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Stem Learning Environment

Students at the 2018 K'Nex Design Challenge

STEM Learning Environment

A robust STEM learning environment provides all students equitable opportunities to broaden their knowledge requirements for pursuing a STEM degree or career including learning experiences outside of the classroom, engagement with business, industry and post-secondary institutions, along with opportunities for externships and internships.

A robust STEM learning environment includes traditional settings along with non-traditional settings where partnerships have been forged between families, community based organizations, businesses, and post-secondary institutions. These partnerships ensure high quality, universally accessible, youth centered, authentic STEM opportunities that deepen their skills and interests in forming and/or cementing their STEM identity.

A robust STEM curriculum is implemented across all curricular areas and grade levels. The curriculum is accessible to all students and includes elements of STEM skills in multiple courses. The curriculum includes opportunities for students to work on authentic projects, engage in mentoring from community members, opportunities to present their work publicly, and collaborate with their peers.

A STEM-centric school culture fosters innovation, risk-taking, and transdisciplinary collaboration. A STEM-centric culture has students and community stakeholders that support student-centered inquiry, use of engineering practices, scientific literacy, digital literacy, and authentic project-based learning. 

A well-defined STEM education program establishes a culture of inquiry that promotes and supports the development of innovative thinking, engineering design, scientific literacy, digital literacy, computational thinking, problems solving aligned to state and/or national standards. With opportunities for students to engage in extra-curricular/after school with community partners that provide opportunities to learn and apply STEM concepts in an authentic setting. 

The Lincoln Intermediate Unit is committed to assisting schools develop their STEM program so that all students are prepared for their Pathway to the Future.