Pondering STEM
As an educator involved in science instruction for more than two decades, the value of STEM as a focus in interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary instruction is important. School administrators and school boards easily understand that STEM is a means to engage and attract the best and brightest students. Many educators understand what goes into STEM and what you need for it, but the process of implementing a STEM curriculum within the classroom is elusive on the best of days. There is a dilemma for all educators and learners when crafting a response to the question, “What does STEM look like in the classroom?” The common response is that STEM is simply any configuration of the disciplines with little regard for the outcome of the lesson. In other words, anything can be called STEM as long as it incorporates one, some, or all of the four disciplines commonly associated with STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. While the concept of STEM sounds wonderful at a philos