STEM
STEM
Department Structure:
Head of STEM:
Mrs S Subra - Assistant Headteacher, STEM, Careers, Trips, EDI
Departments:
Science, Design and Technology, Mathematics, Computing
What is STEM?
It is commonly advocated that one of the goals of the educational system is to teach future workers how to function in a highly technical, ever changing environment. So-called 21st century skills, like problem-solving ability, communication skills and critical and creative thinking are considered to be essential for successful participants in our society. In line with this movement, STEM education emerged within the scientific disciplines. The STEM acronym stands for the disciplines Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. It is nowadays recognised and widely used as an over-arching discipline that connects the various content topics and incorporates the above-mentioned 21st century skills. While educationalists consider STEM to be a better means for preparing students for the future society than the classical separate disciplines, policy makers and captains of industry use STEM as a vehicle to promote scientifically oriented careers from an early age on (Caprille, Palmén, Sanz, & Dente, 2015) (Committee on STEM education, 2011).
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths and uses the creativity involved in arts subjects to produce young people who can innovate in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
Many of the jobs that students will work in do not exist today. It doesn’t matter if a young person wants to grow up to be a scientist, a mathematician, a designer, or a business leader, every future job will require creative, innovative and motivated thinkers that need to solve problems and communicate ideas. Rapid technological changes are transforming the world in which we live, and STEAM aims to develop students’ innate creativity and problem-solving skills in real world contexts.
STEM activities at Rooks Heath
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After-school STEM Club for select students of Year 8 in the Science Department.
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STEM Week in March when the annual STEM Quiz for Years 7, 8 and 9 takes place to mark British Science Week.
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A whole range of trips organised by various departments to enthuse and encourage students and give them an insight into STEM related careers, which in turn helps students make informed decisions about their futures.
Some of the different events that have taken place over the previous years include:
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Apprenticeship week and Science week
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STEM careers highlighted within lessons.
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Displays to highlight importance of STEM.
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Careers carousel day for Year 11s with a talk on the careers of the future, specifically STEM.
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STEM links in Careers sections in the library.
Some useful websites:
Research Placements and Experiences
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Placements are engaging, real-life workplace experiences, where talented year 12 (or equivalent) students are placed at the heart of a UK host organisation.
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They are a fantastic opportunity for students to apply skills and knowledge learnt at school while providing a meaningful contribution to the work of researchers and industry professionals.
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These placements are funded by the Nuffield Foundation and powered by STEM Learning.
Destination STEM: Civil Engineering a More Sustainable World by Rachel Hayden, WSP Ltd
Tomorrow’s Engineers: Real Jobs
A collection of engineering case studies from real engineers, provided by Tomorrow's Engineers.
A collection of links to role profiles within the construction sector.
Success at School: Career Zone
Success at School: Career Zone provides information about different jobs, what to study and how to get there. It has interviews, advice and links to different career paths.
This part of the Prospects site contains over 400 job profiles linked to a variety of career areas, all written by qualified careers advisers or people already working in these industries.
This part of the Not Going to Uni site provides interviews and information on different apprenticeships across a range of sectors.
Maths careers contain articles and job profiles of professionals whose career links to maths.
Find out about the types of careers available in the space industry.
I'm a Scientist, Get me out of here!
I'm a Scientist is a student-led activity connecting students with a range of scientists from different specialisms and backgrounds. Students can read the profiles of scientists working in different careers and chat with scientists in 40 minutes, text-based online Chats with the opportunity for asking in depth follow-up questions.