The STEM Directories
Why do we need them?
In the UK, we have an extraordinary and vibrant range of projects, programmes and activities which have as their aim, the support and improvement of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in schools and colleges.
They range from primary through to upper secondary and beyond. They cover all aspects of STEM. They range from small local projects involving a handful of schools and colleges through to national programmes that involve many tens of thousands of students. The range of funders and providers is likewise very large, including private companies (large and small), learned societies, charities, livery companies, museums and similar bodies (privately and publicly funded), as well as government and its agencies.
The STEM Programme report published in October 2006 by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, highlighted:
"By February 2007 we will have agreed with SETNET (the Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics Network), working with the RAEng (through Technology and Engineering in Schools Strategy, TESS) and the Royal Society (through Science Community Partnership Supporting STEM Education, SCORE) and others, arrangements to improve co-ordination of the work of stakeholders who contribute to the delivery of opportunities for curriculum enhancement and enrichment. This will also include plans to increase the number of schools, colleges and students which benefit from such activities and support."In the early part of 2008, the National STEM Director, working with STEMNET, carried out a consultation with over 150 stakeholders, from a wide variety of organisations.
The first problem, identified again and again in these consultations and referred to repeatedly in the STEM Programme report and elsewhere, is the difficulty that teachers and lecturers have in knowing what is available and what is suitable for them and their students.
In the absence of a single point of reference and a consistent approach on the part of providers the sheer scale and variety of provision makes this a daunting task.
The message from schools and colleges is consistent. What heads and managers are looking for is:
- A one-stop shop approach
- Clear coordination and signposting of support and resources which have been quality assured
- Events or experiences that cannot be delivered with school contacts and resources
- Initiatives that are relevant to them and their students (i.e. not a 'one size fits all' approach)
- Ways to tie these to the curriculum so that the impact and outcomes can be sustained
- Links with industry that makes the curriculum relevant.
What will the STEM Directories look like?
The aim of this project is to provide clear, easily accessible information for schools and colleges, with enough detail that they can identify quickly and straightforwardly the initiatives and support that are likely to meet their needs.
The model for this is The Royal Academy of Engineering's Shape the Future (StF) project. StF is a directory which lists fifty or so engineering and technology related activities that are available to schools and colleges. The directory gives a short description of each activity, with contact details, and gives guidance on such matters as age range and curriculum links.
By September 2008, similar directories for science and mathematics will have been developed, creating an up-to-date suite of three complementary directories of STEM activities, with the same look and feel, available for schools and colleges by the beginning of next academic year. These will be made available to schools and colleges in hard copy and on a web-portal.The Directories will also be the defining documents for organisations holding STEMNET's sub-regional contracts and for other organisations that provide support and guidance to schools and colleges.