What STEM education actually teaches students

“When I grow up, I want to be a STEM teacher!” »

These are not the words that came out of my mouth when I was 5 years old. I always dreamed of being a teacher, but being a STEM teacher was not the plan. STEM didn’t even exist when I was little!

My dreams finally came true and I landed a 2nd grade teaching job. Fast forward to where I taught classroom for six years (2nd and 3rd grade), then I got a job teaching K-5 STEM.

I was given a brand new classroom with limited supplies and no curriculum. I didn’t know anyone in the building. My role was to teach innovative lessons to all of the 500+ children in the school, manage school-wide technology, and co-teach with teachers in my building. Such a simple task, right?

As lessons were developed and supplies were collected, students became fascinated with what STEM could be in their elementary world. We coded robots, built prototypes from recycled materials, and even took our learning outside with my unique unit, STEM Survival Camp.

In my years of teaching K-5 STEM, I realized that this opportunity for students was less about the tools. Rather, it was about the life skills the children developed during their time with me.

I even told my students this. And so what do Does STEM education teach our students? Here is my opinion.

Resilience

We believe that not giving up when things are difficult is an innate skill. This is not the case. I don’t have enough fingers to count the number of times kids cried when part of their project didn’t work the first time and they wanted to give up.

We must provide our students with countless opportunities to try and fail repeatedly. Not only that, but being able to try and fail with different mediums is essential. Some students excel at designing 3D prints but become frustrated when building with cardboard. Students must face challenges, learn to overcome them, and understand that not everything will be easy. It’s OK! Life is not easy and we need children who can persevere, even when the challenge doesn’t work or is difficult.

Collaboration

As students grew accustomed to my classroom, we thrived in the collaboration department. For the projects, students played different roles when solving a problem. For example, with LEGO construction, we would have a “Builder”, a “Researcher” and a “Director”. Although it was a process, the students were mastering the art of collaboration.

Then the pandemic arrived. When we returned to in-person teaching, many things shocked me, but it was the collaboration that surprised me the most. Before, I had comfortable classmates asking each other for solutions and I was the guide through the process. On the other hand, the students were very dependent on me. They hardly thought to ask the person sitting next to them who was working on the same project.

We often take for granted the importance of human connections, but the ability to collaborate is one that affects even elementary-aged children and is something we need to continue to work on.

Creativity

Kindergarteners, in particular, were my most creative group of students, year after year. They are very proud of the ideas they come up with, even if it wasn’t feasible. Everyone has a spark of creativity in their own way. Some students are excellent storytellers.

I had a student working on our LEGO builds who loved adding characters (mini-figures), giving them names, and creating a whole scene for them. Another student, who reminded me of a Disney Imagineer, added immense detail to our makerspace challenges when we combined robotics. Likewise, I had another student who added funny jokes and music to his coding stories.

The world needs multiple perspectives to think about the world in new ways. STEM brings out students’ inner passions and helps them apply their creativity in new situations.

Empathy

I barely hear the phrase often used by students: “Why do we have to learn this?” in my STEM class. For what? As a teacher, I would ask them exactly the following question: what is the point of doing all this?

I was working on a 3D printing project with 5th graders, an age that can sometimes be difficult to relate to, and we were talking about Earth’s resources. From there, we discussed different types of depleted natural resources and various problems facing our environment.

It’s important, yes, but I wanted students to understand the impact of our choices as human beings, good or bad, that make a difference. By changing this perspective, students were more passionate about their final design and the importance of making a change. Getting students to see beyond themselves and show compassion to others through design can connect their learning to a larger purpose.

While there is a big push to include STEM and innovative classes as early as middle and high school, how can we reach our youngest learners? Our students should not only have experience using current tools, but also unique opportunities to practice their soft skills. While these skills can still be developed in a traditional classroom, adding an element of hands-on learning and innovation can add a new and exciting perspective.

When asking why elementary school children need a STEM course, consider less the opportunities related to the cute robot and more the skills students need to succeed today and in their future.