7 Ways to Get Students to Fall in Love with STEM Learning

It’s no secret — STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) education is here to stay. With the STEM field making up over 20% of jobs in the United States, the need for engaging, exciting STEAM education is vital for today’s students to be successful tomorrow. It’s easier to guide the next generation of innovators when they love STEAM.

Luckily, helping students develop an interest in STEAM is easier than you may think. Children are inherently creative. They are motivated by the rewarding aspect of creating, building, designing, and even destroying things. It’s not hard to harness that interest and foster it in your students when you know exactly what they enjoy about these processes. We’ve gathered tips and resources that will help you do just that!

Start by using our I Heart STEAM Puzzle to collect feedback from students about their love of STEAM. This can help you tailor future STEAM projects to include the aspects your students most enjoy so that it’s relatable to them.

7 Ways to Foster Love of STEM Learning

#1 Make it relatable to their life

Is there a bridge in your town undergoing repairs? Has your community been hit by a snowstorm that required highways to be cleared? Is there a local boat or car race that your neighborhood hosts? Use these real-world events to tie STEAM projects back to the exciting things in your students’ lives! Help them learn about STEAM through projects that incorporate pieces of these areas of interest.

#2 Feature STEAM Influencers

Spotlight real world STEM/STEAM influencers that have helped advance the industry. Highlight innovators from a variety of demographics and fields to show your students that everyone can be a STEAM influencer! For added impact, see if any notable STEM/STEAM influencers were born in or around your town (or even your state). Teach your students about these close-to-home innovators!

#3 Leverage technology

Now more than ever, kids love gaming and all things tech! A generation raised with games and flashy technology that allow them to personalize, engineer, and create their own worlds needs similar stimuli in STEAM learning. Find ways to utilize the technology that your school has access to, and research community or state resources that can provide access to anything you might be missing.

#4 Make it Global

Make STEAM a global experience. With virtual maps, interactive museums and videos filmed around the world, you can give your students the experience of travel without getting on a plane. Look at ambitious architecture around the world (like the Golden Gate Bridge or Leaning Tower of Pisa). Examine populations changes through migration, plagues, and renaissances. Explore how other countries approach environmental and geographical obstacles. The possibilities are endless!

#5 Connect to Nature

Regardless of the specific geographical landscape around them, most students are innately drawn to nature. Allow students to explore and experience the elements of nature via STEAM. Observe the changing seasons through classroom projects. Find new ways to track weather patterns. Help your students discover and understand STEAM concepts through real plants in their ecosystem.

#6 Spark interest through Project-based Learning

Research shows that hands-on experience through Project-based Learning creates stronger, longer-lasting connections in the brains of students. Project-based Learning lends itself to tangible results and actual projects, which allows students to connect with concepts with their own hands. Get 17 STEAM Project-based Learning ideas from our STEAM Project-based Learning Resource Kit! If you are ready to get started with a robust project, request a pilot of LaunchPad (grades 3-8) and dive into coding with a fun, hand-held electronic circuit board. grades 3-8.

#7 Incorporate Music into your STEM/STEAM Classroom

The human brain takes a similar approach to creating music as it does to solving a math problem or conducting a science experiment. Many educators have embraced the similarities and nuances involved in teaching music in tandem with a STEAM education program. Tap into your students’ creativity by meshing music and STEAM ideas. Help students discover the fundamentals of coding through music with TinkRsynth. Click here to learn more!

In Summary

It isn’t difficult to show students how fun, creative, and rewarding STEAM learning can be. Tweak these tips and try new projects to play to your students’ strengths and cater to their interests. Don’t forget to download the I Heart STEAM Puzzle to help you and your students dig into their STEAM interests. Before you know it, they will fall in love with all things STEM/STEAM!