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Learning In The 21st Century STEM Classroom

If we're to inspire pupils, the 21st century STEM classroom has to be about much more than just taking notes and working from textbooks, writes LEGO® Education's Jessica Boothman…

Jessica Boothman
by Jessica Boothman
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Children’s love of learning in the classroom is alive and well – in part, because the learning possibilities for students and teachers alike have increased dramatically over the past decade, due to the proliferation of new and inspiring educational resources and technologies.

But how can teachers go about making sure that STEM subjects in particular are taught in an inspirational, innovative and creative way, while at the same time adhering to curriculum requiring and imparting invaluable life skills?

1. What happens in school often doesn’t prepare pupils for life beyond

The latest national curriculum has gone some way to addressing the failings of its predecessor, with STEM subjects now more aligned to the needs of today’s globally and digitally interconnected knowledge economy. Most pupils now can hopefully get a much closer taste of what actually awaits them in the real world – something that cannot be gained from books alone.

Yet however innovative the teaching resources used in such courses are, it’s still important that questions continue to be asked of pupils, and that they’re encouraged to brainstorm ideas. At the same time, they need to be honing their skills at searching for and analysing information, figuring out creative solutions and working with others to realise their ideas. Which brings us to…

2. Collaboration is essential to getting things done This might seem like an obvious thing to say, but it really is the key ingredient to using STEM resources, such as those from LEGO Education, in an effective and successful way. The beauty of such resources is that the breadth of learning opportunities from any one activity is vast.

Classes can begin with the teacher collaborating with pupils – gathering ideas, deciding on what to do and using mind mapping techniques to develop a plan. Through working with and alongside their peers, students will learn to respect each child’s area of expertise (which can perhaps be further discussed in a post-activity discussion topic), and valuable debating skills. These types of STEM activities form an ideal platform from which to introduce this learning pathway.

3. Hands-on activities

Through kinaesthetic learning, pupils are able to actively explore topics related to the curriculum, while at the same the discovering their own hidden talents, and seeing the potential for how these can be applied to real-world scenarios.

The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 resource, for example, lets pupils to get hands-on with learning. They are tasked with considering how design technology, scientific reasoning and mathematical calculations can be employed to create something fully functional and fit-for-purpose. From there, they can start to understand how such concepts are similarly deployed in the world they see around them every day.

4. Encourage creativity

98% of children can potentially be declared as creative geniuses at the age of five, but that number drops drastically to just 2% of adults by the time they reach the age of 25. Creativity is the engine that drives today’s world and economy, so we need to make sure our learners don’t lose that childhood creative spark as they go through school.

Instead of giving children tasks to complete, teachers are increasingly taking a step back and becoming mediators, rather than instructors, pushing pupils to use their imagination and creativity to solve a given problem.

5. Learning doesn’t stop

Pupils’ learning shouldn’t stop as soon as the bell rings at school. This is why inspiring them during STEM classes is so important, since they’re then more likely to be motivated to explore topics further outside of school, applying their knowledge and understanding to various real-life examples.

We need to embrace the full spectrum of learning experiences for children to make sure we support learning anywhere and anytime it happens.

6. Never a wrong answer

I always remember a story that I was told many years ago, about a class of children who were asked to name things that were spiral in shape. The obvious answers were given, until one child said ‘A car park’. The teacher told him he was wrong; that car parks are typically square or rectangular. But of course he was thinking of the way a car has to spiral up and down multi-story car parks.

The lesson learned by the teacher here was that there’s never a wrong answer; it just depends how you look at it.

By giving pupils resources such as those from LEGO Education, the answers to the problems set are to be found wherever the pupils’ minds take them. Learning today required creative ideas, a willingness to connect different disciplines, work outside the box and look beyond the classroom walls. Pupils must be allowed to take risks, so that they’re able to learn deeply from failure.

The new curriculum is giving more freedom to explore learning, especially in the STEM subjects. We are lucky in the UK to lead the world in terms of the quantity and variety of education resources that schools can draw on –. and on top of this, we have an increasingly wonderful expanse of leaders and innovators who are thinking critically and creatively, to inspire curiosity in pupils.

If you need inspiration, the LEGO Education website has a wealth of learning ideas to help ignite the creativity in your classroom.

For more information, visit LEGOeducation.co.uk or follow @LEGOeducationUK

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