The Next Generation of STEM Teachers

STEM Teaching: An Interdisciplinary Approach breaks from the more historical idea of making knowledge within disciplines and seeks to engage the reader in a growing conversation that is gaining momentum and is focused on an ?interdisciplinarity of STEM education?, which seeks to embrace and/or present emerging perspectives on the standards. Importantly, the conversation on STEM education and interdisciplinary approaches to teacher preparation may draw into specific relief the respective professional and/or disciplinary standards for each of the four STEM disciplines as each relates to fostering an interdisciplinary approach.
The importance and relevance of this interdisciplinary perspective to teacher preparation lies in the realization that STEM literacy moves into everyday lives and thinking, and not just in STEM related disciplines. This means that faculty in teacher preparation need to extend the range of STEM literacy in pedagogical strategies so that STEM teaching is enriched with multimodal literacies into teaching and learning, which in turn makes STEM knowledge more relevant and engaging for its manifest connections to solving the problems that challenge society.

Patrick M. Jenlink and Karen Embry Jenlink have compiled an important and timely resource for professionals in the field of STEM teacher preparation programs. This well-written volume provides a clear argument for utilizing an interdisciplinary perspective when preparing teachers who will guide student learning in the twenty-first century in the fields of science, mathematics, engineering and technology.  As an engineer and STEM education scholar for many years, it is refreshing to note the importance given not only to teaching strong content fundamentals but also to infusing pedagogy with cultural relevance and real-world contexts that celebrate creativity and innovation. The guidance of the editors and the other respected contributing authors will positively impact not only faculty who prepare teachers and their teacher candidates, but also the young K-12 students who will learn from professionals who model the interdisciplinary nature of learning, collaborating and problem solving as future professionals in the STEM workforce.

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