ERIC Number: EJ1130728
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Feb
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2158-0502
EISSN: N/A
Integrated STEM: A New Primer for Teaching Technology Education
Asunda, Paul A.; Mativo, John
Technology and Engineering Teacher, v76 n5 p14-19 Feb 2017
Part One of this article ("Technology and Engineering Teacher," 75(4), December/January, 2016) presented a process that science, math, engineering, and technology teachers could use to collaborate and design integrated STEM courses. A conceptual framework was discussed that could provide a premise that educators interested in delivery of STEM content could reflect upon to integrate STEM disciplines in the classroom. The authors argued that this framework offered teachers a common philosophical understanding of how to integrate science and mathematical practices into an engineering/technology education course project. For the purposes of that paper, the designing of a safe swing set was utilized to illustrate how science, math, engineering, and technology teachers may forge a collaborative teaching effort to integrate STEM concepts into teaching practices. This paper examines what materials may withstand such forces safely in order to design a safe swing set. First, by referring to the Asunda and Mativo article, one notices there is a child who is 45 kg sitting on a swing that is 2 meters in length. Since lessons are learned using both metric units and United States Customary Units (USCU), and metric units were used in the past article, this article uses the Imperial system of measurement. The child weight in the Imperial system of measurement will be considered as 99 lbs., while the swing length will be 6.6 ft. The article next describes the lesson objectives, equipment/materials list, and the activity where students will construct a prototype swing set using the materials provided. Students will relate science and math concept(s) to engineering/technology education as discussed by the science, math, engineering, and technology teacher. A documented evaluation process can be designed based upon the identified learning objectives examined in students' artifacts, (i.e., in sketch designs, notebook) with science/math/engineering/technology education concepts and how these inform the construction of a chosen swing set design, the prototype, and any testing strategies the students may have documented. This approach may develop students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills through which they can transfer STEM-related skills and concepts to the 21st century STEM workplace. [For the first artile in this two-part series, see EJ1083032.]
Descriptors: STEM Education, Technology Education, Teaching Methods, Common Core State Standards, Academic Standards, Technological Literacy, Engineering Education, Integrated Curriculum, Problem Based Learning, Problem Solving, Instructional Design, Lesson Plans, Interdisciplinary Approach, Critical Thinking, Pragmatics, Systems Approach, Learning Theories, Constructivism (Learning), Goal Orientation, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Educational Practices
International Technology and Engineering Educators Association. 1914 Association Drive Suite 201, Reston, VA 20191-1539. Tel: 703-860-2100; Fax: 703-860-0353; e-mail: iteea@iteea.org; Web site: https://www.iteea.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A