Best Practices in K-12 STEM Education Using Soil Science As an Integrating Theme.

STEM education has become recognized as a critical component to preparing the workforce of the future.  Workforce shortages in soil and plant science are predicted to increase as the number of graduates in those fields remains steady.  While the term “STEM education” is widely used, it is often inappropriately applied to denote just the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  However, STEM education is considerably more complex, and actually refers to “an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons“(Tsupros, 2009). It is this interdisciplinary approach that promotes critical thinking and problem solving.  It is the lack of critical thinking skills that employers continue to describe as a problem in the upcoming workforce. Soil Science is by definition an interdisciplinary subject that ideally lends itself to STEM education approaches.  Because of the inherent applicability of soil science to teaching STEM concepts, K-12 educators are increasingly using soil science topics to develop critical thinking skills while meeting the content standards required for the grade level.  This paper will review best practices in K-12 education that utilize soil science, soil health, and soil ecology as unifying themes to teach science, mathematics, and engineering concepts that are age appropriate and relevant to students’ lives.  Assessments and outcomes of these approaches will be discussed.