- New STEM Connect Service Helps Students Develop and Apply Knowledge and Skills to Important Real-World Challenges -
Silver Spring, Md. (January 16, 2018) –Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, today debuted the newest addition to its family of award-winning digital services. STEM Connect is a web-based supplemental K-8 resource that empowers educators to create engaging STEM lessons that strengthen students’ critical thinking skills and inspires life-long learning.
Developed by Discovery Education’s team of STEM experts with the input of educators and curriculum experts nationwide, STEM Connect is built on a 4Cs STEM skills framework that helps students develop the creative, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills needed for success beyond graduation. Featuring flexible, modular learning units, STEM Connect provides students an easy-to-follow educational experience through high-quality interdisciplinary resources that can be used in a wide variety of classrooms and across all subjects.
Among STEM Connect’s key features are:
· Real-World Challenges – Inspired by the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges for Engineering and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, STEM Connect’s Real World Challenges inspire younger students to pursue solutions to personal, local issues while middle school students explore possible solutions to more complex, global problems.
· Career Connections – STEM Connect provides students with opportunities to learn about diverse STEM careers in context and connects the skills they are using in the classroom to real situations around the world.
· Content Connection Activities – Ranging from math and literacy to the arts and health, the Content Connection activities ask students to apply appropriate grade-level skills in various disciplines.
· Hands-On Activities – By blending dynamic digital content with engaging opportunities for students to build, design, make, and create, STEM Connect offers a variety of hands-on activities for all students.
· Global STEM Solution Seekers – STEM Connect users are part of a global community working to solve important real-world challenges. In select units, students connect via GlobalLab, a global student laboratory, to share data and collaborate with others around the world.
STEM Connect’s dynamic digital content also supports educators’ efforts to meet existing literacy goals. Through informational text infused with fictional stories and characters, STEM Connect challenges students to solve relevant and engaging real-life problems as it deepens student engagement and builds depth of understanding.
“STEM Connect empowers my students to become ‘solution seekers’ engaged in solving important real- world challenges,” said Frances Snyder, an Educator of the Gifted in Florida’s School District of Manatee County. “This resource’s relevance, as well as its ability to support every student as they develop the important skills they need to reach their fullest potential, make it the ideal interdisciplinary STEM resource for today’s classrooms.”
In addition to STEM Connect, Discovery Education offers a variety of professional development services and digital resources to school systems that provide additional support in building vibrant cultures of STEM teaching and learning. These services have been certified as meeting the Global STEM Alliance (GSA) STEM Education Framework, which was developed by the New York Academy of Sciences and SRI Education: Among the Discovery Education professional development services certified were:
- STEM Foundations – Designed to grow educators’ and administrators’ core expertise in STEM instruction and leadership, STEM Foundations empowers participating school systems to build a custom combination of full-day professional development opportunities, job-embedded coaching, support in building community engagement and awareness.
- STEMformation – A comprehensive, three year-system for building a culture of STEM at individual school sites, STEMformation guides educators as they master STEM instructional strategies.
- STEM Leader Corps – A four-year system for scaling STEM education district wide, STEM Leader Corp is a sustainable capacity building model that develops and nurtures teachers and administrators as they support STEM in their school system.
Discovery Education’s middle school Science Techbook also achieved the GSA certification. Utilizing an inquiry-based format built on the 5E model, the award-winning Science Techbook engages students in STEM-driven lessons that help them learn to read, write, and think like scientists. Science Techbook includes hundreds of hands-on labs, digital explorations, and data analysis activities, as well as digital tools such as an interactive glossary that helps support the success of all learners.
Educators using STEM Connect will also be supported by the Discovery Education Community as they transform students’ learning experiences with dynamic digital media. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Community connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing and inspiration.
“Truly effective STEM instruction occurs when the educator can successfully connect the lesson both to the world outside the classroom and to the individual student’s post-graduation aspirations,” said Cindy Moss, Discovery Education Vice President of Global STEM Initiatives. “Discovery Education is proud to introduce STEM Connect to educators, as we believe it empowers school systems to create authentic digital learning environments students need to acquire the STEM skills and knowledge they need to thrive in the world of tomorrow.”
For more information about Discovery Education’s STEM Connect service, Discovery Education’s STEM professional development resources and more, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Facebook, follow us on Twitter at @DiscoveryEd, or find us on Instagram and Pinterest.
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About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.
