Using Hands-On STEM to Connect Students With the World
By Rachael Scheffler, Senior Director, STEM Careers Coalition
Among the best ways for students to learn any new concept is to actively engage and get their hands on a subject. Students want to see how what they are learning connects to the world after school and how they can make a difference. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) offer endless and innovative ways for students to explore their world with hands and minds first.
As the job market expands, so does the need to ensure that students grasp STEM concepts. Companies need students to truly understand these ideas as the need for STEM specialists continues to grow across all industries. Research conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that jobs in STEM fields will grow 8% on average over the remainder of the decade, with certain careers in computer and information technology growing at rates up to 31.2%.
Led by the STEM Careers Coalition (SCC) – the first-of-its-kind national STEM initiative powered by corporate leaders and anchored in schools by Discovery Education – Hands-On STEM events bridge these needs and concepts by:
- Providing educational content to students about local and global issues in STEM that will impact them in their lifetime.
- Connecting students to industry leaders in the STEM community.
- Showing the implementation and practical uses of the topic in the workspace.
- Instructing students how to build at-home experiments relevant to the subject that are both educational and entertaining.
Hands-On STEM events offer students, primarily grades K-8, from all backgrounds the opportunity to get involved and participate in important conversations that impact the world. Experiments made in the events teach the concepts learned while using household items to create access and connect students everywhere. By engaging students in these activities and by nurturing them through the STEM Careers Coalition’s pipeline of STEM success, companies like Boeing and the American Petroleum Company (API) demonstrate their commitments to the local communities.
The June 22 Hands-On STEM event focused on solar energy. Hosted by Brandon Okpalobi, President and CEO of Dibia DREAM, Inc., students built a solar oven while discussing topics around renewable energy, sustainability, and engineering.
The issues that the world sees today cannot be tackled by any one person or industry alone; getting the entire global community engaged is vital. Through events like the Hands-On STEM, kids from all backgrounds will see the STEM in them.
Connect to all the incredible, no-cost and standards-aligned resources from the STEM Careers Coalition at STEMCareersCoalition.org and catch the June 22nd Hands-On STEM event on demand here. Then, tune in live this fall to meet diverse leaders as they explore the wide world of STEM innovation.
