Children are naturally curious. They love exploring, inventing, building, and being actively engaged in learning. As their learning advances, subjects like science, technology, engineering, and math - referred to as STEM - become a big part of their everyday learning. However, the current approaches to incorporating STEM in the classroom are too exclusionary and silo-ed. This means that learners must have prerequisite skills, such as being proficient in technology to engage in STEM learning.
At GIIS Tokyo We provide Summer School Program, in which we focus on Stem based activities along with other activities like Yoga, Role Playing, Sports, Robotics, etc.If you are looking for ways, strategies, and ideas on how to promote STEM learning in your classroom, read on.
Learning is via concepts taught in different classes and emphasizes applying knowledge in real-life situations. It is presented through hands-on, real-world learning experiences. Theoretically, exposing learners to STEM and giving them an opportunity to explore STEM-related concepts, should help them develop a passion and hopefully pursue the subjects. For example, learning the basics of coding can help a young student develop the skills for maths and writing, while building their creativity and confidence.
STEM learning is design-focused, meaning students learn to use tools and techniques to tackle big problems or opportunities. It can be thought of as challenge or problem-based learning. Students also learn to actively apply the knowledge and skills they get to real-world problems and come up with solutions, project-based learning. STEM learning is all-inclusive. It draws concepts from different fields since real-world problems are not limited to one discipline, so they need a multi-disciplinary approach.
Scientific and technological innovations are taking center stage in the wake of globalization and a knowledge-based economy. To succeed in this technology-based society, students must grow their skills in STEM.
According to statistics, STEM careers grow at 17 percent, while non-STEM careers only grow at 9.8 percent. Even though the demand for STEM learning has increased, research shows that 78 percent of high school graduates are under-prepared for college courses and the STEM field. With learners engaged in STEM learning in high school, they are more likely to go for STEM-related college courses. Since STEM creates critical thinkers, increases literacy for science, problem-solving, and creativity, students become more confident in their overall studies, and are less likely to drop out.
Even though they might not pursue a STEM-related course in college, the skills they learn reach beyond the classroom and are integral for everyday life and different careers. While not every job might have a scientific or engineering aspect, most have a technological and mathematical side. For instance, every job has a financial aspect that requires a math education. Even if learners end up in the humanities or arts, having computer skills can prove valuable.
STEM learning broadens horizons; by learning to think scientifically, students learn the importance of using trial and errors to solve problems creatively by questioning things, seeking the truth, and eagerly exploring how things work. Through STEM education, students can learn a lot about the environment and society in general. From weather to electricity, biology, and economics, STEM learning is vital to everyone. Since the goal of STEM is to make learners more technologically and mathematically literate, every learner can benefit from STEM education.
To incorporate STEM learning in your classroom, you must first change how you talk to your students. Try incorporating more STEM-themed language or vocabulary, such as trial, challenge, design, develop, error, observe, model, modify, conduct, maintain, and collaborate. This inclusion of scientific terminology allows students to use them accurately in everyday activities and connect to STEM learning better. This is quite easy to do in a science or engineering class; however, get creative to incorporate them in other subjects.
You can also help your students think like scientists by building a culture of collaboration. By getting them comfortable with teamwork, students become more aware of team dynamics and the different ways they can interact in class. It also makes learning go a lot smoother and increases the learning value for them. Successful teamwork requires learners to understand the value and purpose of teamwork, develop the sense of being part of a team, develop the skills to collaborate effectively, be reasonable and accountable for the work they do.
To help your students collaborate more successfully, organize and plan for teamwork by deciding team sizes, who will be in each team, gathering the materials, and ensuring they have the prerequisite skills needed to work together. Ensure they understand why they are working in teams and the value of working together. The more information you provide, the better; you can even use examples of people who work in teams such as athletes.
Determine the purpose of working together and what methods they are to follow. Provide explicit instructions on how they will work together by providing a checklist of procedures. Monitor the teamwork and offer productive feedback as they work; if several teams, for instance, are struggling with the same problems, call them aside and find out what the problem is.
Rather than presenting information to students through books, discussion, or videos; present the ideas you want them to learn as questions or problems and let their curiosity drive their learning. Learn how to ask open-ended questions and let them think of possible answers. You can use varied events to intrigue learners and draw them into the problem.
STEM learning is often siloed within the core subject areas. While it’s easy to show how integral these subjects are in everyday life, there are a lot more opportunities to incorporate STEM outside them. For instance, you can combine STEM and service-learning to help high schoolers identify and solve real-life problems in their communities. Encourage learners to go out when the weather is nice and incorporate a bit of physics, biology, or even math with some fitness. Use real-world examples in non-STEM classes such as reading, and point out how STEM underpins everything.
Switching up teaching techniques through incorporating hands-on learning. Rather than describing what you want your students to learn, try letting them do it. Learning through experience and doing is a lot more compelling than just listening to information. By doing things such as simple experiments, their imagination is piqued, and it allows them to investigate possible solutions to the problem. You can assist them by providing the necessary materials they will need to carry out such experiments.
Another time-tested experiential tradition synonymous with STEM learning is taking students on field trips to museums, manufacturing plants, power stations, laboratories, or any other place where they can see the concepts you are teaching them first hand. Field trips break up the monotony of in-class teaching while providing valuable learning experiences. For instance, you can find field trip guides, activity sheets, teaching guides, or project materials online to help you plan and make the most of your trip.
Failure is a necessary part of learning. It’s through failure that students learn more. Experimenting or taking risks is part of the scientific method. You want to create an environment where students feel safe taking risks to find answers. STEM learning requires a lot of students engagement, workforce skills, and critical thinking. Because it is often student lead, it can wreak havoc on your lesson plan and make it hard to cover the requisite content systematically. As a STEM teacher, be flexible in your schedule and thinking. As part of the learning process, you may need to deviate from your lesson plan depending on where student-lead investigations, discussions, and decisions take them.
When most people hear STEM, lab coats, engineers, and coders come to mind. However, STEM incorporates a lot more than that. It’s the foundation of many things in the world, from manufacturing to healthcare, the economy, food production, etc. this means there are a lot of career opportunities for students with STEM skills. Today many jobs and careers require students to have some kind of scientific, mathematical, or technological literacy.
Having STEM skills can help them easily find careers. However, you must put this in a way that they easily understand and ignites their curiosity. For instance, high schools in Japan connect learners with young college students to see how relatable STEM learning is and dispel STEM stereotypes as many learners think STEM equates to a career as a scientist or engineer.
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy or approach you can take when it comes to STEM—doing this alienates and sidelines a lot of learners, only embracing those that fit into that specific mold. The way STEM has been implemented in schools so far has been too narrow-minded. However, with these tips, you can make STEM more inclusive in your classroom.
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