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Inquiry-based learning emphasizes the student’s role in the learning process. Instead of memorizing facts and material, students learn by doing and by asking questions and discussing these questions. This strategy encourages curiosity and engagement, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject.

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Inquiry-based learning is more than asking a student what he or she wants to know. It's about triggering curiosity. And activating a student's curiosity is, I would argue, a far more important and complex goal than mere information delivery.

Despite its complexity, inquiry-based learning can be easier on teachers, partly because it transfers some responsibilities from teachers to students, but mostly because releasing authority engages students.

Teachers who use inquiry-based learning combat the "dunno"-a chronic problem in student engagement.

When you ask a student something like, "What do you want to know about _____?" you're often met with a shrug or "dunno." Inquiry-based learning, if front-loaded well, generates such excitement in students that neurons begin to fire, curiosity is triggered, and they can't wait to become experts in answering their own questions.

What inquiry-based teachers do isn't easy at all; it's just hidden, and some people confuse the two. Teachers hide the strategies they use to encourage inquiry, and the students develop their own skills as content-area experts.

Learning Something New

Triggering inquiry is about learning something new, and triggering curiosity is no small feat. It takes modeling enthusiasm, and learning something new generates our own enthusiasm, even if it's something new about the content we've covered for years.

Let's say you're clicking through your Twitter or Facebook feed and you stumble on a link in your content area. You realize it's a new factoid, a new perspective on an age-old topic. Maybe it's a new TED talk or graph with statistics, something that makes a concept more concrete. Maybe it's an infographic or a photo, something that startles you and leads to furrow your brow and say, "Whaaa?!"

By the way, I think one of the reasons why the whole world seems to be losing its mind over the Broadway production of Hamilton is because it presents a fresh take on a story we've all heard before. The power of learning something new is undeniable.

You have to bring that "whaaa?!" into your classroom. You have to model your own curiosity quotient-that hunger to learn that defines how we advance our knowledge of the world. According to the Harvard Business Review, a higher curiosity quotient can indicate more flexibility and help build a greater ability to handle complexity.

So think about your content area. What is a new take on a topic that you can bring to your classroom? What new piece of information might help you trigger your own enthusiasm that can then trigger your students' curiosity?

The 4 Steps of Inquiry-Based Learning

So you've discovered something that generates your own inquiry, and you've recreated that moment for your students when your curiosity was triggered. So what comes next in inquiry-based learning? This can be answered in four basic steps that should represent the outline of a simple unit.

1. Students develop questions that they are hungry to answer. Have them develop a problem statement that requires them to pitch their question using a constructed response, further inquiry, and citation.

2. Research the topic using time in class. It's crucial to have some of this be classwork so students have access to the head researcher in the room-you. You aren't going to do the work for them, but you are going to guide them and model methods of researching reliably.

3. Have students present what they've learned. Students should create and present a culminating artifact. When I have my students present what they've learned, I use a rubric with "Able to Teach" as the acme of what to reach for. After all, many people can understand content, but can they communicate it? Students can develop a website using Weebly, or perhaps a slideshow using Google Slides.

4. Ask students to reflect on what worked about the process and what didn't. Reflection is key. And it isn't just about asking them to think back on their opinion of the topic. It's about reflecting on the process itself. That's where you can work in metacognition-thinking about thinking. Have students focus on how they learned in addition to whatthey learned.

In terms of your content area, imagine a classroom where different kids are presenting their findings on a single, simple aspect of the content. You'd have a classroom that, overall, learns deeper and wider than ever before.

In terms of student achievement, the power of their question should help drive the research, the writing, and the presentation. It should help motivate them to become experts in their self-described field. And the more often a student gets a taste of what it feels like to be an expert, in however small a concept, the more they will want that feeling later on in life.

It all starts with finding your own enthusiasm, your own excitement, and your own curiosity. Do that, and you'll be heading toward a classroom built on inquiry.

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What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning?

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What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning?

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Project-based learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge. It promotes critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills.

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Project Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects.

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In a flipped classroom, traditional learning structures are reversed. Students are introduced to content at home and practice working through it at school. This approach allows for hands-on, collaborative activities in the classroom, and provides more one-on-one time between students and teachers.

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A flipped class (view image) is one that inverts the typical cycle of content acquisition and application so that:

students gain necessary knowledge before class, and

instructors guide students to actively and interactively clarify and apply that knowledge during class.

Like the best classes have always done, this approach supports instructors playing their most important role of guiding their students to deeper thinking and higher levels of application. A flipped class keeps student learning at the center of teaching.

Why are instructors flipping their class?

Students learn more deeply.

As a result of students taking responsibility, interacting meaningfully and often with their instructor and peers, and getting and giving frequent feedback, they acquire a deeper understanding of the content and how to use it.
Students are more active participants in learning.
The student role shifts from passive recipient to active constructor of knowledge, giving them opportunities to practice using the intellectual tools of the discipline.
Interaction increases and students learn from one another.
Students work together applying course concepts with guidance from the instructor. This increased interaction helps to create a learning community that encourages them to build knowledge together inside and outside the classroom.
Instructors and students get more feedback.
With more opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and therefore demonstrate their ability to use it, gaps in their understanding become visible to both themselves and the instructor.

How do I flip my class?

This guide is designed to walk you through the steps of flipping a single class; the process is scalable for flipping portions of each unit or an entire course. One of the major factors in course redesign is the time it takes to do it well. We recommend pilot testing the the flipped model with a single class before engaging in a complete redesign. Learn More

The featured videos about the flipped classroom may also be viewed Vimeo.

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Flipped Classroom | Center for Teaching & Learning

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A flipped class (view image) is one that inverts the typical cycle of content acquisition and application so that:

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Differentiated instruction is a teaching philosophy based on the premise that teachers should adapt instruction to student differences. It recognizes that students have varying backgrounds, readiness levels, preferences in learning, and interests, and aims to provide different pathways for students to explore and understand content.

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Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction.

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PhET provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations. They are an excellent resource for teachers to help students visually grasp complex concepts.

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Over 1.1 billion simulations delivered

160interactive simulations

97language translations

3001teacher-submitted lessons

Founded in 2002 by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman, the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder creates free interactive math and science simulations. PhET sims are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery.

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Founded in 2002 by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman, the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder creates free interactive math and science simulations. PhET sims are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery.

