There are, of course, many different pedagogical approaches that can lead to effective instruction. Some educators are fond of promoting a growth mindset, a maker mindset, or even a collaborative mindset. Whatever buzzwords we throw around, however, are only effective if the corresponding teaching techniques are incorporated purposefully. What, then does it mean to involve and promote a STEM mindset? Well, it can mean a lot of things and can ultimately help students start to think in the same way. In today's classrooms, developing a STEM mindset can truly help them look at things from a new perspective.
What it Means to Have a STEM Mindset
Like we said, promoting a STEM mindset is very similar to promoting a growth mindset in the classroom. Over time, educators can find success in helping students think like a STEM professional by modeling some of the best ways to go about that. Utilizing a STEM mindset can mean a lot of different things, however. It can also mean different things for different types of students. In a general sense, promoting the importance of a STEM mindset typically involves helping students come to see how their everyday classroom assignments and activities can be connected to a future in STEM. Knowing more about how today's STEM professionals approach problems and discover solutions is a good starting point.
Combining the skills with the right mindset.
The mindset that students possess can affect their academic success in different ways. In the same way a growth mindset involves overcoming challenges, one of the foundations of a STEM mindset is thinking a couple of steps ahead when problem solving. It includes developing and applying both the hard skills and soft skills that drive success in the 21st century. Some of those skills, like innovation, inventiveness, and hands-on exploration, are certainly beneficial STEM skills. In STEM roles, professionals also need the ability to make informed decisions quickly, apply evidence to problem solving strategies, and employ strategic reasoning. And, all of these are competencies students can develop through STEM education.
Using STEM skills in life.
When teaching students the importance of developing a STEM mindset, educators may want to focus on helping them build life-related skills that they'll need for the workforce and our society. The great thing about STEM skills, however, is that they aren't only useful in STEM careers. Truly fostering a STEM mindset helps students see that they're capable of solving the most complex science, technology, engineering, and math problems. It also involves asking the right questions and discovering the most effective evidence-based solutions. Then, students can apply this approach to strategically solving unique problems of their own on a local or global scale and in an ethical and creative way.
Modeling a STEM Mindset for Students
Students, especially the younger they are, can be very impressionable. It's very common for them to pick up on the tendencies, behaviors, and values their teachers model. Of course, educators can turn this into a positive, including in their efforts to model what it means to develop and implement a STEM mindset. One of the simplest ways in which teachers can do this is through inquiry-based learning. Often, some of the best ways for students to make new discoveries is asking questions and challenging what they see. Like we said before, there's also the growth mindset factor. Students need to be pushed in order to reach their full potential, which comes into play in STEM learning. Without saying things the wrong way, teachers can help keep kids confident with the words they choose, but also indicate that they can always improve on their efforts.
How educators can model in the right way.
One of the best ways for teachers to model this is by employing a growth mindset themselves. This starts with taking a step back and reviewing how they deal with the challenges they face and how they react in front of their students. It's important to have negative experiences and more important to learn the proper way to react to them. Showing students that initial failure is just another opportunity that's been gifted to them can help them learn the importance of working harder, trying new and creative approaches, and chasing improvement. Since failure is such a huge part of STEM and hands-on learning, it should come as no surprise that students will need the right mindset. Seeing it modeled from their teachers should help as well.
The right kinds of inquiry and feedback.
Another way in which teachers can model a STEM mindset for students is through their feedback. Delivering feedback in a way that allows students to know their teachers recognize their hard work rather than their intelligence can motivate them to continue working hard. When teachers focus on problem-solving processes and methods, they're more likely to use similar methods in the future. In STEM learning, the creative problem-solving process is often paramount. It tends to be more important than the final result—similar to real STEM careers. Relying more on inquiry-based learning can help get students thinking creatively and eliminate instances of them overlooking important information. And, their teachers can certainly model what it's like to do this as well.
How to Help Students Develop a STEM Mindset
Those who believe in the power of a growth mindset believe their abilities can always be developed. This is no different when it comes to helping students develop their STEM mindset. STEM learning, naturally, involves a lot of trial and error. It could be easy for students to quickly become discouraged and feel like their efforts aren't working out. On the other hand, many students may already believe they're not smart enough to succeed in a STEM field or profession. Children form these perceptions at a young age based on what they hear in the media and around them. This is a classic example of a fixed mindset and it should be easy to see why this belief won't get them very far—in the long run or even in classroom projects.
Demonstrating a STEM mindset to students.
