STEM education is obviously a major piece of 21st century instruction and we know how important these experiences are for students. Many of those hard and soft skills they learn throughout elementary, middle, and into high school often help them better transition into a future career. Plus, for more and more of them, that career might be very closely related to STEM.
There are, of course, many different pedagogical approaches that can lead to effective instruction. These days, teachers might be fond of promoting a growth mindset, a maker mindset, or perhaps even instilling a collaborative mindset in children. Whatever buzzwords we toss around, however, they’re only as effective as the purposeful teaching techniques that result.
Aside from the likely guarantee that both parents and administrators will be skeptical, there could be a handful of possible issues with starting a school esports program. Ultimately, however, there truly are a long list of positives associated with interscholastic esports, like students building career skills, becoming part of a community, and fostering new relationships with peers.
Equipping students with the job skills for the future is a challenge because we don’t necessarily know what life in the future workforce will be like. We can make an educated guess though and, with added assistance from our partners at UBTECH Education, we’re exploring some of the most relevant skills and how UBTECH’s STEM products can help students acquire them.
STEM includes a massive area of content and subjects, making it possible for educational leaders to implement any number of strategies, technology tools, and ideas for creating STEM learning that’s suited for their particular students. And, one of those areas is early childhood STEAM—the relevant, hands-on learning experiences that students can have early in their lives.
Modern STEM education is all about giving students the tools to be creative and testing their 21st century skills with challenges that mimic those they will find in the real world. Sure, that all sounds great on the surface, especially to parents, but what exactly does this mean? Well, students need learning experiences that will prepare them.
Unfortunately, we can’t take all the credit, but we’d like to think that we play a small role in helping usher teachers into the 21st century. Now that most schools in the country and in the world are focusing a lot more on STEM education, upgrades need to be made to that as well. What’s the saying? Most of what you learn is obsolete two years from now?
The innovation in contemporary education is increasing every day. Schools are using more advanced technologies, like 3D printing, laser cutting tools, and maybe even drones to help impart those necessary skills for the future on their students. Among these key 21st century skills is entrepreneurship since the current gig economy is filled with new opportunities all the time.
As educators, we strive to provide our students with the best foundation for success. But, more importantly, we seek to impart skills that students can tap into throughout their academic and professional careers. The days of rote memorization are long gone. Now, students must learn how to ask the hard questions, solve difficult problems, and be creative.
All too often, we place too much emphasis on driving home concepts and confirming student knowledge by administering tests on a regular basis. Is this the best way for kids to learn, though? Traditionally, most education models have revolved around this approach, but in recent years, more and more teachers have been embracing STEM methods.
