Social Studies and STEM: An Unlikely Pairing

Purpose & objective

By redefining STEM as a mindset, Social Studies teachers can meaningfully integrate STEM into their classes to challenge students to critically think and develop, build, and nurture empathy skills.

In this presentation, participants will leave with a new understanding of STEM and its integration into the content (specifically social studies) classroom. We will look at how STEM is not a siloed based instruction (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), but rather a mindset of innovation and creativity. From this viewpoint, the possibilities of STEM within the classroom expands exponentially and focuses more on problem solving and critical thinking using content related to any discipline.

Outline

(10 minutes) Introduction, "defining STEM, and a hands-on STEM icebreaker activity that will also give participants an opportunity to work with other educators at the conference and begin to develop (or rethink) their own STEM mindset.
(10 minutes) Participants will learn about new ways to think about STEM and be provided a framework for how to plan STEM lessons and activities. This section will discuss how STEM thinking can apply to the humanities and how STEM can be used to build global citizenship and empathy through research and design thinking. Lesson examples will be provided.
(30 minutes) Participants will be given time to brainstorm and look through presenter-supplied and personal resources to develop ideas they can take away that tie to their own content. They will be given time to interact with the robotics and materials the presenters used (Ozobots, Spheros, Legos, and Keva planks).
(10 minutes) Participants will leave with an understanding of how STEM can integrate into all content areas (with a focus on the humanities - an often unlooked partnership). We will share the STEM challenges we have created and used over the past year and a half, the rubric we developed for assessment, and our way of bridging STEM and the humanities.

Supporting research

"Charting a Course for Success: America's Strategy for STEM Education "(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1STATa3u002YZFCr8MP3zKgaO3-yFqoDT/view?usp=sharing)

"Who becomes an Inventor in America? The Importance of Exposure to Innovation" (Equality of Opporutnity Project) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WDASzwt8LXkABIyyT7xLOq5kuwe1c46c/view?usp=sharing

"Sphero and the STEM Mindset" (this focuses on ELA - but content is still pertinent) https://sphero.com/blogs/news/teaching-ela-through-steam

"What is the value of STEM education? " https://www.invent.org/blog/trends-stem/value-stem-education