Preparing K-12 Pre-Service Educators for Interdisciplinary STEM Project Based Learning

Today’s educational climate emphasizes project based and interdisciplinary lessons to engage K-12 students. National and international programs such as Georgia’s STEM Certification and International Baccalaureate strive toward interdisciplinary instruction that embeds subject skills within real world applications. Increasingly, lessons are sought to develop problem solving to prepare our nation’s students for STEM occupations. A disconnect is found, though, in that pre-service educators are often taught subjects in isolation while minimizing experience in designing and implementing meaningful interdisciplinary lessons. In opposition, teachers are expected to work in school settings to implement successful tasks with an awareness of other content areas and standards. This session’s aim is to create a dialogue with university professors to create an awareness of the benefits of interdisciplinary learning and how to be implementing lessons in college settings to foster interdisciplinary STEM lessons. Session participants will engage in planning activities through brainstorming and dialogue about content standards