If I were to Teach STEM!
I teach maths to middle school, grades 6 to 8. The age groups 11 to 14 years. The age when developmentally maximum changes happen as this is the time for synaptic pruning (KahnAcademyMedicine). Hence I am caring and sensitive to the students, ensuring that they feel safe in the environment that they are in and use multiple strategies for the same. However, reading the texts of the week made me realise that while I am doing many things right intuitively, but knowing the development stages and what is right for each and its connections with STEM would make teaching of maths much more meaningful for me and the students. This is because the perspective would be clear or the intent would be focused.
I would do less of thinking of learning as only that which happens in the circle of academics or taught curriculum (Seifert & Sutton, 2009). Most of us make the mistake of assuming learning is only what happens when a test is given and students perform well in it. Social interaction is not something that I just need to ‘manage’ but I can include it in the process of teaching and learning process as my age group thrives on peer interactions. Cognitive development requires social interaction (psychologynoteshq.com/vygotsky-theory/, 2018) and hence I would create spaces in the lessons that require a robust social interaction for solving problems. For example, students can be given a 3D shape and asked to figure out the net for the same in groups. They would talk to each other and find the best possible strategy to design the best net and also find a way to test it out. Through this I expect that the social interaction would give them some key skills that would help them thrive in life.
Role differences also accentuate for some teenagers (Seifert & Sutton, 2009). This makes girls likely to reduce their interest in maths. This is the time when some girls and boys also might stop working with each other. I would do less of gender stereotyping or none at all and attend to all genders as if they are one. For example, students being taken outdoors to find volume of a cylindrical pillar without any tools from my side would work in mixed gender groups and be expected to do whatever is needed to find the height and circumference of the pillar, including climb on each other’s shoulders!
I would do less of expecting students to be ready for the class environment and focus more on teacher readiness (Seifert & Sutton, 2009). I would focus on adapting my own approach to teaching, especially with diverse groups. When multiple learning styles thrive a group, teaching also needs to attend to the multiple styles of learning. However, in a large group of learners, all with multiple styles of learning, it may not be feasible to have individualised planning. I would hence differentiate my teaching, including differentiation of content, process and especially product (Schunk, 2012). I would use Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligence (Seifert & Sutton, 2009) to create a variety of learning experiences. I would alternate between group and individual tasks, allow change in furniture arrangement and move between outdoor and indoor classes to give space for as many learning styles as possible. For example, students measuring height of a building using ratio could present their work in the form that they want to, a video or a role play or a picture book. They could work alone or in pairs or a group. they could also measure the height from an indoor space or outdoor space.
I would do less of taking maths as a microcosm of teaching areas and teach it for its own sake only. I would combine enjoyment and usefulness as the gold standard of teaching (Seifert & Sutton, 2009) thereby opening the gates to transfer. Here I would take an integrative approach and combine maths with other subjects taking a problem solving approach at the core of it as happens in STEM based projects (DeAngelis, 2015). I would expose students to STEM based projects but I would also add to them liberal arts to balance their thinking. for example, students would work on the maths of Covid19 and work out an exponential graph that helps predict the future of the pandemic, but they would write a reflective and deeply personal piece about how Covid19 has affected them and their near and dear ones.
Conclusion
This reflective piece expanded my thinking. I do not know much about STEM teaching. I realise now that it is much more than simply integrating four subjects. At its core it is about critical thinking and problem solving approach. These are critical skills for life. Keeping the core as best practices in education, we can move forward confidently in teaching in an integrative manner.
References
1. DeAngelis, S. F. (2015, August 07). Why STEM? Success Starts With Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving Skills. Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://www.wired.com/insights/2014/06/stem-success-starts-critical-thinking-problem-solving-skills/
2. KahnAcademyMedicine (2105). Brain changes during adolescence. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fa8U6BkhNo
3. Schunk, D. H. (2012). Learning theories: An educational perspective (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
4. Seifert, K., & Sutton, R. (2009). Educational psychology (2nd ed.). The Saylor Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Educational-Psychology.pdf
5. Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development (2018). Retrieved from https://www.psychologynoteshq.com/vygotsky-theory/
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