math. The use of all these subjects can really increase schema in students.  

I would like to incorporate STEM as a work station in my classroom where students can conduct mini experiments of what we have been talking in class. For bigger experiements, I would like to incorporate whole group and even have students go outside to see Science in the real world. 

I am currently in Student Teaching 1 at the University of Houston and I have been placed in a Pre-K classroom. I have not had much experience in classrooms and seeing STEM being done but I have heard of the types of work and activities that can be done and I think that some of that can be even be done in Pre-K. I think that it is important to introduce STEM in the smaller grades because students have curious minds and they will want to use the class manipulatives to play but if the teacher introduces them as part of a STEM activity the students could use the manipulatives with a purpose. 

I could introduce STEM into my class by having students create different structures, towers, or patterns. It will be something new for them but they will be able to think freely while still thinking of it as something fun not something that the teachers is making them do. I could also incorporate it into whole group, by having students create ramps with classroom objects and having them test which objects go faster or slower. Once students have an idea of the types of things that they will do with STEM I would probably make it a workstation in the classroom so that the students can keep exploring and experimenting.

I have had some experience in Stem Labs, and in classrooms where students are able to really explore science. I enjoyed seeing the teacher/instructor break down rigorous academic's concepts while using real world lessons to make connections. One thing I will say is, it was surprising to see so many opportunities to includes technology and engineering. This was fascinating to see students taking on engineering projects in a science class. In my classroom I have this idea of little scientists with lab coats, writing, graphing, charting and becoming really hands-on with experiments and documenting what they learned. I want my students to know that science is a personal content subject. I want to show them how to question theories and learn about science inquiry, and experimental investigations. I want my classroom to be STEM friendly, with computers and science equipment, materials to explore concepts to build and understanding by creating something they took time to research. 

Hello, I am currently a student teacher and I am still learning about STEM and everthing that it incorperates, however, I know that the students love it and I would definaltly incorperate it into my classroom. I like your ideas and your thinking. Incorperaticing the all subjects together is a great idea. Exploring and recording are very improrting for learning. I can see this in my placement classroom. My students love to explore and make observations, and that is with anything weather it be science, math, or literacy. Then adding technology on top of that and alowing them to be engineers, it will keep them engaged and wanting to learn. 

Hello everyone, I am a student at the University of Houston. I am in my first semester of student teaching and I am currently in a kindergarten classroom for the fall semester. Implementing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is very important at any age for young students. I believe that it is very important to incorporate it no matter the age of the student. I see a lot of STEM being implied during morning tubs, math centers, word work tubs and center time at the end of the day. We allow students to explore using a lot of hands on activities in the classroom. We allow students to explore on the chrome books and iPads. We also have a center for Legos that allows students to build and explore like engineers would when they build. During math we have a lot of math tubs that involve subtilizing and using expo markers to express what they see. There’s a tub in centers that allows the students to explore magnets and make connections to real life things around the classroom. All the students get a chance to do this throughout the day with smooth rotations and classroom management.

                In the future, if I am ever given the opportunity to teach young children this is exactly how I would implement STEM in my classroom. This is a fun, creative and great way to have students explore and create relationships with other students while learning new things.

Hello, I am a student at the University of Houston. I am currently placed in a second grade classroom as a student teacher. I have noticed how STEM has been incorporated into the lessons and other activities within the school.

After learning about STEM, I realized the importance of introducing it to students. A lesson may be modified by having inquiry-based content where students will have the opportunity to explore. Also, technology in a classroom plays an important role because it will prepare students for a later use of technology somewhere outside of a classroom. I plan to introduce STEM in my classroom by having hands on activities where students could learn by applying their knowledge and skills into new situations. When creating a lesson, it will be necessary for me to use the resources available which will help me implement STEM in the classroom.

