I have come across quite a few STEM Education articles lately and it has been the topic of conversation amongst my colleagues. This is a topic I have been interested in for quite a while now. I feel as though it has become a "buzz word" in the field of education. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Educators are urged to teach students in these subjects and get them excited about these fields. As the world changes, STEM careers are being brought to the forefront and students are being encouraged to take part in them.
STEM has a lot to do with project-based learning. Students are being asked to think at rigorous cognitive levels. Kids these days are surrounded by technology and use it recreationally on a daily basis. Whether it is making movies, build websites, create games, etc. students are creating and consuming digital content at hyperactive speeds. The disconnect comes in the way students are learning. They absorb information for fun all day long, but when it comes to the classroom, technology in no where to be found. As educators, we need to bridge this gap in order to change instructional techniques. Students are the ones who will benefit from it.
In my third grade classroom, we do STEM labs every nine weeks. It is on a much smaller scale than say a middle or high school class, but nonetheless students are being exposed to new and innovative ways of thinking. I have had my students construct the tallest structure they can using one bag of marshmallows and one hundred toothpicks. The results were great! Each group came up with a different way to make their structure and best of all, the conversations they were having were high-level. The questioning and reasoning students were doing, as groups, was like nothing I had seen before in my classroom.
Keeping students engaged, motivated, and inspired is a hard task, but with STEM related activities it is possible to make learning fun again! Creating a rich digitally connected environment is something I aim for in the years to come.
Annie,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post this week!
STEM has always been an area I've been interested in well because of the last 3 things you mention: engagement, motivation, and inspiration. Any kind of activity that can incorporate those 3 in 1 lesson is something I want to try.
I found it interesting when you said that children are around technology everyday, but they are only using it recreationally. I am guilty of this as an educator and I know I need to change my thinking.
I love that you add a STEM lab into your classroom every so often! I am sure the students loved to use marshmallows in a different way than eating them! I tried to do a structure challenge with index cards but the students became easily frustrated because the index cards flopped around and wouldn't stay. I would be interested in using the toothpicks and marshmallows for the next time I try!
Jennelle