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As a new teacher, I would like to know the best way to implement a STEM program if your school does not already have a program in place. What are some resources to use when implementing a STEM program and is there a certain method to use when implementing it? How could you propose a school-wide STEM program if your school does not already have one? STEM is a fairly new concept for me, and I have found it very interesting to be able to integrate all of those different areas into one program. I also think that STEAM is great. Art has always been an interest for me so being able to also integrate art into these subjects sounds so interesting. Thanks for the tips! -Brittany

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. I don’t believe that this should be thought of as a new concept because we teach students science and math almost every day, and they encounter these subjects every day. Students walk outside, and there’s science all around them. Students use math every day to pay for drinks or food, simple addition or subtraction, and counting. They use technology every day too with cell phones, laptops, Ipads, etc. These topics aren’t hard for the students to learn because they already know things about them and encounter them every day. We just need to turn them into an educational teaching that promotes higher thinking. I would implement STEM within my class by having my Kindergarten students work on simple yet, challenging experiments. For example, my students need to build a bridge for 21 elephant counters. All of my students know how to count to 100, and they all know how to make and build things like bridges, towers, cutouts, etc. Now they need to use trial and error to see if what they think works (science). They would then need to count how many elephants they can fit (math) on the bridge they built (engineering).  In the end, the teacher can help the students record their finding on video or add the audio to a picture using an Ipad (technology).

I want to implement STEM in my classroom, I can use Lindsey's building bridge idea and modify it to my 2nd grade students. I could make 5 groups of students, each group will use the same materials like tape, straws, toothpicks, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks to build a bridge that is strong enough to fit and hold the size and the weight of 4 large erasers. Then we'll test the final products and have the students to submit a video of the testing part of their bridge. Later, the whole class will take a survey to answer questions that will connect their prior knowledge and experience while experimenting building the bridge.

I am in my first semester of student teaching and I am learning more and more everyday. I like what STEM stands for and how it is used in the classroom. I would like to learn how I could implement this into my third grade classroom that I am currently in. I have not seen STEM being implemented where I am at. What are some good ideas of some ways that I could introduce STEM to the classroom. Adrene Henninger

I am in my first semester of student teaching as well.  STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.  I hope to teach fifth grade math and/or science someday.  I would like to use hands on projects to get the kids excited about STEM in my classroom.  An easy science experiment I could do to engage them about the three main stages of matter (no plasma or Bose-Einstein condensate) with them is to change ice to liquid, and then the liquid to gas.  We could discuss the various types of matter and name/identify some different solids, liquids, and gases present in the classroom.  It would keep the children motivated and eager to learn.  I would also stress to them that STEM is everywhere around them and encourage them to think about the lessons they learn in class and apply them to real world activities.  I hope to do at least one or two experiments a week or at least have a hands on/visual display of the subject being discussed if possible.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. I am student teaching in a first-grade classroom, and like Lindsey mentioned, most of us are already using STEM all around us. I would implement STEM in my future classroom by crafting activities that allow the students to use creativity, hands-on materials, and collaboration with their peers. Students learn in various ways, and sometimes it helps them to learn from each other. This being said, in math, I would have my students share their problem solving techniques step by step with each other so that other students can get inspiration and possibly understand that way better. Especially in science, I would design meaningful activities that the students can relate to and understand. An example of this would be using a hairdryer to melt ice or a crayon while teaching them the different states of matter and how a solid can change into a liquid. I hope to gain many more ideas on how to implement STEM education in my future classroom because I know there are great opportunities ahead for students!

Hello Lindsey! I am in my first semester as well!! STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and mathematics) is awesome! I think it is interesting to want to reach all subjects in this project of yours! I think it is a great idea to use the manipulative and have them make something creative along with other subjects! Since my class in the 6th grade I think I would have to do it a little different. I was thinking with STEM I could have the students incorporate technology into a science project. Since many of my students are well versed in their phones and technology I thought it would be an interesting way to join the subjects. I think I would do this by having the kids a 3D replica of different types of cells on the computer with a program.

