eric.ed.gov har udgivet:
The K-5 school years are crucial, setting the framework for all subjects as well as critical thinking skills. The single most important component in a classroom is the teacher. However, in a formative timeframe for elementary-school aged children, the number of K-5 teachers that are educated with a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math specialization (“STEM”) is substantially underrepresented. At The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) it was felt that the Department of Technological Studies was well positioned to provide a unique academic major by combining the T&E with the M&S components of STEM, resulting in a program breadth that matches the breadth of skills needed by a highly skilled K-5 teacher. Such a program was established at TCNJ and is formally referred to as the Math-Science-Technology or MST program. It was demonstrated that a multidisciplinary MST program was successful both in terms of growth and content knowledge. The MST program should be particularly well-suited to today’s educational environment in which substantial numbers of students in STEM-related areas are lost, their scores are low on quantitative literacy, and they would likely score low on measures of technological literacy (Steen, 2001). (Contains 6 figures and 2 tables.)