Teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM subjects, to students, is often a core focus for many educators. Doing so effectively can help students engage with subjects successfully and encourage them throughout their scholastic and professional journeys. There are many tools available to educators that can aid them in their teaching efforts. In this article, we explain why teaching STEM is so important, offer tips for teaching these subjects, and provide a list of eight online and in-person resources you can use to empower students and help them approach STEM subjects with confidence.
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Why is teaching STEM important?
Teaching STEM is important for many reasons, including:
It strengthens the skills students need for career success
The lessons students learn during their STEM studies can help them in their future careers. Many businesses place heavy emphasis on skills like data collection and analysis, and a strong STEM foundation can help students approach these challenges with confidence. Building a passion for STEM subjects early can lead to a lifetime of learning and advancement in a world that’s constantly producing new technologies.
It helps develop a new generation of innovators
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills are all crucial to successful invention and innovation. As you prepare a new generation for their careers and life pursuits, developing their strengths in these subjects can lead to new discoveries and advancements. Today’s students may be tomorrow’s inventors, industry leaders, and activists.
It creates an important foundation for further learning
If students choose to pursue continuing education in one of the STEM subjects, having a firm foundation in these areas is very important. The passion they develop early on can translate into a career or future educational pursuit. Those who want to become scientists, professors, engineers, mathematicians, and computer scientists can use their skills to grow in their fields.
Tips for teaching STEM
Here are some tips that can aid you in your STEM teaching efforts:
Help students engage with the material
Having students engage with STEM materials from an early age can help them feel less intimidated by challenging subjects. Encourage them to understand the broader context of what they’re learning. STEM subjects can be fascinating and fun. Learning to cater to a variety of learning styles can help students approach material that may have otherwise felt inaccessible.
Be passionate about the subjects
Your enthusiasm for a subject can directly affect how a student feels. Be dynamic and excited about your teaching. Demonstrations, experiments, field trips, and fun facts can help students realize these subjects are powerful and important.
Make learning interactive
Rather than relying on textbooks as your primary resource, create opportunities for students to make their own discoveries. Have them use math to design a structurally sound bridge out of popsicle sticks. Show them how chemicals interact using fun demonstrations. Have them watch butterflies or tadpoles develop. Challenge them to recreate a human knee and compete to see how far their construction can kick. By making students active members of their own education, you can create dynamic and memorable learning environments that instill passions for years to come.
8 STEM teaching tools
Here’s a closer look at 8 digital and physical resources teachers can use to aid in their STEM teaching efforts:
1. Scratch
Learning to code can be a fun challenge for kids of all ages, and it can help them develop fundamental skills for their later careers or studies. Scratch, a learning tool from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, uses a block-based visual programming language students can employ to create new projects. It’s a great resource for elementary, middle school, and high school teachers with students between ages 8 and 16.
2. Intel Teaching Idea Showcase
The Intel Teaching Idea Showcase offers unit and lesson plans for educators. The plans focus on STEM learning. Here, you can find lesson plans for students aged five to 18.
3. Math Snacks
From New Mexico State University, Math Snacks is a site with games and interactive learning tools for students. The fun, interactive site offers a variety of media meant to help students engage with STEM materials in challenging ways. You can use their games to supplement a variety of subjects and lesson ideas.
4. Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN)
CLEAN offers online resources for educators teaching about climate and energy. Their accessible explanations of climate and policy can help you deliver useful information to students of all ages, from kindergarten to college levels in English and Spanish.
5. Energy.gov
Energy.gov is a site from the United States Department of Energy. You can find videos on their site to share with students. The government website also has several free resources for educators and those interested in government energy policy.
6. NASA Digital Learning Network (DLN)
NASA’s DLN provides many exciting resources for educators at all grade levels. On their site, you can find lots of information on new discoveries and space technologies. With expert-provided lessons on many subjects, you can find a variety of offerings aimed at technology and space education.
7. Science buddies
Science buddies is a non-profit organization that offers access to news, project ideas, and teacher resources. They feature a video of the week and their project guides cover important concepts like the scientific method and provide access to valuable reference materials. They also offer lesson plans and teaching tools for teachers.
8. PhET Interactive Simulations
From the University of Colorado at Boulder, PhET is a non-profit, open-source resource for students and educators. It offers interactive simulations for many science and math concepts and covers subjects like physics, earth science, math, chemistry, and biology. Their teaching resources include tips for incorporating the simulations into your lessons and virtual workshops for teaching science and math subjects.
I hope you find this article helpful.
