Turning Up the Brightness: The Case for a Schoolwide Solar Semester

Educators and researchers worldwide recognize that integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is a foundational element for national development, economic competitiveness, and social prosperity. Developing competencies in STEM disciplines is a key objective for education systems, as these skills are crucial for students' future careers in the 21st century.

While reading this review of literature related to thematic units, I reflected on the gains made by the students in my school after our Semester in Space and Micro Semester. I then began brainstorming a new semester them of a “Solar Semester”. But how can we justify such an undertaking for a third year in a row, especially for teachers who may be hesitant to be told what or how to teach their classes?

In K-12 schools, integrated STEM education has the opportunity to move away from teaching subjects separately, instead focusing on interdisciplinary or integrated instruction. This approach gives students the opportunity to comprehend the integrated world, rather than acquiring only fragmented pieces of knowledge. Integrated STEM education is defined generally as an approach that teaches content from two or more of the four STEM subjects, often utilizing real-world/authentic contexts to enhance student learning and define connections between subjects.

A school-wide "Solar Semester" is a powerful implementation of one of the six identified models for integrated STEM: the Thematic-Based Integrated STEM Approach.

The Thematic Approach: Linking Disciplines to a Central Theme

The thematic approach is uniquely suited for a school-wide initiative like the Solar Semester because it requires collaboration without requiring a radical overhaul of existing subject boundaries.

In a thematic-based integrated STEM approach, teachers collaborate to teach their subject around a shared local or global theme. Crucially, teachers teach their subjects separately but make explicit connections with the overarching theme. This structure allows every class, from science studying solar energy conversion, to history examining policies on power generation, to math calculating energy consumption, to contribute meaningfully to the "Solar Semester" theme. The thematic approach aims to build a relevant context for learning the content and to find connections between the STEM subjects.

Justifying the Solar Semester: Proven Student Outcomes

A systematic review of integrated STEM approaches confirms that the thematic model is highly effective at driving desirable student outcomes across K-12 levels. The outcomes associated with integrated STEM education generally fall into four categories: learning achievements, learning motivation, interest in STEM, and higher-order thinking skills.

Here is how the thematic approach, especially when centered around real-world applications like solar technology, yields significant educational results:

1. Enhanced Learning Achievement and Subject Mastery

The systematic review noted that the ecological sentences derived from studies on the thematic-based integrated STEM approach showed convergence and complementarity, demonstrating that engineering design-based STEM activities were most effective at improving student learning outcomes in science education.

For elementary and middle school students, implementing engineering design challenges within science units to provide a learning context is effective in improving learning achievements in science and engineering. Additionally, engineering design-based activities integrated into both the science and mathematics curriculum were effective in improving learning achievement for elementary and middle school students.

If the Solar Semester includes projects that require students to design or model solar power solutions (e.g., maximizing energy capture, designing efficient systems), the practice of knowledge and skills related to science and math in this engineering context provides significant benefits in terms of learning achievement.

2. Cultivating Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)

Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) are a main objective of 21st-century education, including STEM education. HOTS involve the ability to apply knowledge, skills, and values in reasoning and reflecting for tasks like problem-solving, decision-making, innovation, and creativity.

The thematic approach, particularly through engineering design-based STEM activities, is effective in improving these skills for elementary and middle school students. Specifically, these activities enhance problem-solving skills and critical thinking skills. Integrated STEM education is generally considered an effective method for fostering HOTS by engaging students in solving engineering challenges and teaching them to use technology flexibly and creatively.

3. Fostering Motivation and Long-Term STEM Career Interest

A crucial purpose of STEM education is to encourage and foster students' interest in STEM learning and careers. By using real-world problems, like energy policy or designing solar solutions, as a learning context, the integrated STEM approach provides positive motivation for learning STEM content.

For elementary students, problem-based STEM activities within a curriculum are effective in improving learning motivation and STEM career interest. Furthermore, engineering design-based STEM activities associated with the thematic approach have been found to improve STEM career interest among elementary and middle school students. By exposing students early to relevant STEM learning experiences, such as those provided by a Solar Semester, they are more likely to become interested in STEM content.

Conclusion for School Leaders and Teachers

The systematic review confirms that the associated outcomes of K-12 student learning occur consistently when using the same STEM intervention. By selecting the thematic-based integrated STEM approach, our school is adopting a model proven to be effective for K-12 education.

School leaders should recognize the relationship between integrated STEM approaches and student outcomes when making decisions about STEM implementation. For STEM teachers, it is important to choose an approach that aligns with the goals of the program and the needs of students, noting that different approaches produce different outcomes. The thematic Solar Semester, focusing heavily on engineering design challenges related to real-world solar issues, maximizes the potential for enhanced academic achievement, developed higher-order thinking skills and increased motivation and career interest for our K-12 students