The Contribution of Mathematics Education Researchers to the Current STEM Education Agenda

Abstract

STEM education is relatively new in the Australasian education landscape but is beginning to forge a place in school curricula. Driving the attention to STEM education are calls for the implementation of learning experiences that prepare students for a future that relies on them being innovative problem solvers. This has posed many challenges for teachers who wrestle with the most appropriate way to engage students in STEM learning while still attending to student development of mathematics discipline knowledge. The research reported in this chapter situates STEM education within current education policies and curricula, explores the various ways in which integrated STEM education is conceptualised and implemented, illustrates the role teacher education plays in preparing teachers to implement STEM learning, and showcases the student learning possible when an integrated approach to learning is adopted. This review draws attention to the diverse nature of the research undertaken in STEM education in the last four years and suggests that future research is needed to explore curriculum reforms that ensure mathematics learning is developmental, to investigate the way in which mathematical understanding supports development of understanding of other STEM disciplines, and to examine professional learning programs that assist teachers and pre-service teachers to develop pedagogies that make STEM learning effective and sustainable.