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NASA provides a wealth of resources for STEM educators, including lesson plans, interactive tools, and professional development opportunities. Their content is designed to inspire the next generation of explorers.

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We Engage Students In NASA's Mission

K-12 students can dig deeper into STEM topics and experience the thrill of exploration and discovery.

NASA makes vital investments in a diverse portfolio of learning opportunities and activities designed to reach as many U.S. students as possible - from kindergarten through graduate school. NASA seeks to build the next generation STEM workforce and broaden student participation to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM fields.

For Kids and Students

We Inspire An Interest In STEM

NASA offers a wide array of unique experiences designed to engage K-12 students nationwide in the agency's missions, people, and resources.

Educators are a significant part of students' lives and play a key role in connecting NASA to the Artemis Generation. NASA STEM fully supports formal educators in classrooms and informal educators in museums, science centers, afterschool programs, and similar organizations, all of whom bring the excitement of the agency's missions to students.

For Educators

Colleges, Universities, Technical and Vocational Institutions

NASA leverages its unique missions and programs to enhance and increase the capability, diversity, and size of the nation's future STEM workforce.

NASA has a portfolio of activities and opportunities dedicated to attracting, engaging and educating students in all institutional categories and levels across the nation. These range from internships and fellowships, research and development opportunities, challenges and competitions, pre-college and college STEM experiences, virtual learning, faculty support, as well as institutional support.

For Colleges and Universities

Welcome to Earthrise!

Through Earthrise, educators can register to receive a monthly e-newsletter featuring interactive lesson plans, mission and research highlights, and opportunities to participate in student engagement and educator professional development events from across the federal government.

Learn More about Welcome to Earthrise!

Latest STEM News and Features

get social with nasa stem engagement

Discover More STEM Topics From NASA

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We're launching learning to new heights with STEM resources that connect educators, students, parents and caregivers to the inspiring work at NASA. Find your place in space!

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Edutopia offers videos and articles that give tips and strategies for effective teaching, with a focus on integrating STEM in the classroom. It's a fantastic resource for teachers seeking professional growth and practical advice.

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George Lucas Educational Foundation

The benefits of movement in the classroom aren't limited to younger students. Pairing new words and concepts with gestures or dance moves locks in understanding-and active brain breaks prime students to learn even more.

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A free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education.

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Teach Thought is an online platform that offers professional development content for educators, including resources on STEM education, instructional strategies, and critical thinking. It’s great for teachers who want to enhance their teaching practices.

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TeachThought – A Critical Thinking Classroom

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TeachThought promotes critical thinking and innovation in K-12 classrooms

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This post is not a plea to add social studies to list of STEM disciplines. "SSSTEM" does not roll off the tongue politely in conversation. "STEMSS" is not a memorable acronym, either. I also worry that if we add too many more disciplines to STEM, we're just going to end up with a clunky acronym for the traditional 8-10 course school day.

Instead, this post is a thought that social studies education is the original STEM initiative.

Consider this definition of STEM:

"STEM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and encompasses a vast array of subjects that fall into each of those terms. While it is almost impossible to list every discipline, some common STEM areas include: aerospace engineering, astrophysics, astronomy, biochemistry, biomechanics, chemical engineering, chemistry, civil engineering, computer science, mathematical biology, nanotechnology, neurobiology, nuclear physics, physics, and robotics, among many, many others."1

Sound familiar? Consider this definition of social studies:

"NCSS defines social studies as the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Within the school program, social studies provides coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences. In essence, social studies promotes knowledge of and involvement in civic affairs."2

The concept that multiple disciplines with shared interests should join together is an important one. The good news is that this concept has a history. NCSS is approaching its 100th anniversary in 2021, and as I noted in my last post, the idea of "social studies" dates back even further in time. A model of integrating disciplines into the social studies has undergone many tests. Yet the long-standing push for appropriate curricular integration through the social studies shows the possibilities of STEM today. Our education system has pushed for integration of the various social sciences and humanities as an effort to understand the human-made world. In recent years, it's logical that we've made the same push for the integrated study of science, technology, engineering, and math as an effort to understand the physical world. The promotion of "STEM education" is based on our long-standing work in "social studies education" as a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching and learning.

Because "STEM" and "social studies" share a similar focus on using multiple bodies of knowledge to understand and solve problems in the world around us, we share common ground. As NCSS further writes in its definition of social studies, "...because civic issues--such as health care, crime, and foreign policy--are multidisciplinary in nature, understanding these issues and developing resolutions to them require multidisciplinary education. These characteristics are the key defining aspects of social studies." I propose connecting social studies and STEM education together at meaningful points, because civics issues like those described above are both "physical world" and "human-made world" issues. For example, advances in medicine are connected to our study of health care; new technologies in forensics help us to address crime; research on our climate and environment influence foreign policy. When partnered together, "STEM" and "social studies" enable us to ask deeper questions and propose sharper conclusions based on a wide body of evidence.

As we define the goals and outcomes of social studies education in its next century, let's think and practice between STEM and social studies disciplines: geography and geology, civics and technology, history and engineering, economics and math - to name just a few of the possibilities.

1 Source: "STEM Education." Retrieved from https://teach.com/what/teachers-know/stem-education/.

2 Source: "About National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)". Retrieved from http://www.socialstudies.org/about.

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This post is not a plea to add social studies to list of STEM disciplines. "SSSTEM" does not roll off the tongue politely in conversation. "STEMSS" is not a memorable acronym, either. I also worry that if we add too many more disciplines to STEM, we're just going to end up with a clunky acronym for the traditional 8-10 course school day.

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Project-Based Learning (PBL)

High school students can apply lessons from science, technology, engineering, and math classes to a local issue they're interested in.

Though different in numerous ways, social studies STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) classes complement one another. Social studies brings empathy to the problems STEM can solve, and social studies teachers can showcase the relationships between STEM, history, and justice while highlighting state standards through a STEM-focused PBL.

In the following PBL, which utilized the design thinking process, social studies teachers engaged students in a problem of justice that had deep historical roots and whose solution required a STEM focus.

The U.S. history teachers at South Doyle High School brainstormed a variety of problems in Knoxville, Tennessee, that would intersect STEM and history. The lack of sidewalks in South Knoxville emerged as a challenge that cast a long shadow. In planning the PBL, we spoke with a variety of community partners, including a professor of urban planning at the University of Tennessee, a City of Knoxville engineer, and local politicians. Each provided invaluable insight into the issue.