Hello, 

My name is Priscilla Sambrano and I am currently a 3rd grade student teacher at Morton Ranch Elementary. I am also a senior at the Univeristy of Houston. Before this school year I did not have that much knowledge about STEM nor did I find the benefits of implementing it. However, over these past couple of months of being in the field and watching how STEM is changing the way my students think, it has allowed me to show a greater appreciation for STEM. I think the way I would impliment STEM within my future classroom is through very hands-on, do it yourself activities. For example, everyday once my students come in, it will be thier morning routine to grab one of the 6 STEM boxes and begin thier mini- progjects. In the boxes, I will provide various materials like toothpicks, straws, tape, rubber bands, etc, and it will be up to my students to come up with thier own creation based on what the box is asking them to do, as well as what Science unit we are on for that week. I find by doing this it will not only give my students something to do when they first walk in, but at the start of the day they are already getting thier brains working and further enhancing thier knowledge through this little mini-projects. I also believe it will allow them to eventually become critical thinkers.

Thank You!

Priscilla Sambrano

Hi!

My name is Laura Flores and I'm a senior at University of Houston and I am also doing student teaching this year. I'm lucky to be in a classroom where science is taught everyday so I see the imapcts that STEM has in the classroom. Before I began student teaching I had no idea how to implement STEM in my future classroom but now I have some ideas. One of my ideas would be to have open discussions about how certain things operate for example, how a Smart board works. I want to make the discussions relatable to my students, they see the Smart board everyday, I would also introduce new vocabulary that they can use for example a hypothesis and an observation. I would like to begin science lessons this way or even in general so that they can begin to be curious how things work and become excited over science and math. 

Thank you,

Laura Flores

I have noticed the growing importance of STEM and STEM education in the current world over the past few years.  I did not know many specific ways to implement STEM in an elementary classroom until I worked at a STEM camp this summer.  After seeing these young children learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with fun and hands-on activities, I definitely want to implement STEM in my classroom.  I want to use technology to let my students explore coding with websites like Tynker and create digital stories through multimedia.  I also want to connect science to math, technology, and engineering by allowing my students to build and create various art projects.  Science is so important in our modern world, so I want to make sure my students see many of the ways it influences our lives.  

Hello, my name is Damaris Duarte! I am a senior at the  University of Houston. I hear of STEM in 2014 at the daycare I used to work at. They incorporated STEM usage in the preschool. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and mathematics. I think it is very important to Incorporate STEM in our classrooms because it will allow students to explore. Children are scientists and we should let their brains work and apply new knowledge and thinking. A lot of people included myself are afraid of math and science. They feel like they are not made or these subjects and that is not true, so if we have this is our classrooms then we open doors and comfort zones for our students. 

Hello my name is Taylor Simpson! I am doing my lesson in second grade and on how apply heat to materials change them. I am having the students identify heat sources and then predict what do they think will happen after heat is applied. I already have melting ice with my hands as a heat source. I have butter and a hair dryer. What else could I use as a different heat source and a different material. I want the students to at least see different materials and see how different heat sources effect materials in differnt ways but they are all using heat. What other materials could I use?

Thank you!

My name is Cynthia Sarmiento. Like many on here, I am also a senior at the University of Houston. I am currently a kinder student teacher at Spring Oaks Elementary in the Spring Branch School District. I have never known much about STEM besides that it stood for science, technology, engineering, and math. In many ways, some areas, such as technology, are already implemented in the classroom. Technology is actually a big one. For example, in our classroom for reading, we use an app called 'Raz Kidz' to read, versus just using books. I can also intergrate STEM into my future classroom by asking changing the way I question students. I can ask students to experiment or model, and through that I will expose the students to STEM vocabulary.

Initially I was unaware of what STEM was, it wasn’t until late that I found out it stood for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Although I knew what it stood for I was quite unsure of how to implement it in my own classroom. One of the ways that I will implement STEM in my classroom is by incorporating such language. Such language will be using words like design and model with my students. One of the ways that we are implementing STEM into our classrooms is by having the student create their own science project. One of our students is doing a tornado in a plastic bottle, another student is forming crystals. One of the things to keep in mind is that when incorporating STEM in our classroom it has to be something that will engage our students, this could be through hands on activities.

