STEM Literacy Quiz

What is the driving force behind the push for STEM education?

• Preparing students for the world they will enter upon graduation

• Fulfilling the demands of the National Governors Association

• Addressing the shortage of educated STEM workers

• Improving the quality of life for all citizens

Why is STEM important to our economy?

• To address worldwide challenges such as climate change and food shortages

• To produce employees with more technologically sophisticated skills

• To support the growth of U.S. gross domestic product

• To create a steady stream of ground-breaking technologies and processes

What is the key purpose of K-12 STEM education?

• To present science and math to students in ways that represent real-world experiences

• To prepare students for future careers in STEM fields

• To help students become more technologically literate

• To develop a sense of ethics and a social conscience in students

What is the engineering design process (EDP) in STEM education?

• An organized, open-ended approach to investigation that promotes creativity and invention

• A process that focuses on breadth rather than depth of knowledge

• A sequence of steps that must be followed in a specific order

• A method for teaching students about the importance of technology in STEM

What is the primary focus of STEM lessons?

• Isolation of science and math concepts

• Memorization of facts and figures

• Breadth of understanding, not depth

• Depth of understanding, not breadth

What do STEM classes provide for students?

• A risk-free environment where creativity and innovation can flourish

• A competitive atmosphere where students are afraid of failure

• A focus on recalling facts rather than model-based reasoning

• A traditional silo approach to teaching math and science

What is the importance of STEM to our students?

• Helping students go deeper in their understanding of important science and mathematics concepts

• Developing a sense of ethics and a social conscience

• Opening the door to future careers in STEM

• Making students more technologically literate

What is the role of teachers in producing a talent pool for STEM?

• Providing a traditional silo approach to teaching math and science

• Key players in producing capable and creative individuals with expertise in STEM

• Supporting the growth of U.S. gross domestic product

• Focusing on what students will need to recall, rather than model-based reasoning

What do STEM students understand about their coursework?

• How the skills they are acquiring can help them be successful as twenty-first-century workers

• The lack of educated STEM workers is a national security problem

• The importance of STEM to our nation and to our students

• The need to recognize and solve problems affecting peoples' health, the environment, and economic issues

What do STEM lessons help students realize?

• That they are studying subjects in separate classes as unconnected subjects

• That mistakes are not a valuable part of the learning process

• That there is a single 'right' solution to every problem

• That they are combining science, mathematics, and often technology to solve problems