Empathy and the Problem

To understand the problem and its impact, students were asked: Who rides the public transit bus in Knoxville, and how do they get to a bus stop safely? Students compared a map of the bus routes and a map of the current sidewalk system, looking for gaps. Students found that the last mile between a person's home and the bus stop often had no sidewalks. It became clear that Knoxville is automobile dependent, and the guiding question became, "Why no sidewalks?"

To gain historical context, students used Zillow to look up the ages of five homes on a road with sidewalks and five homes on a road without sidewalks in Knoxville. They quickly realized that homes built before World War II had sidewalks, whereas homes built post-1945 didn't. With this historical understanding, students saw how suburbanization and the rise of the automobile in the 1950s continued to impact their community. Being concerned about this problem was humanities driven, but solving this problem meant turning to STEM.

An engineer from the City of Knoxville spoke to the U.S. history classes about the city's budget for new sidewalks, how the city determines where to construct new sidewalks, and also careers associated with sidewalk construction. On average, the city budgets about $2 million per year for new sidewalks, but the engineer said that it takes roughly "a million a mile" to build a sidewalk in an already developed area.

The engineer shared with students the rubric for ranking roads for new sidewalks with limited funds: Does it connect existing sidewalks, does it connect to a bus stop, is it within the parental responsibility zone of a school, and is the road dangerous to walk? Lastly, the engineer discussed careers associated with sidewalk construction, from civil engineer to surveyor to construction worker. This appealed to the majority of students, from mathematical gurus to those just wanting to work with their hands.

In groups, students began imagining various solutions to the lack of sidewalks, with the goal of producing a prototype that could solve the problem to present to people. Students discussed possible solutions, such as raising property taxes, philanthropy, looking for grants from the state and federal government, using municipal bonds, and reprioritizing the city budget. Students dug into the City of Knoxville's budget and researched businesses that moved to areas with robust public transportation networks because an investment in sidewalks could lead to economic growth.

The groups had the choice of how they wanted to present their solution. For the prototype, students included an understanding of the problem, how they would rank roads for new sidewalks, the economic impact of sidewalk construction, a road they would prioritize for new sidewalks, and how to pay for it. Most groups chose a Google Slides presentation and included pictures of people walking local roads that didn't have sidewalks.

Test and Present

After days of research and prototype creation, groups tested their presentation with the class, with each group member having a defined role in the presentation. Students analyzed each presentation regarding its feasibility and then voted on the best group presentation that would represent the class to the local politicians coming to campus.

A major hurdle to PBLs is getting community involvement. In this project, we had a county commissioner in the morning and a city councillor in the afternoon hear student presentations. After listening to all student presentations, these politicians gave feedback, from adjusting monetary figures on new sidewalks to the reality of urban sprawl to congratulating students on picking a road that the city had already chosen for new sidewalk construction. The biggest impact from the local politicians was their presence-students felt they were actually a part of the solution to the problem. The real-world audience empowered and emboldened them.

Social studies and STEM complement each other and can work together in more ways than we initially realized. The lack of sidewalks was connected to obesity, pollution, and urban planning, to name a few links. There are many more real-life problems that might be solved at the intersection of social studies and STEM.

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Combining Social Studies and STEM in a Project-Based Learning Unit

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High school students can apply lessons from science, technology, engineering, and math classes to a local issue they're interested in.

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STEM by definition is a collaborative way of bringing subjects together to introduce students to higher-order thinking. So it shouldn't be isolated to the science or specials classes. Bring STEM into your social studies lessons with the ideas and tips below.

** This post contains affiliate links

You know that kids are naturally curious. Pique their interest with a science demo that draws them into a deeper understanding and memorable experience with your social studies concept. For example, I did dry ice experiments (found here) with my students when talking about Antarctica. We discuss the 3 states of matter as we watched the dry ice sublimate underwater and also talked about the cold climate of Antarctica and how scientists, researchers, and other people who live there have to adapt to the environment to protect themselves. You can find the whole lesson that also includes an engineering design challenge to build an insulating shelter linked below. You can also tie in government by discussing how Antarctica is governed by a treaty instead of being owned by one nation. Discuss potential problems and how your students think the continent should be run.

Maybe you will be talking about landforms and how volcanoes affect people and history. Start the class off with a classic baking soda and vinegar volcanic eruption out of a bottle! Find science experiments that can be simple displays to intrigue your students and whet their pallet for your social studies lesson.

Involve foundational STEM skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, and perseverance when setting up for your social studies lesson. Consider doing what we call icebreaker challenges to strengthen these skills. For example, the pipeline challenge uses paper, PVC pipes, or cardboard tubes to make a pipeline. The goal is for each student to have a section of the pipeline and they must work together with the entire class to get a ball to continuously roll in the pipeline from one end of the room to the other. The ball can only roll and cannot be transported by students' movement (no holding the ball in their section of the pipeline while they walk). Use this activity to talk about transportation and the advancement of the railroad or to open discussions about the migration of people groups. Discuss the significance of an assembly line in speeding up processes and how everything must be timed perfectly and working together to be successful. For more ideas on these types of activities that you could tie into your social studies lessons, see our post on icebreakers or check out our huge bundle of 50 icebreakers.

Enliven your social studies lessons by creating a tool to explore maps beyond staring at a page in a book or poster on the wall. When learning about maps or geography, I first have my students make their own compass. To create a compass, follow these instructions:

Supplies:

Place your small floating object on the surface of the water, making sure it is small enough to rotate freely in the center of the bowl. Using your magnet, rub the paperclip in one direction across it about 50 times. It is very important that you only rub it across the magnet in one direction and not back and forth. Without touching anything else, carefully place the paperclip onto the floating object. Now watch it spin until the paperclip orients itself North & South. Cool right? Mark which end of the paperclip points north.

Once your students have a working compass, assign student teams different mystery locations on a map or throughout your room. Provide them clues to where their mystery locations are by giving them a map and telling them how they relate to different cities using the cardinal directions and a distance. You can do this in your classroom by putting sticky notes with real or made-up names scattered throughout the room and have them navigate using their compass. The clues would read something like, "You are south of Dallas, Texas" and "You are West of Shreveport, Louisianna." Teach them about the history of orienteering and the compass!

Use the engineering design process to recreate instruments, homes, or tools from the different people groups or time periods throughout history. This helps students relate to what they are comparing and understand the depth of differences and similarities.

