Try, Fail And Try Again – The Recipe For Fostering Resilience and Engaging Pupils in STEM
LEGO Education’s Jessica Boothman discusses the importance of encouraging pupils to get hands-on with STEM subjects, and how practical activities including robotics and programming can enhance skills beyond the classroom
Ask anyone in education and they will tell you how important STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects are.
With the National STEM Centre stating that 42 per cent of UK employers are already finding it difficult to recruit skilled individuals, it’s no wonder there has been a big push to promote these subjects in school. Not only will these subjects equip pupils with vital skills that will contribute to our future economy, they will also teach them essential life lessons.
This, then, begs the question – how exactly can we foster an interest amongst pupils to encourage this generation of scientific and technological talent to thrive?
Get physical
Rather than purely working from a textbook, memorising facts or listening to information, teachers should encourage pupils to get creative and learn through explorative activities. Experimenting with kinaesthetic learning can be a lot more effective and helps bring subjects alive. Giving pupils something physical to work with will automatically engage their natural curiosity and give them the determination to accomplish the task set.
Using robotics resources like LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3, for example, allows pupils to take control of their own learning. During the initial building stage, they will need to consider all the different elements of design technology, scientific reasoning and mathematical calculations in order to create something that is fully functional and fit-for-purpose.
Through hands-on learning, pupils can become inspired to actively explore topics related to the curriculum, while unveiling their hidden talents and seeing the potential for how different applications can be applied to real-world scenarios. Once they have created their design, pupils can then program their robots to perform certain tasks, helping them develop key skills and gain a general understanding of programming.
These explorative and practical activities have a direct link with STEM-related careers. The construction and building elements help students to visualise, experiment and come up with solutions to fix various problems, much like engineers.
Don’t give them the answers
It’s important to encourage pupils to come up with their own ideas and ways of solving problems. Setting open-ended tasks allows them to really think about the whole process, with the result that they become immersed in the subject. This type of activity gives them a better chance of retaining the relevant information and fully understanding the purpose of the task.
For instance, during a lesson on speed, distance and time, pupils can be set the task of programming a robot to travel a particular obstacle course: They can use a variety of sensors in their program to navigate and change the outcome of the program, and even calculate the distances and angles needed to run the course.
Using a trial and error method, pupils are left to come up with a solution, are pushed to think for themselves and really engage with the task, in turn becoming determined to succeed. Activities like this will not only look at mathematical concepts, but also allow them to explore computational and scientific knowledge. Coming up with various solutions that may or may not be correct gives them the understanding that they won’t always be provided answers. Quite often, in fact, they will have to try, try and try again – which leads nicely onto my next point…
Let them fail
In every subject, it’s important to foster resilience among pupils so that they can learn and accept that it’s ‘okay to fail’. This is especially important in STEM subjects, since it is often the case that the first time around the code won’t work, or the results of an experiment won’t be what you had expected or hoped for. This then gives them the determination and drive to figure out the right solution.
You will find that pupils naturally want to pursue the work of testing, amending and improving their robot and program until they have achieved the desired result. Teachers should take a step back and become mediators, rather than instructors, pushing pupils to find the solutions themselves. Supporting them through these obstacles is imperative, though.
Make sure that they don’t fall at the first hurdle, and encourage them to continue exploring other avenues until they are successful. Building this resilience will help them to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, and therefore develop strategies in order to overcome them.
Life lessons
Despite teamwork being widely regarded as a ‘soft skill’, it actually plays a crucial role in STEM-related professions. Being an incredibly diverse sector, many professions require multiple individuals possessing a variety of expertise. Promoting teamwork in the classroom will therefore give pupils opportunities to work alongside others with different abilities and competencies. It will also help them realise that no matter where their skills lie, working together with others will help them to form a stronger outcome.
For example, one pupil may be confident in designing or building a robot, while another may find it easier to code. By utilising and combining their talents, the pupils will have a better chance of succeeding in the task, while at the same time acquiring the wider collaborative skills they will most likely need to demonstrate in a modern work environment.
Teamwork isn’t the only life lesson they’ll learn from explorative activities. They will also learn and develop other important skills such as confidence, curiosity and discussion, all of which strengthen learning, boost pupils’ interest in different subjects and set them up for life after school. At LEGO Education, we believe that a more hands-on approach to STEM naturally results in more enjoyment, higher attainment and positive learning outcomes. It’s an approach that will give pupils a chance to really learn and grasp topics in relation to the world itself.
Rather than memorising and reciting facts, we need to provide pupils with the freedom to create and resolve problems. Giving them this control will empower them to find a solution – no matter how many attempts it might take – while simultaneously eliminating any inhibitions and, crucially, promoting and sustaining creativity.
For more information about LEGO Education UK and its education resources, including LEGO® MINSTORMS® Education EV3, visit legoeducation.co.uk or follow @legoeducationuk
