STEM is an intentional, integrative approach to teaching and learning that can occur across all knowledge areas; it is not a specific curriculum.
The STEM approach focuses on providing opportunities for students to explore and develop a comprehensive set of concepts, competencies, and thinking skills.
STEM competencies include a vocabulary rich in the language of science, technology, engineering and math—words like hypothesis, gravity, buoyant, balance, temperature, and battery. STEM competencies also include basic principles of engineering, like problem-solving and planning; of science, like experimentation and observation; of technology, like using tools to complete both a task and solve real world problems; and of math by recognizing that basic principles of math are part of everyday activities, like comparing and contrasting, counting, and dividing a whole to create equal parts.
Course Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate how learning standards for early childhood promote the development of STEM concepts, competencies, and thinking skills.