STEM Education is increasingly gaining popularity in most developed nations. Schools are implementing STEM learning into their regular curriculum and making it an integral part of teaching. These project-based learning exercises that include the use of Lego® building blocks can actually be a very beneficial way of learning.
Here are some of the benefits of STEM Education:
1. Builds Ingenuity & Creativity :
Ingenuity & creativity breeds new ideas and innovations, without which the developments in artificial intelligence or digital learning would not have been possible. These newer technologies wouldn’t have been possible or are inconceivable to the human mind without creativity and ingenuity.
2. Builds Resilience :
Kids who undergo STEM education that involves learning through Lego® building blocks, it gives them the room to fail by cultivating a safe space that allows them to try and fail as many times as they’d like, till they succeed at their goal. STEM education especially stresses the values of learning through failure, which enables students to embrace their mistakes as much as their victories. This gives them the confidence to proceed towards their hypothesis, research or learning process with the resilience required to keep at it till they can find what they were looking for. Failure is a process that takes you one step closer to your success. Failures help eliminate the ‘what-ifs’.
3. Builds Teamwork :
Unlike a lot of the different kinds of learning that is specific to those of students with some specific level of intellect, STEM education encourages students of all ability levels to be taught. Among some of the project-based learning benefits that one can get going through the exercises, these programs encourage the ability for one to work alongside others in a team and look for solutions to the common problem or divide the problem among themselves to make a cohesive effort to solve the issue. All the various levels of ability that each of these members of the team has can assist in finding a suitable solution for the problem. This teaches one the skill of collaborating, writing reports, recording data and allows one to thrive as a team-oriented person as opposed to the individual based working.
4. Encourages Experimentation :
As mentioned above, many of the technological advancements that have occurred in recent decades would not be possible if not for risk takers being willing to experiment. Most of the innovations came about as a result of many being told that their ideas won’t substantiate. So the, ‘let’s try it anyway’ attitude encourages STEM learning for the students from class 2 to all classes upwards. By allowing students to experiment and take risks, it makes learning exciting.
5. Builds Knowledge Application :
STEM education encourages students to exercise the skills that they acquire during the learning phase and also then begin the application of it in the real world. It motivates students to study a set of skills, and begin utilizing it as soon as they are acquired.
6. Makes One Tech-Friendly :
STEM learning teaches kids to utilize the presence and power of the technology available at hand and also to be in touch with the evolving nature of these innovations. The interaction with various technologies teaches students to embrace technology and prepare to understand its working. Usually, students are hesitant or fearful of embracing technology. Getting comfortable with these technologies eases the process for adapting with newer and more powerful technologies.
7. Builds Problem-Solving Attitude :
In a world where people focus on the problems rather than focusing on the solutions, it is essential that one starts to shift gears and accommodate the use of their critical thinking skills in order to solve problems. STEM project-based learning benefits, and enhances the human ability to examine a problem, dissect it, create a plan to solve them.
8. Encourages Adaptation :
In order to succeed in life, this experimental way of handling project-based learning has to transcend into other areas of life. STEM teaches adaptability and asserts the need to gauge life at a larger scale, making life seem interconnected with science at every stage.