The STEM Program
STEM – Science, Technology and Math – is exciting. No, really! Whether it’s putting Calculus into real-life situations, tracking weather data, investigating forensic information or heading out for a whale watch off the Maine coast, our STEM teachers are constantly striving to engage our students in ways that get them excited to learn.
Students in STEM classes at Bridgton Academy, to model professionals in STEM fields, should learn about and acquire the ability to demonstrate proficiency in the following skill areas:
- Asking questions and defining problems.
- Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them, using a variety of techniques and resources.
- Perform research, plan and carry out investigations, and collect data using the best available tools and technology.In the analysis and interpretation of data:
- Use mathematics and logical thinking to reason abstractly and quantitatively.
- Construct explanations using evidence based argument.
- Recognize patterns and trends. Make predictions based on the data, when possible. Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information.
- Develop and use models. Critique the model’s accuracy in representing the real word.Finally, evidence-based arguments are presented:
- Demonstrate the abilities to communicate information orally and in writing; including the use of tables, diagrams, graphs, and equations.
- Engage in extended discussion or debate with peers in order to argue from evidence and critique the reasoning of others
- Explanations are argued, debated, critiqued, and analyzed with the ultimate goal of refining an improving the explanation or design.