High Quality Science Education

Through out our program, and especially this course, we have learned the importance of STEM education. Probably more important, we have learned that it's imperative students get exposed to STEM at a young age. I have the privilege of teaching at a school that educates students in grades K-8. In addition I am now head of the science department. With the situation I have been placed in, I have the opportunity to expose kids to science at a very young age. To accomplish this goal, all teachers, especially our lower grades teachers, need to be comfortable with teaching the science content. To aid with this, I will suggest that all science teachers at my school, especially elementary science teachers, attend professional development courses that focus on the science curriculum and ways to incorporate STEM. In addition, I would like to start a science club for both elementary and middle school students. The two should probably be separate, but I think it will be good if the older kids could help the younger kids during the meetings. Furthermore, I feel students should be exposed to professionals in the STEM fields and hear how rewarding the field can be. Hopefully this will help build students that will be competitive in the global economy which is being driven by STEM related fields.