It is important to note that engineering design challenges must accomplish one or both of the following: The design must solve a problem, or make something better. Engineering design challenges follow the engineering design process and are not just a craft project. If this effort is beyond the scope of your classroom, consider making the projects a collaborative endeavor between various departments. STEM is all about subject integration, so ask the science, math, and technology teachers to work together in teaching and conducting these activities. Need more help tying in a STEM challenge? See the next point below!

Incorporating a design challenge helps students not just identify significant people and things, but to also identify WITH them. And hopefully feel moved to use their problem-solving skills to help care for others in this world.

You may be thinking, how do I come up with design challenges?!? We've made that easy for you with a toolkit. Grab our free flow-chart located in our free resource library! To get the password, just subscribe to our newsletter, confirm your subscription in our email, and receive your emailed password and your freedom to access all of our free resources!

This flow-chart will help you brainstorm and design engineering STEM challenges to connect to any social studies topic. For example, when you are discussing the government, you will start on the "behavior, culture or government chart". Maybe you want to talk about the United States Government. The flow-chart asks "Is there a significant symbol or physical attribute?" Sure, the Statue of Liberty. The flow-chart asks, "Can you recreate it?" Sure, let's make a STEM challenge to make a prototype of the Statue of Liberty. Remember that an engineering design challenge solves a problem or makes something better. If we made a small Statue of Liberty, we could add constraints to require that it needs to stand up on its own and have a torch that lights up! We can incorporate electricity and circuits by making this a paper circuit Statue of Liberty that lights up. Use copper tape, a coin cell battery, and an LED to make a torch that lights up then make your statue such that it stands up while supporting its light.

Speaking of copper tape, explain to your students how the Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French and that it is made out of copper. The copper used to be a shiny brown color like a penny but over time the copper reacted with the air to turn green. You can also do a science demo to turn pennies green similar to the Statue of Liberty by adding vinegar and salt to some old pennies and letting them set out for a few hours. The science: Turning a penny green does not eat holes into the penny. When you add vinegar and salt, it dissolves the top copper-oxide layer of the penny. This causes the copper atoms to mix with oxygen in the air and chlorine in the salt. This creates a blue-green substance layer called patina.

You may get to a lesson where a design challenge does not fit into the scope of the topic like an event or time period without a prominent person, industry, or innovation. Consider having your students use technology to retell or describe the topic.

Do a green screen reading of historical works of literature

Make a musical instrument and play cultural or historically significant songs.

Use stop motion animation to act out an important event or celebration

Include Virtual Reality tours of military museums or the international space station.

Connect to historical inventions by reading books about the amazing engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs in our past that have impacted our lives with their perseverance and problem-solving skills. Talk about the inventions and the characteristics of the inventors. You can even create prototypes of the inventions with an engineering design challenge. Look at a map also and pinpoint where the invention originated. Here is a list of our favorite history of inventions books to check out:

Aside from researching different topics and recreating designs, reach out to the professional experts to complement your social studies lessons.

Look for national societies related to the topic you are teaching on. They may have free resources, activities, or demonstrations that can aid in the engagement of your lessons.

Get guest speakers to come in and talk to your students about their jobs or organizations as they relate to what you are learning. Emphasize how STEM careers aid in helping society and our planet. Talk about organizations such as Engineers Without Borders that go beyond their jobs to help people with their engineering skills by providing access to clean water in remote villages. If your students are able to meet with the professionals in person or digitally, help them ask them meaningful questions about the challenges of their career, the things they learn from school in their job, and how they help others with what they know. Check out our free guide with interview questions for your students to ask STEM professionals.

Hope this helps boost engagement with your social studies lesson! Let us know what other ideas you have of incorporating social studies and STEM in the comments.

** Vivify is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post contains affiliate links.

Tagged: history, engineering design, social studies and stem

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7 Ideas for Teaching Social Studies with STEM - Vivify STEM

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STEM by definition is a collaborative way of bringing subjects together to introduce students to higher-order thinking. So it shouldn't be isolated to the science or specials classes. Bring STEM into your social studies lessons with the ideas and tips below.

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14 Science Projects and Lessons About the Solar System | Science Buddies Blog

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Teach K-12 students about the solar system with free hands-on STEM lessons, science projects, and activities!

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STEM Teaching Tools
http://stemteachingtools.org
This site includes excellent practical information for teaching STEM topics (click on the Tools heading to see the Practice Briefs). Also includes an extensive News section where you can stay up-to-date on STEM practices and policy.

Edutopia - STEM Resources
http://www.edutopia.org/article/stem-everywhere-science-technology-engineering-and-math-real-world
An important education website. Find videos and more related to teaching STEM. Also search this website for useful resources related to a wide variety of education topics.

National Education Association (NEA) The 10 Best STEM Resources
http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/stem-resources.html
A wealth of information on a wide variety of STEM resources for all levels, K-12.

National Geographic Learning: STEM
http://www.ngsp.com/tabid/1772/Default.aspx
Explore the tabs at the top of the page for a wide variety of STEM resources for teachers and students, including links to other STEM sites.

PBS (Public Broadcasting System) STEM Page
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/stem/
The PBS STEM Education Resource Center has links to a wide variety of STEM resources.

PBS - STEM Resources
http://www-tc.pbs.org/teachers/stem/STEMResourcesfromPBS.pdf
This pdf file has links to all STEM subjects grouped by grade level.

eGFI, Website of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/index.php/?s=STEM
The link will bring you to the STEM page but there is much more to explore, from STEM lesson plans and activities to news and other web resources.

PhEt Simulations form the University of Colorado, Boulder
http://phet.colorado.edu
An excellent collection of simulations for physics, chemistry, earth sciences, biology, and math. If you have not used this site you should take a look.

Teaching Channel
https://www.teachingchannel.org
A source for videos on a wide variety of topics in science and mathematics.

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Teaching STEM/STEM Resources | STEM Education Portal

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STEM Teaching Tools http://stemteachingtools.org This site includes excellent practical information for teaching STEM topics (click on the Tools heading to…

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From human anatomy to robotics, there are a number of ways to integrate STEM into the classroom. Here are 10 fun Web sites to spark student engagement in STEM fields:

1. Free Online Resources for Schools Shifting Online During Coronavirus Many companies are offering teachers and schools access to their online platforms for free for the duration of the COVID-19 closures.

