As you look around at jobs today, you will find an emphasis on the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. These combined make up the curriculum of STEM. STEM emphasized critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity to solve problems that are presented to the students.
Often times, students are given odd supplies to create everyday objects. Students must meet certain criteria and testing to complete the task and solve the problem.
The Engineering Design Process includes the following:
Ask (find out about the problem)
Imagine (what are the possibilities)
Plan (think ahead about the steps)
Create (make a model)
Improve (does the model work and can you make it better)
Communicate (get feedback and talk to others)
Students are encouraged to go through all of these steps as they learn the STEM process and begin problem solving. I also encourage them to use these steps as they tackle real world problems.