Hi! I am currently a student teacher in a first grade classroom and I really get to see first hand how science is being taught. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and it is an overall great thing to implement in to everyones classroom. I personally would implement STEM in my classroom to keep my students interested in learning and continue to ask questions. There is science and math all around us everyday that has potential to be explored and learn something from. Students having real world connections to their world and what they learn, helps students understand and grasp knowldege. STEM promotes learning, curiosity, and critical thinking that offer students many possibilities.

Hello! I love the idea of STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and math) and implementing in classrooms. I think it is important for every grade to use STEM in their classes. I am in a fifth grade reading and writing class and even though we are not in science, they still use this in their classroom! We implement STEM in our class by exploring new ideas and using student driven activities. Science is used in every subject and it is important to let students use technology and other tools to guide them to real-world connections.

Hi! I am in my first semester student teaching and I am beginning to learn all about STEM.
STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific content areas, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Rather than teaching these areas separately, STEM integrates them into one cohesive unit applying it to real-world applications. The biggest thing I have learned that STEM is everywhere. At first it seems like how can I do this? But it in everything we do. I would have implemented it in my classroom with everyday hands on activities during Math and Science that are inquiry based and that allow them to discover and create. For example, this week we are teaching nonstandard measurement to my first graders, I would have them building a tower out of blocks and then have them measuring how many unfix cubes high is their tower. STEM is everywhere, there are limitless
possibilities and that’s what makes it great. The students get to create, explore learning.

This is my first semester of student teaching in a second-grade classroom.  As others have suggested in this discussion thread, it is crucial to implement STEM in the classrooms so that students can begin to develop an interest in the topic.  As future educators, we can inform our students that they are exposed to STEM in everything they do inside and outside the classroom.  For example, students use technology every day with the use of cell phones, computers, and IPads.  Also, students use math when they count money and engineering skills when they build objects with blocks.  A way to implement STEM in the classroom is by integrating it during centers.  Students can use manipulatives and experiment with hands-on activities.  You can engage the students by creating activities that are fun and connected to real-world experiences. 

I, as most of you here, am also in my first semester of students teaching. Before getting into the education field I had never heard of STEM, but as I discovered what it was I realized how STEM wasn’t something new being that we use it in our everyday lives. I would like to teach anything from 1st to 5th grade. I would love to see how I can incorporate STEM into each grade level. A way I would implement STEM would be by doing the egg drop experiment. I personally think it’s a fun yet great learning experience for children. I myself have done it in the past and learned from trial and error and had fun along the way. With the egg drop experiment I would be able to incorporate STEM.  Students would be able to experiment, make hypothesis, predictions, and record their work along the way (Science). They would use materials given to them to build some type of protection so that the egg won’t break when dropped (engineering). Students will record times (math and technology), and they can video record their egg when it’s being dropped (technology). I would love to know of other ways and strategies to implement STEM education in my classroom to share with my students and set them up for success.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  There has been an increase number of jobs related to STEM. That is why it is important to incorporate it into our classrooms. After reading I found out that STEM can be incorporated into other subjects such as history and social studies, subjects you do not typically think of when you hear the word STEM. STEM is important because it challenges children and lets their creativity  flow. As a future educator it’s important to keep in mind that  there is not right answer that I must let my students figure certain stuff on their own. I plan to incorporate STEM in my classroom through literacy. I can do this buy having books for my students to read such as Shark Lady, The Girl Who Thought in Pictures  and other books that deal with science, technology, engineering or mathematics. I also plan to incorporate STEM with different centers in my classroom. These centers will vary depending on the grade level I’m teaching. However, all my centers despite grade level will give students the opportunity to build. Students can build/create with materials such as building block or Lego. I would like to learn other ways to incorporate it into my future classroom and set my students up to succeed.

As many of my peers, I am a first semester student teacher. Education has always been very important because my parents enforced it upon my siblings and I as we grew. Due to the fact that many of us are future educators we have to inform ourselves with the principles of STEM. In all honestly, I didn’t hear about STEM up until high school. Of course, it was implemented in the learning we got from our teachers. It just wasn’t specified to it being called STEM. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. To this day STEM can be hard to define because it means different things to different people. Every single subject has endless terms that are incorporated and branched of. There are different approaches used depending on the grade level of the students. I plan to incorporate STEM with different centers and activities in the classroom. For example, one of my favorite activities is “Paper Tower Activity Challenge.” Students get he opportunity to work as a group and build the tallest tower possible by ONLY using paper notecards and nothing else. It is a great activity for any grade level. This activity incorporates them using problem solving, thinking critically and collaborating with each other. There are many effective ways of implementing STEM in our classrooms. We just have to make sure we create an environment that will encourage them to ask questions and use their skills for them to succeed.