2. Mn-stem.com: This site's goal is promoting STEM and helping students discover how taking classes in science, technology, engineering and math can lead to "exciting and rewarding" careers. Here, users can play interactive games, download study guides, look up potential careers and much more.

3. Engineer Girl: Engineer Girl encourages young middle-school girls to pursue STEM careers. Girls can "try on a career," speak to actual professional engineers, play games and participate in polls, apply for scholarships and more.Discovering Engineering: Discover E's mission is to promote and grow an engineering profession through outreach, education and volunteerism. The site explains what engineering is and what career paths an individual could take. It also offers informational videos and educational games

4. STEM Career: Students, teachers, counselors and parents can explore resources explaining the benefits of STEM careers. Students receive help choosing the right school and specific career. They also can get homework help and more. Educators can access classroom ideas, resources and extracurricular activities. Users also will find news about developments in the field.

5. eGFI (Engineering, Go For It!): eGFI promotes STEM with interactive games, newsletters, digital magazines, flash cards, kids' books, tools for teachers, lesson plans and more. The site also offers scholarship information for those planning to pursue careers in STEM.

6. CSI - Web Adventures: On this interactive Web site, visitors can solve crimes using forensics at beginner, intermediary and advanced levels. The site offers other activities such as handwriting analysis, a detective game and an opportunity to learn about different careers in science.

7. MathMovesU: The site, designed for middle-school students, aims to keep the subject of mathematics alive by combining activities with kids' hobbies. Users can create their own avatars and play games, learn about mathematics and participate in polls and quizzes. Teachers and parents can join the "Math Hero" awards program to access math worksheets, download classroom guides and more.

8. Science Kids: Science Kids provides educational resources and interactive games and activities for teachers and students interested in science and technology. Visitors will enjoy experiments, games, facts, quizzes, projects, lessons, images and much more.

9. Alice.org: Here's a free three-dimensional program where users can make a storytelling animation, create a game or share a video. The Web site's guide, who is similar to Alice from Alice in Wonderland, helps students create their visual masterpieces.

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor
Education World®
Copyright © 2020, Education World

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10 Fun STEM Sites for Teachers and Students | Education World

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From human anatomy to robotics, there are a number of ways to integrate STEM into the classroom. Here are 10 fun Web sites to spark student engagement in STEM fields: Free Online Resources for Schools Shifting Online During Coronavirus Many companies are offering teachers and schools access to their online platforms for free for the duration of the COVID-19 closures.

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Stem Funders Network | Stem Funders Network

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Driving Equity through STEM Philanthropy

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The STEM PBL Units showcased here were created and implemented by Teach (STEM)^3 Scholars at University of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, IN who designed, taught, and revised PBL Units in their clinical residency setting. This showcase includes PBL Units for grades 7-12 math, biology, and chemistry. We hope these examples will spark your imagination as you continue on your PBL journey!

*Note: We advocate for educators to create original PBL Units that meet the needs of their students, embed their standards, and embody their unique style of teaching. Please feel free to refer to the Teach (STEM)^3 Scholars PBL Units to get inspired and brainstorm ideas for designing your own PBL Unit. PBL best practice is to design a Unit suitable for your context rather than utilizing canned curriculum or PBL project banks.

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This page houses STEM PBL Units, which were all created and implemented by Teach (STEM)^3 Scholars at University of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, IN. The Teach (STEM)^3 Scholars designed, taught, and revised PBL Units in their clinical residency setting. We showcase grades 7-12 math, biology, and ch

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Elementary STEM Classroom Management Tips - Carly and Adam

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The following is a guest post from Ashley Priest . I love walking into classrooms in my current role as an Assistant Principal and hearing teachers say, "Sorry it looks like a mess in here" or "It is not usually like this, we were just working on a project."

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As any teacher will tell you, every student is different. Each individual comes with a unique culture, appearance, preference, social skills, ability level, and more. Every year we are expected to learn all about a new group of children and deliver quality instruction.

With a new school year approaching, teachers are beginning to mull over old material and decide what will be appropriate. There is no better time than now to review differentiation. Find out why it is important, and how to implement this strategy throughout your lessons.

What Is Differentiation?

Differentiation is the process of delivering lessons to cater to different types of learners in the classroom. Differentiation is the face of new-age education, straying drastically from the old days. Gone are the days of teachers showing the same materials, the same tests, and the same experiments.

In today's age of research, inclusion, and universal design learning, teachers are expected to adapt to their students and build a repertoire of empirically-supported strategies to support students. Not to be confused with a modification, differentiation is demonstrated through teaching in different modalities. It allows students to show their learning through multiple means-not altering or lessening the material.

An example of this might be allowing students to demonstrate knowledge through project-based learning instead of a traditional sit-down test or including visual supports in text with higher-level vocabulary.

Differentiation of Classroom Readings

Students who come to your classroom will have a wide variety of preferences when it comes to reading a text. Give students the option to experience the text with a variety of senses-auditory, visual, interactive.

Many textbooks allow for accessibility in these ways. Give students the opportunity to choose their preferred method if possible to allow everyone to access the material equally. STEM texts are written at a higher level than children are receiving in the classroom. This method may also help to save time reviewing vocabulary and providing reading-specific instruction.

Give Assignment Choices

Like reading preferences, give children options to demonstrate their knowledge of a topic. Make sure that your projects are representative of the different learning styles in your classroom, like auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and oral.

It is important to recognize that these projects are designed to demonstrate content knowledge, not the child's ability to build a 100:1 scale volcano-so be realistic. Some students are going to excel at reading and writing and some students are going to excel at flowcharts. give your students the opportunity to show you what they know in the best way they know how!

Change The Environment

Altering the classroom structure or changing the scenery can be an excellent way to reach some students who struggle with a lecture-style classroom. Try breaking into groups, giving students isolation if needed, or even changing the look of the room. Most importantly, your room needs to be a flexible workplace that has areas to support group and individual instruction.

Be Flexible

These methods may seem cumbersome at first, and do require additional planning, but they support learning from ALL of your students. As a special educator, I utilize these strategies every day and they WORK. Albeit they do require some patience and persistence.

Just like anything in education, flexibility is key-so learn from your errors and differentiation will become easier and easier. You will find that the more students are given an option in learning, the more engaged and knowledgeable they will become!

What are some ways you could differentiate your instruction? Leave your suggestions in the comments below! As always, if you have any questions or suggestions about 3D printing, electronics, or engineering please leave a comment or email me at VincePrints3D@gmail.com.

