A Framework for Implementing an Engineering-Focused STEM Curriculum
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A Framework for Implementing an Engineering-Focused STEM Curriculum Szu-Chun Fan 1 & Kuang-Chao Yu 2
& Kuen-Yi
Lin 2
Received: 27 April 2020 / Accepted: 11 September 2020/ # Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan 2020
Abstract Integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curricula have taken center stage in the recent education reforms. However, the challenge in teaching STEM curricula lies in finding ways to develop students’ content knowledge and plan suitable learning activities and instructional strategies. This paper is focused on the implementation of STEM curricula by secondary technology and engineering teachers and presents a framework for implementing a STEM curriculum centered on engineering design while illuminating its components, such as curriculum theme, content knowledge, learning activities, and teaching strategies. As an effective STEM teaching strategy relies on content integration, the focal point of this framework is the use of learning activities, such as “inquiry and experiment” and “design and making,” to integrate STEM content into lessons and help students develop core competencies through engineering design processes. This paper is meant to serve as a reference for technology and engineering educators to use when designing and implementing engineering-oriented STEM curricula, thereby providing a deeper learning experience of engineering design and STEM integration in secondary-school classrooms. Keywords Cross-disciplinary . Engineering design . STEM curriculum . Technology and
engineering education
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-02010129-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
* Kuang-Chao Yu [email protected]
1
Department of Industrial Technology Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, 62, Shenjhong Road, Yanchao District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
2
Department of Technology Application and Human Resource Development, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, HePing East Road, Section 1, Taipei City, Taiwan
S.-C. Fan et al.
Introduction Providing instruction focused on cross-disciplinary integration has become a crucial subject in the education field in recent years; meanwhile, developing integrated STEM curricula has also become an important topic (English & King, 2019; National Academy of Engineering [NAE] & National Research Council [NRC], 2014; Thibaut, Knipprath, Dehaene, & Depaepe, 2019). Although various STEM curricula have enriched the education field, they have also entailed several difficulties in terms of teaching practices. Among these, the key issue lies in the unsystematic definition of the goals of STEM education and the inconsistent depth and breadth of the content of such curricula (Bayer Corporation, 2010; Bybee, 2013). Such diversity indicates a lack of clear consensus regarding the curricular content and implementation methods of STEM education, which can cause confusion among teachers and schools (Asunda, 2012; William
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