Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM)
STEM Ecosystem Website Launched
The Virginia Department of Education, in collaboration with the Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board, is excited to announce the launch of the Virginia STEM Ecosystem Website. This centralized platform is designed to empower students, educators, and families by providing streamlined access to STEM programs, instructional resources, and professional development opportunities across the commonwealth.
To foster a robust statewide network, STEM organizations, higher education institutions, and school divisions are invited to submit programs for inclusion in the site’s searchable database. This initiative directly aligns with the Virginia STEM network vision and advances 3E Readiness (Employment, Enlistment, and Enrollment) as outlined in the School Performance and Support Framework.
What is STEM Education?
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education entails authentic learning experiences for all students with an interdisciplinary and applied approach where all fields connect in complex relationships. In today’s economy, problems are not solved in isolation of a specific discipline, but are solved through multiple approaches and perspectives. A strong STEM educational foundation helps to prepare our students for tomorrow’s world by emphasizing collaborative, innovative, quantitative and logical analysis rooted in a solid understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Three main principles to drive STEM education.
- STEM education should advance the learning of each individual STEM discipline.
- STEM education should provide logical and authentic connections between and across the individual STEM disciplines.
- STEM education should serve as a bridge to STEM careers.
How is STEM Education being refocused?
Recently there has been a shift in beliefs about the purpose of STEM education. Traditionally a STEM education focused on creating a pipeline of students whose educational backgrounds prepared them for a STEM-specific workforce. Today, the focus is on developing STEM-literate citizens necessary for success in any 21st century profession. STEM literacy is the ability to identify and acknowledge science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts and processes in everyday life.
STEM literacy comes from an understanding that it takes
- a scientific approach to observe and interpret the world;
- technology to serve as a tool to solve problems or reach a goal;
- engineering to design, test and solve a problem through the creation of products or processes; and
- mathematics to help quantify, comprehend and evaluate the problem and solution’s success.
As students become STEM literate citizens, they have the foundational content and the discipline processes to allow them make informed decisions and to participate in public/civil discourse concerning future STEM issues and technologies.
How does the vision for STEM education align with the School Support and Performance Framework?
The Virginia Department of Education has aligned the vision for STEM education with the 3E component of the School Performance and Support Framework and the Profile of a Graduate. The Profile describes the knowledge, skills, experiences, and attributes that students must attain to be successful in college and/or the work force and to be life-ready in an economy and a world characterized by rapid change. Knowing facts and figures is not enough to prepare students for tomorrow’s future. Today’s economy requires people to be critical and creative thinkers, excellent communicators, collaborators and community-minded citizens. Developing well-rounded and prepared graduates starts early and must be a part of the learning environment in kindergarten through high school. The Virginia Department of Education will ensure that these vital skills are part of every student’s education.
Engineering Design
Engineering design practices are similar to those used in an inquiry cycle; both use a system of problem-solving and testing to come to a conclusion. However, unlike the inquiry cycle in which students ask a question and use the scientific method to answer it, in the engineering and design process, students use existing scientific knowledge to solve a problem. Both include research and experimentation; however, the engineering design process has the goal of solving a societal problem and may have multiple solutions. The engineering design process below is from the 2018 Science Standards of Learning.
The engineering design process is iterative. Although there are steps to the process, movement between the various steps may not be sequential and may be repeated as the student or engineer develops potential solutions to the problem. The process includes:
- Define the problem and determine the parameters
- Brainstorm potential solutions
- Research the problem (this can be done before the brainstorm session)
- Pick one solution, plan a prototype, and determine what data to collect to determine its effectiveness
- Build the prototype
- Test the prototype
- Improve the prototype and test it again
- Communicate the results
Refer to Why EiE for more information on the engineering and design process.
For more on STEM instruction in Virginia, please contact Anne Petersen, Director of STEM.