This book provides an international platform for educators from different STEM disciplines to present, discuss, connect, and develop collaborations in two inter-related ways: (1) sharing and discussing changes and innovations in individual discipline-based education in STEM/STEAM, and (2) sharing and discussing the development of interdisciplinary STEM/STEAM education. Possible relationships and connections between individual disciplines (like mathematics or physics) and STEM education remain under explored and the integration of traditionally individual discipline-based education in STEM education is far from balanced. Efforts to pursue possible connections among traditionally separated individual disciplines in STEM are not only necessary for the importance of deepening and expanding interdisciplinary research and education in STEM, but also for the ever-increasing need of reflecting on and changing how traditional school subjects (like mathematics or physics) can and should be viewed, taught, and learned. Scholars from eight countries/regions provide diverse perspectives and approaches on changes and innovations in STEM disciplinary and interdisciplinary education. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Education in STEM will be a great resource to students and researchers in STEM education as well as STEM curriculum developers and teacher educators internationally.

STEM Teaching: An Interdisciplinary Approach breaks from the more historical idea of making knowledge within disciplines and seeks to engage the reader in a growing conversation that is gaining momentum and is focused on an ‘interdisciplinarity of STEM education’, which seeks to embrace and/or present emerging perspectives on the standards. Importantly, the conversation on STEM education and interdisciplinary approaches to teacher preparation may draw into specific relief the respective professional and/or disciplinary standards for each of the four STEM disciplines as each relates to fostering an interdisciplinary approach. The importance and relevance of this interdisciplinary perspective to teacher preparation lies in the realization that STEM literacy moves into everyday lives and thinking, and not just in STEM related disciplines. This means that faculty in teacher preparation need to extend the range of STEM literacy in pedagogical strategies so that STEM teaching is enriched with multimodal literacies into teaching and learning, which in turn makes STEM knowledge more relevant and engaging for its manifest connections to solving the problems that challenge society.

This book provides an essential introduction to the state-of the-art in interdisciplinary Mathematics Education. First, it begins with an outline of the field’s relevant historical, conceptual and theoretical backgrounds, what “discipline” means and how inter-, trans-, and meta-disciplinary activities can be understood. Relevant theoretical perspectives from Marx, Foucault and Vygotsky are explained, along with key ideas in theory, e.g. boundaries, discourses, identity, and the division of labour in practice. Second, the book reviews research findings of mainly empirical studies on interdisciplinary work involving mathematics in education, in all stages of education that have become disciplined. For example, it reports that a common theme in studies in middle and high schools is assessing the motivational benefits for the learner of subsuming disciplinary motives and even practices to extra-academic problem-solving activities; this is counter-balanced by the effort needed to overcome the disciplinary boundaries in academic institutions, and in professional identities. These disciplinary boundaries are less obviously limitations in middle and primary schools, and in some vocational courses. Third and finally, it explores selected case studies that illustrate these concepts and findings, both in terms of the motivational benefits for learners and the institutional and other boundaries involved.

Over the past decade, integrated STEM education research has emerged as an international concern, creating around it an imperative for technological and disciplinary innovation and a global resurgence of interest in teaching and learning to code at the K-16 levels. At the same time, issues of democratization, equity, power and access, including recent decolonizing efforts in public education, are also beginning to be acknowledged as legitimate issues in STEM education. Taking a reflexive approach to the intersection of these concerns, this book presents a collection of papers making new theoretical advances addressing two broad themes: Transdisciplinary Approaches in STEM Education and Bodies, Hegemony and Decolonization in STEM Education. Within each theme, praxis is of central concern including analyses of teaching and learning that re-imagines disciplinary boundaries and domains, the relationship between Art and STEM, and the design of learning technologies, spaces and environments. In addition to graduate research seminars at the Masters and PhD levels in Learning Sciences, Science Education, Educational Technology and STEM education, this book could also serve as a textbook for graduate and pre-service teacher education courses.