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As any teacher will tell you, every student is different. Each individual comes with a unique culture, appearance, preference, social skills, ability level, and more. Every year we are expected to learn all about a new group of children and deliver quality instruction.

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Climate change, energy transition, and an endless amount of new digital opportunities: understanding the fundamentals of science and technology is more important than ever for responsibly shaping our world - today and in the future. Success is dependent on finding the right approach: At school, it is far too common that facts are simply memorized rather than fully understood and applied. That's why we are working with our partners to develop methodic approaches for STEM lessons that actively engage children and young people. The concept of inquiry-based learning is our guiding principle in these efforts.

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STEM & inquiry-based learning - Turning kids into classroom explorers

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Climate change, energy transition, and an endless amount of new digital opportunities: understanding the fundamentals of science and technology is more important than ever for responsibly shaping our world - today and in the future. Success is dependent on finding the right approach: At school, it is far too common that facts are simply memorized rather than fully understood and applied.

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Technology Integration in STEM Education

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Technology Integration in STEM Education

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How Can Emerging Technologies Impact STEM Education?

Abstract

In this editorial, we discuss the affordances and challenges of emerging technologies in designing and implementing STEM education as a planned theme of this special issue. We view that emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality, have a double-edged sword effect on STEM learning and teaching. Exploring the effect will help provide a balanced view that simultaneously recognizes the benefits and pitfalls of the technologies and avoids overstating either one. This themed issue highlights how immersive and AI-driven learning environments advance and transform STEM education in different contexts. It consists of this editorial, three research reviews, and two empirical research articles contributed by scholars from five different regions, including Australia, Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore, and the USA. They discussed the educational, social, and technological effects of emerging technologies. Each article discusses to various extent about the current research status, what and how the technologies can afford, and what concerns the technologies may bring to STEM education.

Introduction

Emerging technologies can drive changes throughout the educational landscape, leading to redefinition and reshaping of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. Connecting with and developing skills in technologies is invaluable for being part of the rapidly evolving STEM learning and teaching environments. STEM education should utilize the capabilities and possibilities of technologies to create innovative learning experiences, which enhances students' learning with new tools and environments such as artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, robots, virtual reality (VR), intelligent tutoring systems, STEM digital tools, and the next generation of learning management system. Students will need to develop new knowledge and skills to use appropriate emerging technologies to solve contemporary STEM real-world problems. These emerging technologies bring great opportunities for transforming the forms and ways of interactions and collaborations among individuals and with environments. At the same time, those changes can also be viewed as having the potentially disruptive power to interrupt our usual practices and policies and either to ameliorate or exacerbate social and historical inequities. Many questions remain in virtually every aspect of the learning and teaching process with the use of that technologies, such as students' engagement, learning process, learning interest, outcomes, and instructional design. These questions call for extensive research needed to examine the untapped potential of these technologies in ways that can advance STEM education successfully. This collection of five articles addressed some of these questions from eastern and western perspectives through research reviews and empirical studies with a focus on AI and immersive technologies such as VR.

Overview of the Five Articles

These five articles cover a broad range of issues related to the educational, social, and technological effects of AI and immersive technologies on STEM education.

The first three articles used a systematics review approach to explore the educational, pedagogical, and technological effects of emerging technologies on STEM education. The first article, written by Chng et al. ( 2023), demonstrates how AI and immersive technologies advance STEM education by identifying and reviewing 82 journal papers. The authors analyzed the papers from two perspectives-doing things better and doing better things. Their findings discovered that VR and natural language processing were two popular technologies utilized in STEM education, that their use intended to nurture science epistemic skills, and that AI was used to forecast students' future STEM careers. However, they argued that it is not evident how these technologies may contribute to the advancement of STEM education due to their pedagogical affordances and constraints.

The second article is an analysis of 17 empirical studies by Ouyang et al. ( 2023). The purpose of this review was to examine the use of AI in STEM educational assessment from three areas-academic performance assessment, learning status assessment, and instructional quality assessment. The findings showed that deep learning was employed in most of the AI application's algorithm and that AI was mostly used for evaluating students' academic performance. They suggested that AI can assist students acquire the capacity to think across disciplines and provide them the tools they need to solve real-world problems by integrating their STEM knowledge and skills. Due to the rising development of AI-based applications for educational assessment, their findings also showed that digital literacy is a requirement for students' and teachers' AI usage.

The third article is a descriptive review by Zhang et al. ( 2023) on computational thinking in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) early childhood education context. They identified and selected nine journal papers for an in-depth investigation. The results indicated that young children had positive learning experiences in a coding-as-playground environment (Bers et al., 2019), that they should acquire reasoning, creative, and algorithmic thinking (Angeli & Valanides, 2020; Bers et al., 2019), and that there were no gender differences in computational thinking utilizing educational robotics (Angeli & Valanides, 2020).

The last two articles in this issue addressed the design and implementation and evaluation of STEM learning and teaching with the emerging technologies across various educational levels-PreK-12 and higher education-as well as concerns over the use of the technologies. Specifically, the fourth article is an Australian qualitative study by Izadinia ( 2023). The author examined 23 Sydney high school students to determine how VR may be used to create an engaging learning environment that boosts girls' confidence, engagement, and interest in STEAM. The results revealed that while studying STEAM using VR, girls felt more comfortable and secured utilizing the immersive digital technology. The apparent increase in self-efficacy and confidence motivated girls to pursue jobs in the field of technology by increasing their engagement and interest.

The last article, written by Majewska and Vereen ( 2023), investigated how undergraduate students and their instructors in the USA regard the use of VR for biology learning. Examining the impact of VR on the biology learning of undergraduates, they used a questionnaire and a test and instructors' lecture notes to gain a deeper understanding of the advantages and difficulties that immersive technology brings to science learning. Their findings suggested that students perceived a positive attitude toward STEM and immersive technologies when learning with VR. Instructors developed a positive attitude toward VR because they were able to interact with their students in more authentic ways. They were concerned, however, that the technologies might exacerbate the digital divide between rural and urban areas.

In sum, the key themes that emerged from the aforementioned studies concern the affordances and challenges in the absence of adequately designed and robust pedagogies, along with the need of developing instructors' and students' skills and repertoires. These themes demonstrate that emerging technologies are two-edged swords. It is a great chance to advance STEM education, but we are not prepared for it. Students and teachers may find technology easy to use, but they will always expect more from technologies. Technologies are evolving faster than ever before; therefore, it is important to explore and understand the opportunities and challenges they present for transforming STEM education.

