Rethinking STEM in the Elementary Grades: Honoring the Special Role of Math in Cognitive Development

There is a growing interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) units and projects in the early childhood and elementary years. There are many advantages of embedding math in STEM contexts and activities; it can be excellent for reinforcing math (as well as science, technology, and engineering) concepts and skills. However, there may be unintended problems such as students becoming overloaded with the number of new STEM concepts, and essential domain-specific content being missed. This article provides an alternative interdisciplinary approach that maintains the positive aspects of STEM through careful integration while minimizing the possible negatives by focusing on the content that students most need to master. Math is at the top of that list. Guidelines for integrating this alternative approach conclude the article.