S.T.E.M =

Science.Technology.Engineering.Math.

That’s the easy part.

The hard part is actually trying to explain what STEM means in schools. About 3 months ago when I began my journey as a STEM coach at Concordia International School, my first task was to begin slogging through the articles, blogs, videos, and definitions to try to determine exactly what STEM is and what it is not.

And now, after 3 months of research, I have come to an interesting conclusion. Nobody knows exactly what STEM means. Or, at the very least, nobody agrees. My very favorite article so far has come from Jonathan Gerlach, STEM: Defying a Simple Definition. In his article he concludes with this statement, “Everybody who thinks they know what it means, knows what it means within their field, and everybody else is defining it to fit their own needs.” In essence, what STEM means in education depends on who is discussing it.

Earlier in his article Gerlach points out that the main reason for this is that the structure of education is completely different from the structure of the workforce where STEM jobs occur. In education, even at our best moments of integration, we rarely reach the level of connectedness that occurs in the STEM workforce. Take a moment to think if there is any project or course that reaches the level of integration between subjects and within concepts that is necessary to design a Mars Rover, build and market an Apple computer, or just design a stapler.

So, despite my best efforts I am still discovering what STEM looks, sounds, feels and can be defined as in education. What I have learned is that STEM is easier to point to in the world outside the confines of our schools and if our goal is to teach students how to be effective citizens of that world, STEM is important. So even if we can’t quite put our finger on what it means, we need to keep trying.