Over the next decade, 80 percent of jobs in the Indian market will require professionals to have a mixture of science and math skills (Study in India, 2019). This increasing demand for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) skills has encouraged the Indian education ecosystem to adopt these methodologies into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-life applications. STEM education has become a proven framework designed to develop skills such as problem-solving, creativity, argumentation, data-driven decision making, etc. Acquiring these skills in school will not only be beneficial for grasping concepts but will also open doors to high-paying jobs (Jacobs, 2014).
65% of our children will be working in jobs that don’t even exist yet! (World Economic Forum, 2016) Embedding STEM subjects in academic curriculums at an early age will allow the next generation to have the right tools needed for the future. To do so, we as parents must work towards building a necessary foundation for STEM skills at home. But where do we start?
Parental Engagement
Last year, STEM Next Opportunity Fund published a report “Changing the Game in STEM with Family Engagement.” The report revealed that we, as parents have an immense effect on our child’s learning and career outcomes (Stem Next Opportunity Fund, 2019).
STEM is all around our living spaces. Daily activities and science projects for you and your child can help build critical thinking and problem-solving skills (DeAngelis, 2019). These activities could be as simple as repairing an old bicycle, baking in the kitchen, gardening, or understanding how the fish tank works. Even reading with our children is proven beneficial in expanding their minds to the unknown.
Encourage Creativity
Our children are born eager to learn and curious by nature. Creative thinking engages the mind and makes learning more efficient. When creating a STEM environment at home, parents should dismiss the “usual” way of doing things and celebrate their child’s uniqueness.
Challenge your child with out-of-the-box science experiments and refrain from showing the solution to them at first. Old habits of thinking do not give the opportunity of understanding the cause and effect of a concept. Additionally, promote healthy discussions at home and allow them to be explicit with their theory and thinking. These conversations will shape their perspectives and help them to formulate their step-by-step rationale.
Innovator’s Work Station
STEM education is specifically designed with experiential learning and hands-on applications as the fulcrum. Therefore, you must designate space for your little innovator. Have visual supports, such as posters and charts, to help remember key concepts. Additionally, desks and other furniture must be arranged to allow full flexibility for STEM activities, science projects, and lectures for your child.
Integrate Technology and STEM-based Platforms
A full-functioning STEM environment utilizes technology and electronic gadgets. Using technology for academics and setting a healthy relationship between your child and gadgets can boost your child’s interest in learning. Students using digital models and simulations can go on to mastering STEM concepts. As STEM education encourages students to visualize and experience academic topics, technological tools support their collaborative reasoning.
As STEM-based education is slowly rising, myriad applications are available to better teach these concepts. At ExperiHub, we believe students learn more effectively with the use of real-world examples and hands-on science experiments. Our platform is specifically designed for making learning fun through ‘experiencing’ science and mathematics. To learn more about us, please feel free to browse through our online sessions and workshops.
References:
DeAngelis, S. (2019, September 06). STEM Education Helps Students Think Critically. Retrieved from https://www.enterrasolutions.com/blog/stem-education-helps-students-think-critically/#:~:text=STEM helps young people to,readily take on the future.”
Jacobs, P. (2014, July 09). Science And Math Majors Earn The Most Money After Graduation. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.in/education/Science-And-Math-Majors-Earn-The-Most-Money-After-Graduation/articleshow/38090854.cms
Stem Next Opportunity Fund. (2019). Changing The Game in STEM With Family Engagement (pp. 1-56, Rep.) San Diego.
Study in India. (2019, January 11). India and STEM Education. Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://www.studyinindia.gov.in/blog/Page/india-and-stem-education#:~:text=As per the National Science,learned to the real world.
World Economic Forum. (2016). Global Challenge Insight Report (pp. 1-167, Rep.). Geneva: World Economic Forum.