STEM integration is an innovative way of thinking about
teaching mathematics and science in K-12 that has the
potential to impact education in a positive way. This case
study has provided initial evidence that STEM integration
can be implemented successfully and that teachers believe
that this manner of teaching encourages student learning
and student confidence in mathematics and science courses.
The teachers in this study felt that STEM integration is a
natural way to think about teaching since most real world
problems cross disciplinary boundaries. Each of the three
teachers took STEM integration to be something different.
Nate and Kathy worked together to provide their students
an overall STEM integration experience in a multidisciplinary model. Kathy’s class contained integration of
science concepts with engineering design elements,
whereas Nate’s class was set up as a mathematics lesson
with an engineering context in order to inform the
engineering design in Kathy’s class. Amy took on an
interdisciplinary model for her unit. The objectives for her
unit included concepts from science, mathematics, and
engineering design. The findings of this paper support the
idea that some level of professional development is needed
if STEM integration is to be sustainable.