ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines some of the different models for teaching Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) that have been used successfully in secondary schools. STEM are disciplines in their own right, but the call for STEM has ignited a flurry of political, professional and business discussions, and this has significant implications for education. The STEM skills and capabilities that different schools promote are often locally determined, depending on the learning needs of their students. STEM is being associated with activities and pedagogies that are different from the traditional approaches. The STEM subjects are aligned with the science, mathematics, engineering and technology learning areas within the Australian Curriculum. Skills relating to STEM, including the capabilities within the Australian Curriculum, can be the focus of instruction in different situations. STEM can range from including all of the practices and interconnections in all disciplines to, more narrowly, including only those generic practices common to all disciplines as a metadiscipline.