STEM is something that is all around us. In order to implement STEM in K-3 I would imagine hands on would be the best possible scenario. If you remember, at that age, sitting and listening was not a strong suit of most kids. Kinesthetic learning with visual and auditory generally works well for younger grades. I have found that the more you get your students involved in the learning process from start to finish....ie....set up and clean up,.... you will have much happier autonomous learners.  

A great way to generate interest in STEM is to host a STEM family night.  Our district has had much success and a tremendous amount of parent and community support.  NSTA has a great resource book about implementing a STEM night in your school.  There are also a number of people who have posted information about their STEM nights on the internet.  You can locate by doing a simple Google search - Elementary School STEM night.  

It is so much fun to see students and parent engaged in STEM activities together, and it gets everyone excited about starting/implementing a STEM program at your school or STEM components into classrooms.  

Good luck!

Hi Good Morning,

The idea of STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and math) and implementing it in classrooms is excellent for our students. it's important for all grade levels to use STEM in their classroom. I studying to be an Elementary ED teacher and when I do community hours in the schools I see that they implement STEM in their classroom which is great for the students because they used their ideas and they do a lot of activities. Science is an important subject in classroom students used science every single day with cellphone communication and with the computer which is important that students have these opportunities to learn in class.

There are a lot of great ideas in the comments, which are great for students persuing their education degree and want to know more about using STEM in their classroom (like me!). I appreciate everyone's input and I hope to use some of your ideas in the future!

The STEM curriculum, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, lays the groundwork for future developments in society.

Making links between each term and its meaning will help the kids grasp its significance, which is one strategy I may use in this curriculum. It might seem a little challenging for them to truly comprehend the message behind it since I am doing my student teaching in a kindergarten class, but they can comprehend the basic ideas behind it. Kindergarteners, for instance, are able to understand what safety means (covering clothers, eyes, hands, etc.) It's not only that they understand that; they also understand that technology plays a role in the creation of things and that science uses numbers, or data, to identify various entities. Students are able to design their own scientists. with all the necessary tools, including clothing and equipment. In order to allow them time to consider and digest the information, it is advisable to provide an example before they attempt to design their own study based on their own interests. In order to facilitate their understanding, it is beneficial to draw parallels with known concepts.

STEM is something that has been more heard of now, before it was something that not many had heard of or rather new about. Now, it is something that one hears more often and it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, in which are skills that we use in a daily basis. Having students work on these skills that will be essential to them in the future is important as our future leaders, in where they can use these skills to problem solve, critically think, and ask questions. I personally love anything that is hands on, it gives students a sense of power and ownership, one of my most memorable memories from school was making ice cream, we got to make ice cream from scratch, watching and discussing the different states of properties, from liquid to solid. Using measuring tools to measure, using force to shake the bag, watching and physically being part of that process was awesome, and of course getting to eat it was the best of all. These are things that students will find most memorable to them and connect to in the future. 

I like seeing these STEM ideas for elementary grades.  I wonder if elementary school teachers find it challenging to incorporate STEM activities.  I teach middle school science so I'm not directly responsible for delivering the math, reading, and writing lessons to my students (of course I do so anyway).  However, I would think that some elementary teachers would be attracted to STEM projects since they have the potential of hitting all of their subject matter. Have you found this to be the case elementary teachers?

STEM is crucial in the classroom. STEM is the future of society as jobs continue to move towards technology. It's important to allow these experiences in the classroom and expose students to a possible field. STEM as a whole can be creative and emotionally impactful as it teaches independent skills. I find it difficult at times to include STEM in everyday lessons but I attempt to have it a minimum of once a week. I feel that having support from your administration and district to make these experiences possible.