A Look at STEM Education from the Top Down
Date
2011
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American Society for Engineering Education
Abstract
This paper addresses STEM education issues, not in the traditional formative framework
associated with K-12 education, but rather, in relation to what one might deem, the positive
outcome framework associated with students majoring in STEM areas at the university level.
The motivation for this approach is based on an argument that, while university students in
STEM disciplines are considered as STEM education achievements, fundamental flaws in basic
conceptual mathematical knowledge persist; flaws that if more aggressively addressed at the K-
12 level could result in attracting more youth to pursue STEM interests. The argument is based
on personal anecdotal evidence associated with the author‟s experiences. Hence, it does not have
a rigorous foundation. Nonetheless, it is an argument that will hopefully resonate with many
university-level educators, and, in turn, stimulate education researchers to re-evaluate the
potential of current STEM initiatives to reverse the declining trend in STEM education in the
U.S.A.
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ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: Sherman, P. J. (2011, June), A Look at STEM Education from the Top Down Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC.
Copyright 2011 American Society for Engineering Education.
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--17339.
Posted with permission.