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National Drive for STEM Initiative “The primary driver of the future economy will be largely derived from advances in science and engineering . . . 4% of the nation’s workforce is composed of scientists and engineers who creates jobs for the other 96%.” – Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited, 2010 Economic Prosperity & National Security
Relevance to Scouting: Sustainability Science Natural Systems Science & Technology Local/Global Policy Social Systems
Why STEM and Scouting? • Shared philosophies between Scouting and STEM • Develop leadership skills for the 21st century • Strengthen principles of scouting in the 21st century • Parents’ desire and concern for children’s education
Vision of SSTEM • Every Boy & Girl scout will have STEM Merit Badge • Every family will have at least one child majored in a STEM-related field of study • Scouting Center for STEM everywhere
Mission of SSTEM • Enhance leadership effectiveness with STEM-based knowledge • Integrate public service with STEM practices • Value nature and environment through STEM learning • Excel in STEM subjects and attain higher education in STEM-related fields STEM STEM
Shared Philosophies Between Scouting & STEM • Ethics and integrity • Life-long learning • Humanity and technology • Spirit of collaboration • Leadership with informed decision • Symbiosis of nature and science • Community involvement and influence
STEMPractices Help Scouting • Asking questions and defining problems • Developing and using models • Planning and carrying out investigations • Analyzing and interpreting data • Using mathematics and computational thinking • Constructing explanations and designing solutions • Engaging in argument from evidence • Evaluating and communicating information Practices in K-12 STEM Education
21st Century Skills Help Scouting Source: Education for Life and Work, NAP 2012
Q: Conversely, what can scouting offer for STEM education?A: Provide base support in education and careers for the Vietnamese-American community.Q: Why!? A: There is a need but no one does it yet at the community level.
Education in Our Community Source: A Community of Contrasts – Asian Americans in the United States: 2011 Can Our Community do Better?
Education in Our Community Educational Attainment (25 Years or Older), 2006-2008 Source: The Relevance of Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders in the College Completion Agenda, 2011
SSTEM Focus: Outside the Classroom • Supplementary Classroom Enrichment - Build on goals for classroom STEM study (field trips, demonstrations, after-school science programs) • Sustained Student Learning Communities - Work directly with K–12 students in after-school, weekend, or summer programs to grow skills, knowledge, and potential career pathways • Create opportunities for inspiration outside the classroom • Diversify pathways to STEM careers
SSTEM – Scouting and STEM Formulate Inspire, Engage, Excel
SSTEM – Scouting and STEM Inspire, Engage, Excel
Example: Public Awareness • Help parents & students informed of: • Finance & cost of higher education • Application to college & universities • Emerging STEM-related disciplines • Learning resources (MOOC, open digital textbooks) • Education policy • Internship/Apprenticeship opportunities
Example: Project-based Learning Computing & Simulation Securing Cyberspace Robot Path Planning Digital Humanities Bioinformatics
Example: Game for Learning (6 – 12) • Inspire, engage students and scouts early on • Children think like scientists!
Example: Peer Mentoring • Learning through mentoring: advanced scouts help younger scouts • Offering guidance (directly or indirectly) to students on college or career paths • Inspiring elementary and middle-school students in STEM-related subjects • Providing tutoring service (onsite & online) when possible
Where Do We Get Ideas from? • STEM Experts, Educators, Scout Leaders, Parents, Scouts • Board on Science Education, National Academies, National Science Foundation, Public-private Consortia, Nonprofits
Where Do We Get Ideas from? • National Professional Societies: AAAS, IEEE, ACM, SIAM, …
SSTEM – Challenges • We need to build up infrastructure • Physical location • Volunteer & staff: educators, Scout leaders, STEM experts, parents • We need to establish partnership • With business, industry, national labs, professional societies, nonprofits, local/national government entities • Among participating scout troops
Summary – Main Themes Reasons for Nationwide STEM Initiative
Summary – Main Themes • SSTEM prepares scouting for the 21st century in the light of today’s complex and rapidly evolving world • SSTEM benefits individual scouts by enriching knowledge, skills, civic engagement (STEM is a national agenda) • SSTEM provides out-of-school educational activities to our community.