Springer Locating Technology Education in STEM Teaching and Learning: What Does the ‘T’ Mean in STEM? (Contemporary Issues in Technology Education)

This book offers clarity and consistency of thinking in relation to Technology Education when situated within a STEM approach to teaching. It examines the range of Innovations and Issues which are being considered by schools as they implement STEM, with particular focus on the place of Technology, or the ‘T’ in STEM. The book is divided into three sections: Philosophy, Implementation and Issues and Innovations, with each containing five to seven chapters. The first section lays the foundations for the remainder of the book: it focuses the readers on the technology aspect of STEM education and situates it to align with the international understanding of technology education. The second section provides insights into how STEM is best implemented to give technology due consideration across a range of disciplines with technology education, including engineering, food technology, and textile technology. This section also provides suggestions for the successful implementation of the STEM approach, and offers further insight through a range of case studies. The third section outlines and discusses a range of issues that pose a threat to the position and understanding of technology within the STEM teaching and learning approach. This section also examines how technology and STEM are situated within, are supported or are threatened by, other current innovations and approaches to teaching an integrated curriculum, such as the Maker Space Movement and Play-based Learning.