What is STEM Learning?

STEM Learning is the process of using Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math to help facilitate cross-cutting topics and real world problems, while using hands-on, critical thinking, and problem solving activities. STEM Learning can look different for every teacher and every student. The only part that stays consistent is the concepts and fundamentals of STEM. 

Three Important Pieces of STEM Learning that will be discussed is:

• Place-Based Learning

• Convergent/Divergent Thinking

• Hands-On Activities 

Placed Based Learning

Place-based education is learning-centered, inquiry-based, design thinking, uses the community as a classroom, and is an interdisciplinary approach to education, which encompasses the goals of STEM education (Getting Smart, 2017). Place-based learning can provide an ideal approach to integrating local businesses and companies into STEM education lessons and it can help foster a passion for the student’s communities (Getting Smart, 2017). All learning should not take place in the classroom, we need to expose our students to the opportunities provided in their communities. These opportunities will help students understand how their community functions and how they can relate their curriculum to the real world.

Utilizing Convergent/Divergent Thinking and Hands On Activities in STEM Learning

Within many STEM lessons, instructors use the concepts of convergent and divergent thinking while integrating hands-on activities. “Convergent thinking involves starting with pieces of information and converging around a solution” (Guido, 2020). While divergent thinking “starts with a prompt that encourages students to think critically, diverging towards distinct answers” (Guido, 2020 ).

An example of convergent and divergent thinking being utilized in STEM lessons is as follows. The instructor will pose a first initial question to the students, which is invoking convergent thinking. After the students answer the question, whether it was right or wrong, the instructor will follow up with information. Then the instructor will pose another question related to the topic to invoke more answers about the topic. This cycle will continue until the instructor has reached their desired stopping point. 

Next, the instructor will give the instructions for the hands-on activity and allow the students time to complete the activity. After the activity, they will regroup and the instructor will ask questions that are related to the activity, this can invoke divergent and/or convergent thinking depending on the questions asked. If the question is asking 'How did you get your robot to move?', that is more of a convergent question, as it has a defined correct answer. Whereas if the instructor asks 'What was the most challenging part of the activity and how did you overcome the problem?', that is more of a divergent question, as it encourages students to think critically and problem solve.

Using this cycle of convergent and divergent thinking, not only allows instructors to get an understanding of what the students know and took away from the lesson, but it also helps the students think critically and pull from information that they already know. Additionally, by posing questions instructors are encouraging the students to stay engaged and participate.

With the addition of hands-on activity in STEM lessons, the instructor will virtually hitting all the different types of learning styles. The hands-on activity not only helps students visually understand the concept, but it also allows them to take the learning into their own hands. For them to complete the activity, they need to critically think, and problem-solve. Many times, when doing a hands-on activity, students will ask if they can ‘add this’ or ‘change that’. Instructors should let the students do the change or addition, as long as it is not outside the scope of the content. By allowing the students to take the activity in a different direction or by adding something that wasn’t directly specified, it shows the instructor that they are not just going through step-by-step. It shows the instructor that the students are thinking outside of the box and are actually thinking critically about the activity.

References

Getting Smart. (2017). What is Place-Based Education and Why Does it Matter? Retrieved from https://www.gettingsmart.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/What-is-Place-Based-Education-and-Why-Does-it-Matter-3.pdf

Guido, M. (2020, September 10). How to teach convergent and divergent thinking: Definitions, examples, templates and more. Retrieved from https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/convergent-divergent-thinking/