ABSTRACT
There is increasing global concern about the engagement of students with the STEM subjects, and the need for students to acquire the STEM skills necessary for participation in 21st century living and work futures. Calls for new directions in STEM Education amount to a re-thinking of the STEM subject disciplines. Drawing on an analysis of the discourse around STEM advocacy, this paper investigates the nature of drivers of a strong STEM interdisciplinary agenda, and the implications for school systems and for the STEM disciplinary subjects. An analysis of integrated STEM innovations in Australian schools raises questions about the relationship between authentic interdisciplinary STEM tasks and the nature of STEM subject epistemes. It is argued that the STEM subject disciplines in schools need to remain the basis of STEM learning, but need to be significantly re-thought if they are to answer the call for critical and creative thinking that underpins STEM advocacy.