I am about to student teach Fall 2019, and I am learning about STEM in my science methods class here at the University of Northern Iowa. We recently had a speaker come in and give us more information about STEM and one thing that is very important to remember is that Science and Mathematics are the holding blocks for Technology and Engineering, you can not do those two things without the help of Science and Mathematics. I think this is a great concept to understand because you do not need to go in this specific order to use the STEM program, as you said breaking it up into parts would be beneficial to you and your students. There are so many things that can get your students involved, my mentor teacher last year did a test to see if the students could build a structure that can withhold a tornado, hurricane or tsunami, as they got to pick which one they wanted to test and their group members as well getting all the students excited and engaged. 

I am a student at the University of Houston in my first semester of student teaching in a fifth-grade classroom. As educators, we need to make sure that we are implementing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) from early childhood all the way through high school and further education. While science seems to be the subject that gets the least amount of time in the schedule, it is also the students favorite subject because of the enriching activity centers/stations that the classroom teachers put together. These centers/stations allow the students the flexibility to explore and learn with hands-on activities and encourage creativity through innovative and challenging concepts that incorporate problem-solving. The students are also growing every day with technology and applications that enhance their inquiry-based learning. It may seem difficult to apply STEM learning in any classroom but when you approach it via the learning centers/stations, it can be easily done. These centers/stations allow the students to rotate through each of the stations and take ahold of their learning. 

I am a student teacher at the University of Houston and I'm currently student teaching in a 3rd grade self-contained classroom in Kingwood, Texas. Being self-contained and having my one group of students all day really allows me to see what gets them most excited about learning throughout the school day. I can confidently say the students get very excited about science almost everyday and many of them also find math interesting depending on the unit or topic that week. STEM is an important topics because my students ove exploring with science, technology, and math, and I'm always looking for ways to make learning more engaging and meaningful. I think I will implement STEM more in the classroom by designing lessons through the 5E model and allowing students more time during lessons to get engaged and explore what they are learning. We can also find more online resources with the Chromebooks to enrich student learning and get them excited about using technology in lessons. Implementing STEM is also more meaningful when I am able to connect new content and learning to real life and have them understand why these topics are important in the real world. I think STEM is also more effectively implemented when teachers stray away from heavily paper and handout based activities, and try to implement more hands- on engaging activities that allow them to move around, investigate, ask many questions, and really explore and elaborate with the learning in the classroom.

I was unaware on what STEM really was, I had the misconception that it had something to do activity’s to help with sensory issues.  After reading this threat I now understand that it’s an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. This is a wonderful way to group all these disciplines and to allow educators a more effective way in implementing them in the classroom.  Thankfully, this thread cleared my misunderstanding on the useful integration of STEM.   

Hi there! I am currently in my student teaching program at the University of Houston. Within my kindergarten classroom we really try to implement STEM. We have STEM bins that the students are allowed to use at stations that are by far my favorite. Each bin has different materials in it. One has Legos blocks that the students can build with. Another has connection sticks that the students can manipulate. All the bins allow the students to get active and use their brains to help create something. It is so amazing to watch my students faces light up when they are really getting involved with their materials and creating fun things. STEM is so important especially within the early years of a child. 

Hi there! I am currently in my student teaching program at the University of Houston. Within my kindergarten classroom we really try to implement STEM. We have STEM bins that the students are allowed to use at stations that are by far my favorite. Each bin has different materials in it. One has Legos blocks that the students can build with. Another has connection sticks that the students can manipulate. All the bins allow the students to get active and use their brains to help create something. It is so amazing to watch my students faces light up when they are really getting involved with their materials and creating fun things. STEM is so important especially within the early years of a child. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about this topic of STEM in the classroom, and I also agree that it benefits the students more than normal lecture-based learning. I will graduate and become a teacher next year, and the way that I would like to incorporate STEM into my classroom is by making sure that there are a lot of authentic, rich materials for the children to use. This gives the students, and the teacher, more room to have inquiry- based learning, and that is what STEM is all about! I want to allow and encourage my students to have hands-on experiences, and I want to provide them with the resouces to have these experiences, so that when they are older, they are a little bit more prepared. STEM can be incorporated into all classroom settings, and I believe fully in this education. 

