STEM
Welcome to the Future of STEM Education!
Kent ISD's STEM team provides equitable access and engagement in STEM professional learning, as well as, making connections between classroom learning and career pathways. We offer a wide range of services and supports, including writing grants to help teachers get STEM supplies; designing events to create authentic, career-based hands-on skills; providing access to try out technology before you buy; and much more.
Equitable Access and Engagement
Kent ISD's STEM team provides equitable access to high-quality STEM education for all learners. We strive to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to develop their potential through engaging activities.
Making Connections Between Classrooms and Career Pathways
We understand the importance of making connections between classroom learning and career pathways. We provide services that help teachers build bridges between the two and create a more seamless transition for students seeking employment in the field of STEM.
Authentic Hands-On Skills
Our services provide students with authentic hands-on skills they can use when they enter the workforce. We offer a variety of activities such as robotics, esports, project-based learning, 3D printing, and drone building that will give them a competitive edge in the job market.
STEM Services and Supports
STEM Professional Learning
At Kent ISD, we offer the highest quality of professional learning in STEM, empowering educators to explore ways to infuse their teaching and learning with creativity. Our professional learning will help you build knowledge, skills, and support in a professional network. You will gain insights on the latest trends in STEM education and develop strategies for incorporating them into the classroom setting. Plus, you will have the chance to earn SCECHs for your efforts. Explore our upcoming professional learning for STEM.
Keeping Up with STEM Education
As advocates for STEM education, our team understands the value of knowledge. We actively participate in various organizations that specialize in STEM education to keep up-to-date with the latest information, research, and trends. By being active members in these organizations, we can provide valuable insights and resources that can positively impact your district.
Some of the organizations we are a part of include:
- REMC Instructional Technology Specialists (RITS),
- Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL),
- Michigan EdTech Specialists (METS),
- Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Michigan Chapter,
- West Michigan Project-Based Learning Network,
- and MiSTEM Network (West Michigan Region).
Our goal is to empower you with the tools and knowledge necessary to make a meaningful impact in STEM education. We are committed to supporting you at every step of the way and ensuring that your voice is heard and valued.
STEM Updates and News
STEM Resources
Computer Science Resources: This document provides a range of computer science and technology resources for K-12 students and teachers, including professional associations, free video-based learning approaches, and an interactive online learning platform with a wide variety of computer science and programming courses. It aims to empower and engage students and teachers in critical digital skills, including digital literacy, coding, online safety, and virtual robotics.
Interdisciplinary: This document features a range of materials, including literature-based approaches to STEM learning, ready-to-teach science lessons, hands-on challenges, comprehensive curriculum programs, and inquiry-based STEAM experiences for grades PreK-12.
3P Learning (Project, Place, and Problem-Based Learning): This document provides 3P Learning (Project, Problem, Place) resources for grades PreK-12. It covers partnerships with businesses and education, STEM teacher empowerment, and high-quality STEM experiences in and out of school. The resource aims to transform the culture of STEM and provide PBL lesson examples, research, and workshops for educators.
STEM Research
"STEM is not a single subject, and it should not replace other subjects. Students need to learn the same concepts and skills in science and mathematics as they did before, and how to solve problems through engineering design challenges."
"STEM is also not a curriculum, but rather a way of organizing and delivering instruction. It is not another “ingredient” in the lesson “soup,” but the recipe for helping learners apply their knowledge and skills, collaborate with their peers, and understand the relevance of what they are learning. This does not de-emphasize the teaching of core ideas, but rather gives students the ability to know how they can apply the content they are learning."
National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). STEM Education Teaching and Learning. https://www.nsta.org/nstas-official-positions/stem-education-teaching-and-learning
The NSTA is a highly recognized and respected association. The NSTA strongly supports STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education that provides students with an interdisciplinary approach to learning. This document includes research and citations from many trusted authors.
"As a nation’s economy advanced, the requirements for skilled workers increased, especially the need for intellectual skills, including those often associated with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics."
The "Case for STEM Education" e-book has multiple objectives:
- contextualizes STEM education by highlighting its challenges and drawing lessons from the Sputnik moment of the 1950s and 1960s, it also contrasts contemporary STEM with other education reforms
- examines appropriate roles for the federal government, states, districts, and individual schools
- offers various ideas and recommendations to help you develop action plans for STEM
W. Bybee, R. (2013). The Case for STEM Education: Challenges and Opportunities. NSTApress. https://static.nsta.org/pdfs/samples/PB337Xweb.pdf
2023-2024 STEM Professional Learning Fast Facts
