Interpretation of the Connotation of STEM Education
1, science is a knowledge system that reflects the objective laws of nature, society and thinking.
2. Technology is a general term for tools, methods and experiences to solve problems.
3. Engineering is a process of creating man-made objects by using scientific principles and technical means.
4. Mathematics is a science that studies the relationship between spatial form and quantity.
In recent years, some scholars have added art (humanities art) to STEM and transformed it into STEAM. Art in a narrow sense refers to art, music and so on. And in a broad sense, including art, music, society, language and other humanities, actually represents the artistic and humanistic attributes emphasized by STEAM.
STEM education is a way and method to guide teaching and learning by integrating the contents of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM integrates the characteristics of various disciplines and organically unifies the acquisition of knowledge, the use of methods and tools and the process of innovative production.
What are the characteristics of STEM education? How did it develop in China?
1, STEM education not only advocates the acquisition of abstract knowledge through self-study or teacher's teaching, but also emphasizes students' hands-on, brains and participation in the learning process. STAM education provides students with a hands-on learning experience. Students use their mathematics and scientific knowledge to deal with real-world problems, create, design, construct, discover, cooperate and solve problems. Therefore, STEM education has the characteristics of experience. In the process of participating and experiencing knowledge, students not only gain the result knowledge, but also gain the process knowledge included in the project problem solving process.
2.STEM education has situational characteristics, emphasizing that students can acquire the ability to apply maker knowledge in a situational way, and at the same time understand and identify knowledge expression in different situations. STEM education emphasizes that knowledge is the product of learners' interactive construction through learning environment, rather than being instilled from outside.
3.STEM education emphasizes mutual assistance and inspiration in group cooperation, and constructs group knowledge. In the process of completing the task, students need to communicate and discuss with others. The collaboration of STEAM education requires that the design of learning environment should include two elements: collaboration and dialogue: let students analyze learning materials in groups, put forward and verify assumptions, and evaluate learning results.
4.STEM education requires that the learning output link includes design works, which can promote the integration, migration and application of knowledge and externalize the learning results and acquired knowledge and ability through works. Students learn knowledge, exercise ability and improve STEM literacy in the design process, so design is the core feature of STEM education.
5. interdisciplinary. STEM education emphasizes the integration of various disciplines, develops students' multiple intelligences in learning and doing, and constantly cultivates students' innovative consciousness, innovative ability and innovative spirit through the regular connection of various disciplines.
STEM mode is an original teaching mode developed according to children's characteristics, which is based on situational teaching, dual-teacher teaching and education, and customized curriculum orientation training.
To sum up, STEM's educational model should be born in line with the operation of science and technology education, rather than teaching through it. The ultimate goal is to change children's learning from passive to active, instead of being blindly instilled with knowledge and giving full play to children's imagination and creativity.
The focus of STEM development in China is to cultivate children's innovative consciousness, divergent thinking, imagination, ability to find problems, intellectual property awareness and so on. Colleges and universities should cooperate with relevant enterprises to jointly develop STEM education. China's DFRobot, such as Shanghai, is very advanced. At present, it cooperates with many universities in China to provide STEM education kits and related competition kits.