FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 28, 2019 • KIDS & EDUCATION • THE QUEENS COURIER 37
kids & education
How to encourage STEM in your middle-schooler
Even though many Americans understand
the importance of STEM education,
children in the U.S. continue to lose interest
in science, technology, engineering
and math subjects at young ages.
Not surprisingly, 44 percent of U.S.
adults say they felt more excited about
science when they were kids, reports the
State of Science Index, a global study
commissioned by 3M examining the general
population’s attitudes toward science.
Maintaining students’ interest in science
during the middle school years is crucial
to increasing the likelihood they’ll pursue
STEM careers. Th at’s important, since
studies show our nation will need to produce
an additional one million STEM
workers between 2012 and 2022 alone.
Th at said, we’re still not on track to meet
demand, partly because students continue
to lose interest.
What’s the answer? Creating a rich
culture of STEM education in schools
requires professional development, suggests
Cindy Moss, vice president of global
STEM initiatives for curriculum developer
Discovery Education. She points to
research showing teachers need 80 hours
of cumulative targeted professional development
before eff ectively teaching STEMpromoting
classes.
“Many educators in our country believe
we need to accelerate our approach to
STEM education,” Moss says.
What can parents and educators do to
foster more interest? Consider the following:
Find role models: If a child doesn’t
know anyone working in STEM, he or
she may be unable to imagine a career in
such roles. Introduce him or her to people
actively working in such fi elds, then
encourage discussion and/or job shadowing.
Teachers might bring in speakers
who can answer candid questions about
the rewards and challenges in their fi elds
- including signifi cant demand and attractive
pay scales.
Seek achievement opportunities:
Introducing children to engaging events
like the annual Discovery Education 3M
Young Scientist Challenge may spark
their sense of competition and passion
for STEM. Th e annual contest, which
is accepting submissions until April 19,
invites innovators in grades fi ve through
eight to develop one- to two-minute videos
describing their ideas for creative solutions
to tackle everyday problems. Th e top
10 fi nalists receive a summer mentorship
with a 3M scientist, and the winner
will receive $25,000. Last year’s winner,
Gitanjali Rao, developed a device that
measures lead levels in drinking water.
Keep participating: Reducing involvement
in your child’s daily academics once
he or she enters middle school may backfi
re. One study shows middle schoolers
maintain a more positive attitude toward
science when their parents continue to
display interest. Th e Rao family, for example,
frequently visits museums and holds
game nights focusing on problem solving.
“We encourage our children to communicate
their ideas clearly and concisely
and understand real-world issues,” notes
Bharathi Rao, Gitanjali’s mother.
Discourage snap decisions: During
adolescence, Moss notes, kids struggling
to fi gure out who they are can easily
form inaccurate perceptions of their academic
weaknesses. Reassure your child
one challenging assignment or bad grade
need not rule out a future career. “Kids
oft en make up their minds by sixth grade
whether they’re capable of doing science
and math,” says Moss. “We have defi nitive
evidence that by age 6, girls have already
started to internalize negative stereotypes
that science and math are not for girls.” In
reality, she notes, understanding science
and math simply requires more thinking
for some people than others; it’s not a skill
based on gender.
According to State of Science Index
fi ndings, 96 percent of U.S. parents want
their kids to know more about science. It’s
critical for us to maintain interest during
the middle school years, and according to
Moss it’s our responsibility to help children
see the possibilities.
“Kids in fi ft h through eighth grade have
a whole lot of empathy and really do want
to make the world a better place,” she says.
“Th ey have the power, but we need to
instill confi dence and give them the tools
and encouragement to pursue STEM.”
— BPT
/WWW.QNS.COM