Students know it requires a lot of intelligence, creativity, and dedication to succeed in top STEM careers. The bad thing about that is they might think they don't have those skills based on how they view their natural abilities. In STEM professions, however, we need a lot more than people who are book smart. We need people who are creative, who work well with others, and who aren't afraid to take risks. This is where having a STEM mindset—developed while in school—can truly help. Thinking in this way doesn't typically come naturally to young children, however. This means teachers often need to demonstrate how to think positively and learn from all experiences—even failures. When students better understand that learning is a lengthy process, they can look at problem solving from multiple angles, assess all options, and evaluate the best path forward.
From the classroom to the real world.
One of the best ways to model a STEM mindset for students is with real-world demonstrations. This gives educators the opportunity to preach the importance of overall understanding of key concepts rather than just finding an answer or completing an assignment. It's also an opportunity to praise students for their work ethic or problem-solving strategies as we mentioned earlier. In real-world projects, students can also have the chance to work on solving real-world problems. This allows them to see the authentic outcomes of their efforts in many cases. Knowing their work has a real-world connection can certainly inspire students to try new things, take risks, and utilize a STEM mindset as they explore new areas.
Building a STEM Mindset in the Classroom
Some of the things educators can do to help students develop a STEM mindset are subtle. Others are more specific and require targeted efforts. We should also keep in mind that some students may need more persistence from educators when it comes to giving STEM a chance. Young girls and students of color are often underrepresented in STEM—even in their childhood and teenage years. The right mindset, however, can help them feel more comfortable. Educators can even work with parents to suggest subtle strategies to help kids work on their STEM mindsets outside school. This helps reinforce what they're exposed to in the classroom and helps it start to come a bit more naturally.
Designing open-ended projects and embracing failure.
Teachers can set the tone for developing a STEM mindset with the nature of the projects they facilitate. With open-ended activities, students have the chance to get creative and arrive at more than one solution. This is a great opportunity for students to simultaneously develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills in STEM endeavors. Also, helping students to embrace failure is a key part of developing the right mindset. When students do ultimately succeed in their projects, educators can have them look back on how they learned from initial failed attempts. This helps normalize not succeeding right away and allows students to embrace the struggle knowing a reward will follow.
Growing through self-assessment.
STEM experiences often involve long-term projects as opposed to assignments students complete in one class period. This presents them with the perfect opportunity to assess their efforts and attitudes. Often a component of social-emotional learning, self-assessment is a relevant aspect of STEM development as well. With help from their teachers, students can ask themselves questions that can help them bolster their STEM mindset. It starts with evaluating how they felt about how they approached the project. This could help identify areas for improvement. It could also involve their attitudes and discoveries throughout the learning process. Whether they reflect on academic outcomes, collaboration, self-management, or something else, all of these can come together as they work on their STEM mindset.
How Kids Benefit from Building a STEM Mindset
Some students, parents, and teachers may naturally believe that STEM education is not necessary for everyone. It’s true that many students will go on to pursue a career outside of the STEM fields. Many, however, will wind up in a STEM profession and countless others will wind up teaching the next generation of students how to apply creativity and the proper mindset in solving tomorrow’s most complex challenges. The importance of STEM skills isn’t going away and classroom experiences are the foundation for building them. To start, STEM jobs make up such a large portion of our economy. That number continues to grow and vacancies remain high. When teachers remember this (they can even share it with their students), it can help affect their instruction and lead to students developing that STEM mindset.
Build the right mindset through the right experiences.
Since STEM is largely hands-on, students are able to learn some of the most valuable skills. With the right mindset, they can also start to see how these skills, which include critical thinking, assessment, design thinking, and many more will serve them well. The thing about STEM experiences, however, is that the development of STEM skills and a STEM mindset are also extremely helpful to those students who don’t pursue a STEM career. In STEM experiences, students are compelled to utilize logical thinking and find a way to design unique solutions. Keeping this mindset intact for the long haul and drawing on these experiences can help students who wind up pursuing just about anything.
The right skills and mindset for managing projects.
Collaboration is also a huge part of the real world and, as a result, it’s part of developing a STEM mindset. Working with others provides many benefits and, if students start to gravitate towards a team-first approach in projects and problem solving, they can bolster that mindset even more. Also, curricula focused on STEM experiences help students build another aspect of a STEM mindset: Project management skills. STEM projects, as we’ve said, are often long-term endeavors. When working on these types of projects, students can learn the importance of managing time and deadlines and incorporate those experiences into how they think. In reality, the opportunities to develop a STEM mindset are everywhere. So, the more students work on bolstering theirs, the better off their prospects could be.
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