Teaching for Tomorrow: Science Literacy in The Classroom.

Looking towards the future, what STEM skills will be most important for students? Going beyond memorization and recitation of scientific facts, how do we get students to fully engage in science and engineering design practices (as defined in the Next Generation Science Standards) and to improve their science literacy? The answers to these questions are at the heart of the "Learning by Making" (LbyM) experience. LbyM is an innovative, integrated year-long curriculum that includes skill building units that teach coding and how to build simple electronic circuits. Using a simple browser-based interface, LbyM students are able to easily write code, control LED lights and acquire and analyze sensor data within the overarching theme of energy and matter. Rather than being siloed in pre-engineering courses, these important STEM skills are developed within the context of a physical science class. By engaging in phenomena-based explorations, LbyM develops students' self-efficacy, and ability to work in teams to gather environmental data relevant to their communities and critical to the future of our planet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]