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STEM Integration in the Classroom

Caitlin Hallam

Coastal Carolina University

Professor Dianne Mark

EDUC 111

Section 06

February 28, 2019

Abstract

This paper explains the necessity of STEM integration in the classroom. STEM

integration is just as beneficial for teachers as it is for students. Exposure to STEM at an early

age can benefit children in the long run. Science, technology, engineering, and math are all

important stepping stones for children to be able to learn important skills. Students learn how to

work together to solve problems as well as critical thinking skills. STEM materials are

inexpensive which means there is even more reason to integrate it into the classroom. Students

will benefit from learning STEM and can utilize material learned as an advantage in the future.
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Introduction

STEM integration has really been pushed the last few years in classrooms and schools. It

is extremely useful to utilize STEM programs and STEM incorporation into modern day

classrooms. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are all very important for people

to know and it is best to get people started at a young age, because they are impressionable and

are more apt to want to learn. The subjects that make up STEM can set a wonderful foundation

for all students and they can set students up to be successful in the future. I come from a small

town, New Egypt, located in the direct center of New Jersey. My school district did not integrate

STEM programs into any of the schools until I was a senior in high school. It was tremendously

unbeneficial to me as a student, because I would have liked to focus more on mathematics and

engineering in high school, but instead had to fill my schedule with electives, like art. If I was

introduced to STEM programs as a student in elementary school, I would have been even more

prepared for future schooling than I was.

More than a foundation: young children are capable STEM learners

This journal told about the benefits of introducing children to STEM at an early age, as

well as the integration of STEM into the classroom. Students benefit from STEM programs and

lessons in school and so do teachers. Students are able to learn important skills from working

with STEM programs. Elementary students and early childhood students are able to learn how to

collaborate to solve problems, develop solutions to issues concerning any of the STEM

principles, and to believe in themselves. Classrooms and schools that use STEM are able to see

more successful educators and more excited students. STEM integration teaches educators to
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continue to learn with students, it teaches students different problem-solving methods and that

they can do anything, and it shows parents that their children are capable of anything.

Also, STEM is very simplistic and there are many different ways to integrate into the

classroom and lesson plans. Teachers do not need to know everything about STEM in order to

teach it to students. It does not require any expertise in the subject or material at hand, it only

requires a positive attitude to teach to inquiring minds. Children are exceptionally

impressionable and know when teachers and parents do not believe in them. Parents and teachers

that are open to teaching STEM and integrating into learning material are showing children that

they believe in them. This shows students that they can count on endless support from parents

and teachers, and that is a good feeling for students being introduced to something that seems so

complex. Using this in a classroom can be really beneficial for teachers because it opens their

minds to STEM subjects and engages them in the lessons as well as students, creating an inviting

classroom for discussions and collaboration.

STEM use in early childhood education

This article was very informative when it came to getting the message across that STEM

integration in classrooms is extremely important as well as necessary. Multiple elementary

educators give their opinions on STEM being a part of their classroom. Students do well with

STEM integration because it allows them to explore and go more in-depth in science, math,

technology, and engineering. These subjects are vital in today’s world, and teachers are doing

their students justice by integrating into the classroom and the lesson plans. Students are

encouraged to work together to either solve the problem or complete the task at hand. STEM

learning does not only encourage collaboration and problem-solving, but it gives students a

wonderful learning opportunity that they might not have gotten otherwise. The reason STEM is
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so important to integrate into the modern-day classroom is because it is teaching students key

skills that they can utilize in other aspects of life. This can be useful in future classrooms because

it will help educators better prepare students for what to expect when they move on into the real

world. It also exposes students to skills necessary for most jobs and careers.

STEM resources and materials for engaging learning experiences

Materials can be easy to find and inexpensive for teachers to buy for their classroom and

students. Utilization of everyday objects and materials is key to demonstrating good use of

STEM skills in the classroom and in the child’s life. Children learning through STEM integration

are being exposed to ideas and skills that they may not have gotten had STEM not been learned.

Teachers can easily give students this advanced exposure by providing them with materials that

can broaden their educational horizons. Students that use the tools and materials provided by the

teacher are engaging more in their own education rather than letting the educator teach a topic. It

allows for students to solve problems and think critically which are both useful skill from STEM

integration that will help the children as they become adults in the real world. This is useful for a

classroom in the future because anytime a child is expanding their knowledge, the teacher has

already done that child justice. Expanding their knowledge leads to confident students and

people.

How to integrate STEM into early childhood education

STEM integration at an early age is extremely beneficial for young children. It gets the

gears in their minds turning and produces more thoughtful questions and answers. Science,

technology, engineering, and mathematics are essential to attaining most careers nowadays.

When students begin to learn these subjects at an early age, they will have an advantage. STEM

integration is no longer just a thought or a good thing to begin, it is essential to start students off
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learning STEM. Although STEM learning is essential for students, it is also a great learning

opportunity for teachers. Classroom integration gives children necessary skills, but it also

encourages teachers to continue learning. If the teachers are excited about learning new things,

students are going to be excited to learn STEM as well. STEM is an integral part of the education

system, and it is even better to integrate STEM in to the classroom when children are young and

impressionable. This can be useful in a future classroom because students will like the subject

matter they are learning, and the teacher will not be bored teaching because they will be with the

student learning.

Conclusion

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics would have been extremely beneficial

to me as a young student. I really love math so I would have a better educational experience than

I did if I was exposed to STEM as a child. My school did students a huge injustice by never

integrating STEM into classrooms until I was ready to graduate. My fellow classmates and I

never got the opportunities to think critically about topics, we did not learn what it meant to

collaborate in order to problem-solve until we learned what it was ourselves. Through STEM, I

could have learned these skills at a younger age and perfected them over the years, but instead I

had to figure out myself doing work in school that did not interest me at all, which led to a

mediocre learning experience at best. I wish I could have been exposed to STEM because it

would have benefited me tremendously.

When I do finally become an elementary educator, I am going to do everything I can to

give students the opportunities not given to me by my school. I want students to feel comfortable

in my classroom and leave at the end of the year feeling as if they learned something valuable.

Even if they do not realize it for a few years, I want students to know I was exposing them to
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STEM because it would benefit them in the future. After reading these summaries, I have every

intention of integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics into my future

classroom. I want my future students to take away important life skills like collaboration,

problem-solving, and critical thinking. STEM integration was necessary when I was a child, it is

necessary now, and it will be necessary in the future.

References

Linder, S. M., Emerson, A. M., Hefron, B., Shelvin, E., & Vest, A. (2016). STEM use in early

childhood education. YC: Young Children, 71(3), 87-91.

McClure, E. (2017). More than a foundation: Young children are capable STEM learners. YC:

Young Children, 72(5), 83-89.

McClure, E., Gluernsey, L., Clements, D., Bales, S., Nichols, N., Taylor, K., & Levine, M.

(2017). How to integrate STEM into early childhood education. Science and

Children, 55(2), 8-10.

Ruzzi, B. L., & Eckhoff, A. (2017). STEM resources and materials for engaging learning

experiences. YC: Young Children, 72(1), 90-93.