STEM Integration Enhances and Supports Literacy Instruction
Teaching in a globally diverse classroom where the majority of our students are English Language Learners, it is imperative to create engaging hands on activities and visuals in order to ensure the mastery of required standards. The Common Core encourages that students understand the deeper meaning behind a text. By presenting students with a text and then supplying them with a STEM integrated project enhances their ability to comprehend the literature is advanced. STEM challenges are integrated based on the problem the characters are facing in the story. The children then work in collaborate teams to construct and engineer a design that would help solve the characters problem in the story. Students follow the engineering design process. STEM integration enhances and supports literacy instruction by providing students with a chance to learn in an engaging, collaborative and hands on way.
STEM and Literacy Unit Examples
Teaching in a globally diverse classroom where the majority of our students are English Language Learners, it is imperative to create engaging hands on activities and visuals in order to ensure the mastery of required standards. The Common Core encourages that students understand the deeper meaning behind a text. By presenting students with a text and then supplying them with a STEM integrated project enhances their ability to comprehend the literature is advanced. STEM challenges are integrated based on the problem the characters are facing in the story. The children then work in collaborate teams to construct and engineer a design that would help solve the characters problem in the story. Students follow the engineering design process. STEM integration enhances and supports literacy instruction by providing students with a chance to learn in an engaging, collaborative and hands on way.
STEM and Literacy Unit Examples
Literature
The Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf
Franklin Plants a Tree Three Billy Goats Gruff Spookly the Square Pumpkin Goldilocks and the Three Bears |
STEM Challenge
Students build houses strong enough to withstand the wind of a box fan which symbolizes the wolf's huffs and puffs
Students construct a plant protector that protects a sappling. Students engineering bridges that withstand the weight of goat figurines. Students develop a fence that would protect small pumpkins (candy corn) from rolling out during a "storm." Students build chairs that hold a weighted doll for 10 seconds. |
Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)
While studying at North Carolina State University I was introduced to the TPACK framework. The TPACK framework assists educators to understand the type of knowledge and the quality of collaborative and interactive instruction their students desire in order to be successful in mastering content areas. TPACK enhances our classrooms by encouraging constant reflection from teachers while they continue to develop the most beneficial and effective strategies to utilize while integrating various tools and content. Teacher reflection and refraction is key in the TPACK framework. As teachers develop their students Content Knowledge and content learning goals they ask themselves, What do I want my students to learn? While forming Pedagogical Knowledge teachers pose the questions, What method am I going to use? In order to fulfill the students engagement full circle, teachers build Technological Knowledge by answering, What tools and resources do my students need to succeed? Enhancing literacy instruction through STEM integration, students are learning the content, through interactive instructions methods while using innovated learning tools.
While studying at North Carolina State University I was introduced to the TPACK framework. The TPACK framework assists educators to understand the type of knowledge and the quality of collaborative and interactive instruction their students desire in order to be successful in mastering content areas. TPACK enhances our classrooms by encouraging constant reflection from teachers while they continue to develop the most beneficial and effective strategies to utilize while integrating various tools and content. Teacher reflection and refraction is key in the TPACK framework. As teachers develop their students Content Knowledge and content learning goals they ask themselves, What do I want my students to learn? While forming Pedagogical Knowledge teachers pose the questions, What method am I going to use? In order to fulfill the students engagement full circle, teachers build Technological Knowledge by answering, What tools and resources do my students need to succeed? Enhancing literacy instruction through STEM integration, students are learning the content, through interactive instructions methods while using innovated learning tools.
The Constructivist Learning Theory
To say that literacy and STEM integration supports the Constructivist Learning Theory is an understatement. The Constructivist Learning Theory states that through critical thinking, and interaction with a variety of instructional tools, students will create their own knowledge. By allowing STEM integration to to enhance and support literacy instruction, students design a pathway of their own learning. Constuctivists believe that the learner learns best when he/she is actively engaged. By exposing my globally diverse students to a piece of literature and integrating with a STEM based project, promotes an engaging work environment where not only are students working collaboratively and using 21st century team building skills, they are utilizing various technological resources and comprehending literature on unimaginable level. It is evident that STEM integration enhances and supports literacy instruction by providing students with ample opportunity to create their own curiosity, skills and knowledge.
To say that literacy and STEM integration supports the Constructivist Learning Theory is an understatement. The Constructivist Learning Theory states that through critical thinking, and interaction with a variety of instructional tools, students will create their own knowledge. By allowing STEM integration to to enhance and support literacy instruction, students design a pathway of their own learning. Constuctivists believe that the learner learns best when he/she is actively engaged. By exposing my globally diverse students to a piece of literature and integrating with a STEM based project, promotes an engaging work environment where not only are students working collaboratively and using 21st century team building skills, they are utilizing various technological resources and comprehending literature on unimaginable level. It is evident that STEM integration enhances and supports literacy instruction by providing students with ample opportunity to create their own curiosity, skills and knowledge.