STEM教育的
現在與未來
亞太STEM教育協會 第一屆理事長 王湘妤
接觸STEM教育，始自2017年，當時是從玩具與教具產業開始掀起一陣熱潮，市面上出現了許多標榜STEM教育的玩具、教具以及各式各樣的商品。一時之間，發現自己也陷入了選擇障礙，原因是對於STEM教育的理解與認識不夠。就是在這樣的動力驅使之下，開始投入研究”什麼是STEM教育、STEM發展的緣由、STEM教育的核心概念與具體的執行方式，研究的越深，越發覺得STEM教育從過去到現在，甚至對未來世界的影響，一邊研究的同時，也開始了我分享與推廣STEM教育的這趟旅程。
從2017年開始，一直到2021年的年底，這四年之間，不斷的在幼兒園的教師培訓工作、出版社的內部培訓，以及各式各樣大大小小的研習和講座場合中，分享STEM教育的核心理念，以及如何在教學現場與課程融合、設計出符合STEM精神的內容。所以更深深的感受到，需要號召更多的人來共同為這件事情努力。
這幾年伴隨著108課綱素養教育的推動，以及對於跨領域和科技教育的重視，STEM幾乎成了教育領域中非常熱門的教育關鍵字，這股潮流更是在書籍出版、玩具設計、以及各種與教育相關的商品中席捲，我們非常樂見大家對於STEM有越來越多的關注，但同時，我們也發現，有一些似是而非的觀念也正在蔓延中。像是機器人課程、程式設計課程、或是我們熟悉的科學實驗課程，都跟風的冠上STEM教育的名稱，彷彿只要與STEM字面上有所涉獵，都可以標榜這是STEM課程。
因為有了這樣的觀察與發現，讓我們更加在意，任何具備教學功能的組織與單位，甚至是個人，是否對於STEM教育有足夠且正確的認識，是否掌握住STEM教育的核心概念，而非只是流於技巧與工具的操作，忽略了STEM教育最重要的跨領域、生活應用與真實生活連結等重要的核心。
亞太STEM教育協會的成立，最大的宗旨與目的，就是期待透過課程與分享，傳遞正確的STEM教育概念，為了讓參與的個人與團體在經過了課程的培訓與實作的演練之後，能夠承擔起傳遞正確概念以及落實在工作與生活中，協會引進美國具20多年發展歷史，具公信力的STEM.org認證組織之專業認證，在亞太地區培養具備STEM課程推廣能力之師資，共同為STEM教育的推展而努力！竭誠的歡迎也期待您一起加入這個行列！
My involvement in STEM education began in 2017, when there was a surge of interest in the toy and educational industry. Many products were marketed as STEM education tools, which caused me to feel overwhelmed with choices due to my lack of understanding and knowledge about STEM education. This motivated me to research what STEM education is, the reasons for its development, its core concepts, and specific implementation methods. The deeper I delved into my research, the more I realized the impact STEM education has had on the past, present, and future world. As I continued my research, I began sharing and promoting STEM education to others.
From 2017 to the end of 2021, I have been sharing the core concepts of STEM education and how to integrate them into teaching and curriculum design in various training sessions, seminars, and workshops for kindergarten teachers and publishers. I deeply feel the need to rally more people to join the effort of promoting STEM education.
In recent years, with the promotion of the 108 curriculum in Taiwan and the emphasis on interdisciplinary and technology education, STEM has become a popular educational keyword in the field of education. This trend has swept through book publishing, toy design, and various education-related products. We are glad to see more and more attention given to STEM. However, we also notice that some misconceptions are spreading, such as courses in robotics, programming, or science experiments being labeled as STEM education simply because they involve STEM.
With these observations and findings, we have become more concerned about whether any organization, unit, or even individual with teaching functions has sufficient and correct understanding of STEM education. It is important to grasp the core concepts of STEM education rather than just focusing on technical skills and tools, and to not overlook the important core elements of interdisciplinary, real-life application, and connections.
The establishment of the Asian Association for the Education of STEM (AAES) aims to promote the correct concept of STEM education through curriculum and sharing. After undergoing training and practical exercises through our courses, we hope that individuals and groups can take on the responsibility of conveying the correct concepts and implementing them in their work and daily lives. The association has introduced professional certification from STEM.org, a credible organization with over 20 years of development history in the United States, to cultivate STEM curriculum promotion capabilities in the Asia Pacific region and work together to promote STEM education! We sincerely welcome and look forward to your participation in this effort !