This book illustrates that real-life learning in which students conduct scientific investigations and make new innovations to solve real-world problems is an integral part of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) education. It provides examples of student and teacher work from projects of the Rutgers University Center of Mathematics, Science, and Computer Education. The book examines how new K to 12 education standards and innovative teacher professional development programs – which emphasize transdisciplinary approaches to STEM and STEAM – lead to the emergence of real-life education in schools. In addition, the book references related research to identify key advances in STEM and STEAM education. Special topics include the uses of makerspaces, educational video games, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning to fuel project-based, real-life learning.
Key areas of coverage include:

• Online learning and student engagement (or disengagement) in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The role of new K-12 standards in science, design thinking, computer science, and climate change in stimulating integrative STEM/STEAM education.
• Obstacles and supports for teaching integrative STEM and STEAM programs.
• Multiple types of teacher and student collaboration in STEM, STEAM, and maker-based education.
• The need for teacher professional development and student supports to integrate sophisticated, new technologies into classrooms.

Integrative STEM and STEAM Education for Real-Life Learning is an essential resource for researchers, professors, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students as well as professionals and policy makers across all interrelated disciplines, including educational, school, child, developmental, and cognitive psychology, teaching and teacher education, learning and instruction, library science, multimedia, and all professionals with interests in science, mathematics, engineering, technology, and arts education.