STEM Integration in K-12 Education examines current efforts to connect the STEM disciplines in K-12 education. This report identifies and characterizes existing approaches to integrated STEM education, both in formal and after- and out-of-school settings. The report reviews the evidence for the impact of integrated approaches on various student outcomes, and it proposes a set of priority research questions to advance the understanding of integrated STEM education. STEM Integration in K-12 Education proposes a framework to provide a common perspective and vocabulary for researchers, practitioners, and others to identify, discuss, and investigate specific integrated STEM initiatives within the K-12 education system of the United States. STEM Integration in K-12 Education makes recommendations for designers of integrated STEM experiences, assessment developers, and researchers to design and document effective integrated STEM education. This report will help to further their work and improve the chances that some forms of integrated STEM education will make a positive difference in student learning and interest and other valued outcomes.

Given the importance of student learning in the various types and integration of STEM education, this book provides a landscape of cross-disciplinary STEM learning in Asian primary schools, and a systematic overview of design, practices, and outcomes of STEM learning implementation. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has continued to attract attention worldwide, and there have been calls for the promotion of STEM education in primary schools to nurture students to meet the needs of societies in terms of innovation and technology development. Since STEM is complex in nature and is related to various disciplines, the effort of a single discipline may not be as effective as cross-disciplinary efforts. This edited volume, involving an Asian team of authors, examines how cross-disciplinary STEM learning can be designed for students to achieve viable outcomes, and what opportunities and challenges have been offered to the next generation to equip them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and ways of thinking, as well as attitudes and values for lifelong learning. A resourceful text for students, researchers, and practitioners interested in the rich development of STEM education and practical methods for a variety of learning approaches from elementary to secondary education has been provided.

This edited volume offers a crosscutting view of STEM and is comprised of work by scholars in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. It offers a view of STEM from the disciplines that comprise it, while adhering to the idea that STEM itself is an interdisciplinary treatment of all the associated disciplines in a meaningful way. This book raises and answers questions regarding the meaning of STEM education and research. This volume is divided into three sections: the first one describes the nature of the component disciplines of STEM. The next section presents work from leaders representing all STEM disciplines and deals with aspects such as K-12 and post-secondary education. The last section draws conclusions regarding the natures of the disciplines, challenges and advantages of STEM education in terms of theoretical and practical implications. The two final chapters compile arguments from the research chapters, describing themes in research results, and making recommendations for best STEM education practice, and examining areas for future research in STEM education.

Theorising STEM Education in the 21st Century is a book that captures the essence of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and the intricacies of STEM education in the contemporary society. It explores STEM as an interdisciplinary field as well as the individual disciplines that make up STEM. This ensures the field of STEM as a whole is theorised. The book provides critical insight on STEM education from Cairo to Cape Town or from America to Indonesia. With a team of authors from universities across the world, the book is a vital contribution to critical scholarship on STEM education in contemporary times.

This book responds to challenging questions about curricular realignment, especially how a more porous approach to higher education reduces the impact of a “siloed” curriculum, lessens the tendency toward the fragmentation of knowledge, allows for the development of cross-disciplinary explorations, and promotes new approaches to knowledge and creativity through interdisciplinary integrative learning. This volume demonstrates how combining two seemingly disparate cultures helps undergraduate students develop creative mindsets needed for addressing challenging open-ended questions, complex social issues, and non-routine problem-solving. In doing so, this book aims to stimulate discussions about integrative interdisciplinary education between STEM and other fields of performance and performance technologies that have been either overlooked or underdeveloped.

"STEM education is a multi-disciplinary approach that incorporates various pedagogies to offer a comprehensive and engaging learning environment. Beyond the classroom, the impact of STEM education is extensive. It is an interdisciplinary method of teaching that combines four important subjects-science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, to foster creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. These qualities are crucial for preparing individuals to succeed in a technologically advanced and quickly evolving society. STEM education plays a critical role in determining the future of people and society. The book presents a framework that promotes links across many academic fields, aids students in making connections to real-world situations, and builds scientific temperament among the students. By encouraging partnerships, addressing workforce demands, enhancing national security, and empowering people to take on important issues, the book plays a critical role in determining the future of people and society. The book provides a holistic approach, interdisciplinary research, and creative solutions that leverage knowledge from multiple disciplines. The book also prescribes additional significant research initiatives that tackle practical issues and increase knowledge"--