STEM means Student Engagement

STEM calls to me every day. Each time I challenge my class with a hands-on “build it or die trying” problem, they jump at it. I am left surprised and honestly, really emotional, when I see them band together, working with each other’s strengths and covering for each other’s deficiencies. It is the greatest social skills workshop ever. I watch how the systems engineer (a student pulled out of the woodwork to somehow garner a team of 10-20 kids to accomplish a complicated task in forty minutes or less) swallows his frustration and kindly tells a friend he doesn’t think that idea will work. I watch how students who normally don’t converse gladly take turns ripping the tape into perfect size shreds that won’t block the marbles they are trying to roll down a handmade roller coaster. I love STEM, and every student deserves to as well.

I should probably be writing about problem based learning, and how to set up group work so that students are evenly matched and complement each other’s intellects and skills. I should explain how I carefully stagger the group work in between solid worksheets and group discussions. I definitely shouldn’t leave out the part where I remind you that these “design and discovery labs” should be entirely hands off for the teacher. That means no hints, no leads, no answering questions. Just deliver the materials, the job objective, a time limit and back off. But I am not going to write about any of that. I am going to talk about the wonderful fulfilling feeling you get as a teacher when you introduce STEM to your classroom. The kids are ALIVE. They love it.

Everyone knows the key to teaching is student engagement. No, scratch that. The key to learning is student engagement. We can teach all we want, but if we want kids to really learn, well we have to get them engaged. And get this people, more than a hundred Justin Bieber references or handing out jelly bellies to do math, challenging students to accomplish new things really gets them engaged. That is what STEM can do for your classroom. STEM is a chance for students to finally get an answer to that annoying question of “why do I have to learn this”. STEM lets students face their own abilities and see them in practice. Students love the high of actually finally doing and making something with their own hands. They love seeing their ideas come alive.

Obviously there is a catch. You have to believe in your student’s ability to succeed. If you trust them, they will rise to the occasion. So, prepare them well! Work those worksheets, give the homework, talk with them until they get the concepts. Then, the time is ripe to hand them the reins and let them STEM!