How do we think of STEM? 

What is STEM?

It wasn’t too long ago that the idea of STEM didn’t exist. While you might think the meaning of STEM is obvious, it used to mean a lot of things. At its simplest, STEM is just a grouping of the disciplines of  Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. These fields have a number of similarities and so sometimes it makes sense to group them in the same way we often group the “Arts.” However, if you think about it, each of these disciplines is enormous and has a huge amount of diversity in terms of topics and approaches to research. For example, just within the area of Science there are fields like Biology, Psychology, Geology, Chemistry, Astronomy and Physics. And each of those fields has numerous subfields (e.g., Physics contains subfields of astrophysics, quantum physics, particle physics, and optics)! The same goes for Technology, Engineering and Mathematics too.

Interrelations in STEM

Not only are there similarities in the focus of these disciplines that make it useful to group them, but they are often interrelated in the knowledge, strategies or tools used to investigate topics. For example, there might be an Engineering researcher who is studying the strength of Spider silk. In her research her team might have a lot of knowledge of the chemistry of the silk and an understanding of the physics of how it can tolerate high forces. They might need to use advanced computers and technologies to make precise measurements of how the silk can hold lots of weight. From this, they can calculate its strength and use those values to compare it to other materials like steel and nylon.

Research Strategies in STEM

Now that we understand how STEM fields are connected, let’s look at how STEM professionals actually do their work. One of the reasons these fields are grouped together is that they share common research strategies. Whether you’re a biologist studying ecosystems or an engineer designing a bridge, you’ll follow similar steps to solve problems:

1. Identify a problem or question about how the world works
2. Consider all the factors that might be involved to develop hypotheses and design experiments
3. Collect data through experiments or observations
4. Analyze this data to draw conclusions

This problem-solving approach is at the heart of STEM work. As future educators, understanding this process will help you guide your students in thinking like STEM professionals.

Sharing of Information in STEM

Additionally, there is often a lot of sharing of information across these fields which lead to the benefit of a wider audience. Often this happens through publishing results in journals and sharing at meetings, but there are other ways ideas get shared that can spread the learning. For example, a company in China may create a new type of sensor. An engineering company in Kenya learns about this and incorporates this sensor into a piece of equipment they are building for use by medical researchers in Rome to detect cancer. Those researchers share the results at a medical conference in Chicago and doctors from Riley Children’s Hospital hear about the results and are intrigued. Within a few weeks, they order a machine which makes it from South Africa to the United States where doctors begin using it to screen children for cancer. Not many fields share information as openly as is done in STEM and this has enormous ramifications for how quickly we can learn from one another.

Teaching STEM in Schools

From the above it may not be clear how you might teach STEM in schools. Do we go about just teaching the subjects separately as has been tradition for 100+ years? We do not think this is the way to go. Instead, we move beyond traditional subject-based instruction. Instead, we focus on developing students’ understanding of how to explore the world and solve problems using integrated knowledge from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Key approaches include:

1. Inquiry-based learning: Encourage students to explore topics that interest them.
2. Interdisciplinary projects: Design activities that naturally blend different STEM disciplines.
3. Real-world problem-solving: Present challenges that require applying STEM concepts to practical issues.

The goal is NOT to cover all aspects of STEM in every lesson, but to vary the focus across projects. This approach helps students understand how STEM disciplines interact to address complex problems.

For example, a project on designing a solar-powered car integrates physics (energy conversion), technology (solar panels), engineering (car design), and mathematics (efficiency calculations). Such projects demonstrate the interconnected nature of STEM fields and their real-world applications.

In a classroom, STEM projects can go in many directions, and supporting learners to investigate topics in a meaningful way is what’s most important, regardless of what disciplinary boundaries they might cross. In our STEM for Educators class, we will work to develop your knowledge across STEM disciplines so you feel comfortable guiding your learners through integrated projects. We will do our best to model this approach frequently throughout the course, giving you a practical sense of what integrated STEM education looks like in practice. This will prepare you to create engaging, cross-disciplinary learning experiences in your own classroom.