After reading this thread about implenting STEM in the classroom, I got several good ideas and agreed with several of the people in this forum. In my future classroom, I believe that implementing STEM in extremely important. Before this semester, I was not sure how that would look exactly since math and literacy are usually the most focused on subjects in early childhood education. The best way to implement STEM is to make it is integrative, organized, engaging, and design focused. Science curriculum can easily be integrated into math and literacy which will allow for classroom time to be fully maximized. While practicing STEM, the lesson should come full circle and should include all parts of the 5E cycle. Experiments should be hands-on and engaging and should allow all students to be invloved and active in the inquiry. During the engage, the experiment should be modeled first by the teacher and safety should always be of upmost importance. STEM is a good way to get students engaed and interested in the classroom and should definitely be implemented on a regular basis. The field of STEM is such a growing industry and will eventually be a big part of the students education system, by implementing it in early childhood you are preparing students for what is to come. 

How I would implement stem is by having students role play as if they were scientist and carry out investigations. The main point of implementing STEM in the classroom is by having lots of hand on activities; in this case I would have many stations. My 5E lessons would involve more experiments where students have many opportunities to explore and ask many questions. Teaching them a lesson and having them explore outside the school walls is another way to implement STEM. There are so many places where as a teacher I can tell my students to visit or take as a fieldtrip. An example is the natural museum of science and they can explore and visit the different exhibits where they can get involved and thinking.

The research supports the benefits of STEM implemented in a natural way. It results in more engageed and motivated students. I plan on implementing STEM in my future classroom because I want my future students to develop a range of skills across different subjects. STEM leads to more hands-on activities and discussions. One way I plan on implementing STEM is by having different STEM bins in my classroom with different manipulative that students can use during group work, discussions and assessments.  

Implementing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in the classroom is very important. Exposing the students to STEM types of activities will support them in developing critical thinking, and problem solving strategies, as well as analyze new information, make observations, and ask questions. In my classroom, I will include hands on activities that will help them explore new concepts in ways that will engage them. Using educational technology, the students can conduct research on topics that they are interested in, and are developmentally appropriate. These types of activities will allow them to learn new things while making connections to what they been learning in the classroom. Another way to incorporate STEM in the classroom is by having stations that are dedicated to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, in the classroom that allow students to dive into those subjects in a way that is enjoyable to them.

I plan on implementing STEM 

This is such an important addition to your classroom, Cecilia! Students love to work with their hands and with science, technology, engineering and math if they are supported in their explorations. It sounds like you have really figured out how to integrate STEM into your classroom, allowing for plenty of time for your students to engage with the material and content. 

One of the biggest things I have found using STEM is that students will create new ideas and explorations if they are given the time. Students can be extremely inquisitive about these topics if they are given resources to explore. I really liked how you were talking about incorporating these into your future classroom and I hope to do the same! 

I feel another great tool to implement in a STEM classroom is problem-based learning. I am currently a student teacher at a STEM school and many of the classrooms use this tool. The students are given a problem and they are given time to solve it. The idea is to facilitate and encourage their problem solving and critical thinking skills. I feel that in a STEM classroom this is a great way for students to gain skills that they can use throughout their life. 

I have experienced STEM from both student perspective as well as from a teaching standpoint. From when I was a student, STEM has come a long way with the creativity and possibilities offered to students. STEM revolves around more problem solving and critical thinking skills within the areas of STEM focus. Creating an environment for students to immerse themselves into a topic they are interested in and get real life practical experiences in science, technology, engineering, and math makes the program very effective and engaging. It also creates a way for subjects to interconnect and work together to make the best opportunities for students in our classrooms.