What is STEM Education?
Key to STEM education is the integration of curriculum areas along with general capabilities to solve authentic, real-world problems.
When students learn within the context of authentic projects, they can see clear connections between syllabus outcomes and real-world application. Through STEM, students apply skills, knowledge and understandings the way they will be applied in the workforce and in their daily lives.
Teaching STEM
Through STEM, students develop key skills to support them to succeed at schools and beyond including:
- critical thinking
- creativity
- problem-solving
- collaboration
- communication
- independent thinking
- initiative
- digital literacy.
At Mascot Public School we have been embracing this approach over the last couple of years, with intensive training for the teaching staff and the purchase of new resources, including more Lego WeDo, Dash and Blue Bots.
Dash
Dash is a real robot that responds to voice commands or any of the five apps to sing, draw, and move around. It’s more than learning to code. Dash lets students explore loops, events, conditions, and sequences and see how they result in dash’s real-life movements
Blue Bot
Blue-Bot is an innovative Bluetooth robot that can be controlled using a tablet or PC/Mac whereby students can create a program on screen, send it remotely and see Blue-Bot performs the program right before their very eyes! With a clear shell, students can see inside Blue-Bot and understand which components perform which duties.
Lego WeDo
With real-world science projects, including engineering, technology and coding, students experience how science comes to life. WeDo builds students’ confidence to ask questions, define problems and design their own solutions, by putting discovery in their hands and their minds. Ignite students’ curiosity and enhance their skills in science, engineering, technology and coding. The Lego WeDo combines the LEGO brick, classroom-friendly software, engaging, standards-based science projects and every student’s desire to explore.