Building upon these five articles, we perceive three key opportunities and three key challenges that are relevant in an AI- and metaverse-driven STEM education and beyond. In the next two sections, we discuss how emerging technologies can advance STEM instruction (three key opportunities), followed by presenting three challenges of using the technologies in STEM education. In the last section, we make recommendations for future research direction in the hopes that they will stimulate further discussions among researchers and practitioners about the roles of emerging technologies and their impact on STEM education research and practices.

In What Ways, and to What Extent, May Emerging Technologies Advance STEM Instruction?

Providing a More Inclusive, Diverse, and Equitable Education to Improve STEM Workforce Development

STEM educators prioritize inclusivity, diversity, and equity to ensure a comprehensive and impactful education that benefits all students (El-Hamamsy et al., 2023). The inequalities in STEM education have negative effects on the inclusivity and diversity of STEM careers, implying that students' future employment prospects may be harmed by a lack of an appropriate STEM instructional design. Since there is a growing need for STEM professionals, not just the involved students but the workforce and economy as a whole may be negatively impacted by the inequity in STEM education. The inequity may be viewed in two ways-gender and digital (Sevilla et al., 2023). Due to gender bias and stereotypes, girls are underrepresented in STEM education and jobs. Gender stereotypes and a lack of female role models are two important factors that discourage young girls from pursuing STEM fields (Freedman et al., 2023; Herrmann, et al., 2016; Piatek-Jimenez et al., 2018). The second point of view is digital inequity or divide. This is due to accessibility and digital skills (Resta & Laferrière, 2015). Students who lack digital skills or reside in remote regions are less likely to obtain a more comprehensive STEM education because they lack access to the technologies and resources needed to participate in STEM activities.

The special issue takes a new perspective at how VR and coding may encourage more female and non-STEM students to participate in STEM activities. With the advancement of user-friendly interface, many emerging technologies do not necessitate the perceived need of acquiring specialized skills. They are designed for everyone. Students found VR beneficial and simple to use, establishing a more positive attitude toward technology and STEM learning (Izadinia, 2023; Majewska & Vereen, 2023; Zhang et al., 2023). This is explained by Davis' ( 1989) technology acceptance model, which is a major paradigm for understanding the adoption of new technologies in a variety of contexts. According to the model, technology self-efficacy, perceived ease of use, usefulness to use, and attitude toward can predict behavioral intention to, intrinsic motivation to, and actual usage of a technology. This implies that students (boys and girls, computer enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts) are more motivated to use VR and coding in STEM learning (Yu et al., 2021). This intrinsic motivation is also strongly associated with STEM interest and identity development that can predict career choice (Chiu, 2023; Izadinia, 2023; Majewska & Vereen, 2023). Emerging technologies empower and engage girls and computer non-enthusiasts in STEM education, increasing their likelihood of developing a stronger interest and identity toward STEM (Izadinia, 2023; Majewska & Vereen, 2023; Zhang et al., 2023). Furthermore, Ouyang et al.'s ( 2023) study revealed that AI analytics can predict student STEM career involvement and that AI-based virtual mentors may help students grow their STEM careers. To summarize, incorporating emerging technologies into STEM education reduces the likelihood of students falling behind in a way that permanently eliminates them from STEM-related fields. It has the potential to open up the future STEM job opportunities and boost the workforce development by offering a more equitable education.

Encouraging Other Fields to Be Included for Greater Transdisciplinary STEM Learning

Interdisciplinary STEM education is an approach by which students learn the interconnectedness of the disciplines of STEM. Students analyze real-world problems by gathering ideas from STEM disciplines and then integrating these ideas for conducting a more comprehensive analysis. This education needs to be carried out through well-designed curriculum and innovative pedagogy. The interdisciplinary level is affected by teachers' perceptions and pedagogical content knowledge and students' discipline knowledge in STEM (Margot & Kettler, 2019; Thibaut et al., 2018). For example, teachers who have a positive attitude toward STEM and students who have greater abilities are more likely to integrate STEM disciplines in problem-solving. Teacher education is essential to the promotion of interdisciplinary STEM education (Thibaut et al., 2018).

Instead of taking a focus on teacher education, in this special issue, we advocate for the use of emerging technologies to create a learning environment conducive to interdisciplinary learning. For example, Izadinia ( 2023) claimed that VR can involve students in digital arts for STEM learning; Ouyang et al. ( 2023) revealed that students may readily utilize AI to solve problems in integrated ways. These findings could be explained by the theory of experiential learning (Fromm et al., 2021) and interdisciplinary nature of AI (Casal-Otero et al., 2023). VR can enable experiential learning, allowing students to learn via participant experience or by doing. Students will be able to explore problems and utilize multiple discipline knowledge to complete tasks in an authentic scenario in VR settings. AI is viewed as an interdisciplinary field that includes computer science, mathematics, physics, neurology, psychology, and languages. Understanding how AI works requires interdisciplinary approaches (Chiu et al., 2022). AI learning assistants also can help student to gain interdisciplinary STEM knowledge (Carlos et al., 2023). These also imply that emerging technologies-VR and AI-have advantages to include other disciplines in STEM education. For example, both Izadinia ( 2023) and Zhang et al. ( 2023) found that VR and coding can help students explore digital art and expand STEM to STEAM. AI goes beyond STEM and often includes knowledge from other disciplines such as history and geography. Integrating AI in STEM would make STEM more interdisciplinary and readily include other disciplines (Park et al., 2023). Therefore, using emerging technologies could create a learning environment that fosters more interdisciplinary STEM education.

Rethinking the Major Learning Outcomes

Emerging technologies, especially AI and the metaverse, have an impact on our society. Some of the jobs will be replaced by technologies, while others have not yet to be created. Skills for the future workforce have evolved. To better equip the next generation, we need to refocus our education efforts and nurture student skills, such as computational thinking, AI literacy, creativity, leaderships, and collaborative skills. These are evidenced in various global educational initiatives like STEM education and AI education for K-12 (Casal-Otero et al., 2023; Chiu et al., 2022), as well as design thinking and global leadership programs (Kijima et al., 2021; Li et al., 2019a). Our education needs to adapt to the shifting nature of working environment in the future.

The major learning outcomes of interdisciplinary STEM education include STEM knowledge, twenty-first century competencies, interdisciplinary thinking, and STEM interest and identity (Anderson & Li, 2020; Li et al., 2019b). This special issue suggests that, due to the impact of emerging technologies, we should rethink the learning outcomes of STEM education. The "T" and "E" in STEM education are directly influenced by emerging technologies, for instance, students would design and create their own solutions to solve a real-world problem. The "S" and "M" are the foundational knowledge of emerging technologies; for instance, computer vision algorithms are derived from sets of mathematical equations. The findings of the five articles in this issue show that algorithmic and computational thinking, as well as digital, AI, and media literacy, should be core learning outcomes of future STEM education. To strengthen the future workforce, STEM educators and researchers should thus incorporate the learning outcomes in their educational or research projects.

What Challenges and Issues May Emerging Technologies Pose to STEM Instruction, and What New Skills Will Students and Teachers Be Required?

Widening Digital Divide

Emerging technologies are double-edged swords and have the potential to both lessen and exacerbate the digital divide. As previously noted, emerging technologies designed for educational purposes are accessible to a wide range of students and user-friendly (Izadinia, 2023; Majewska & Vereen, 2023; Ouyang et al., 2023; Zhang et al., 2023), hence reducing the digital gap in STEM education. To build more sophisticated solutions, students need to have a firm grasp of mathematics and hard sciences, in addition to strong technical skills in developing technologies (Majewska & Vereen, 2023). As emerging educational technologies become more accessible to young kids, the technologies to be utilized by young kids depend on the school's resources and the digital competency of the teachers, including their technical knowledge and skills, as well as attitude and value. Most schools and teachers are resistant to change (Chng et al., 2023); nevertheless, incorporating new technologies into STEM education represents a significant change for both schools and teachers. Consequently, emerging technologies may worsen the digital divide if schools and teachers do not receive adequate resources and professional training and support, respectively.

Enhancing Prerequisite Skills Needed for Emerging Technology-Enhanced STEM Education

Emerging technologies come with the benefit of fostering new learning skills, but they also call for the development of new prerequisite skills in order to make more successful use of the technologies in STEM education. Despite the fact that the educational technologies are simple to use, a strong foundation of necessary prior knowledge is required for more effective and safe learning and teaching. Articles in this special issue suggest that the required skills include computational thinking, digital literacy, and AI literacy (Chng et al., 2023; Ouyang et al., 2023; Zhang et al., 2023). We believe that it shall be beneficial for students if these skills are taught to them in elementary or middle school. Consideration ought to be given by educational institutions to the development of basic curricula for learning and teaching these skills.

Encountering Technical and Health Concerns

Emerging technologies in STEM education may cause technical and health concerns in implementation. It is time-consuming for teachers to experiment with emerging technologies or design-related materials prior to STEM classes (Majewska & Vereen, 2023). Less-well-prepared teachers are more likely to experience technical issues in STEM lessons with emerging technologies. When technological issues arise, it is difficult or impossible to deliver an emerging technology-driven STEM lesson. In addition, some technologies, such as VR, may pose health risks (Izadinia, 2023; Majewska & Vereen, 2023). Teacher's knowledge of the technologies will help lessen the incidence of these technical and health concerns. Providing relevant professional training and support is necessary for using emerging technologies in STEM education.

Concluding Thoughts and Future Research Directions

With the inclusion of a limited number of articles, this special issue indicates the initial stage of research in this topic area. There are still many research areas regarding the use of emerging technologies in STEM education that are exciting but remain to be explored. For example, a line of possible research work is the provision of safe learning environments when employing emerging technologies in STEM education. For the purpose of optimizing learning, emerging technologies such as AI and avatars in the metaverse may capture students' personal information such as learning data, body movement, and face and voice data. How the technologies collected and used the data can associate with privacy and ethical concerns. Another issue is the psychological safety of students. Some students may become addicted to VR and AI and find it difficult to leave the virtual and chatbot environments. Their emotions, such as fear or anger, may be elicited by the environments, influencing their decision-making. Even in the digital environments, maintaining psychological safety is still very much relevant and important to promote STEM learning. Therefore, we suggest that future research should focus on how to create safe learning environments while incorporating emerging technologies in STEM education, taking into consideration of those ethical, privacy, and psychological concerns.

Teacher professional learning is another area that is underserved. Even though four of the five articles addressed teacher involvement in STEM education, none of them examined what and how to provide professional learning for the use of emerging technologies in STEM education. To successfully employ emerging technologies, teachers must have sufficient pedagogical knowledge and skills as well as digital literacy (Chng et al., 2023; Ouyang et al., 2023). Policy on ethical, privacy, and psychological considerations necessitates the engagement of educational leaders. We encourage future research should focus on how to design, develop, and deliver professional learning for both teachers and leaders.

Concerning theoretical perspectives, Ouyang et al. ( 2023) brought up the last line of work. Theoretical support is missing from most studies that use emerging technologies in STEM education. According to those studies, emerging technologies for STEM education were developed and used in new ways. They discussed how teachers and students can use technologies to teach and learn STEM subjects. Most of those studies did not utilize a theoretical framework to examine and interpret their findings. Therefore, future studies should look at their designs and findings from certain theoretical point of view of learning and development.

We hope that the publication of this special issue will inspire researchers to further explore and broaden the field's knowledge of how emerging technologies transform STEM education, as well as how theories may be developed and used to explain and support the key role of the technologies in STEM learning and teaching. Finally, we encourage researchers and educators to consider possible benefits and difficulties that emerging technologies can offer to STEM education and to envision what a bright future STEM education can be.

Data Availability

The data and materials used and analyzed for the editorial were articles published in this journal. Journal article information is accessible at the journal's website ( https://www.springer.com/journal/41979).

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

1. Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Thomas K. F. Chiu

2. Texas A&M University, College Station, USA

Yeping Li

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yeping Li.

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Chiu, T.K.F., Li, Y. How Can Emerging Technologies Impact STEM Education?. Journal for STEM Educ Res 6, 375-384 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41979-023-00113-w
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How Can Emerging Technologies Impact STEM Education? - Journal for STEM Education Research

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In this editorial, we discuss the affordances and challenges of emerging technologies in designing and implementing STEM education as a planned theme of this special issue. We view that emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality, have a double-edged sword effect on STEM learning and teaching.