Why Teach STEM: The Importance of STEM Education

STEM education teaches students both hard and soft skills that will benefit them in the classroom and in their personal lives. When students are given the opportunity to engage in quality STEM education, there are tangible benefits that will be seen by the student, educators, and parents. Here are five advantages for students who engage with STEM education regularly:

1. STEM teaches critical thinking and problem-solving skills

STEM education teaches students critical thinking skills as they work through projects and have to think about how they approach each question. By requiring students to pivot and change approaches, they are learning key problem-solving and critical thinking skills that will translate to various areas of their life.

2. STEM activities create a collaborative environment

The ability to work collaboratively with others is an important part of success in the classroom and in the workplace. STEM learning allows students to work together toward a common goal. Starting as early as preschool, this exposure and practice are great for students. Parents and educators will see the benefits of this in students as they continue to improve.

3. Students learn key project management and leadership skills

STEM subjects are complex and many projects and lessons are done over long periods of time. This introduces students to time management, task management, and ordering tasks based on priority. These are skills that will help them as they progress through their education, especially at the college level. This is also something that people look for during the hiring process. By helping students gain these skills at a young age, we are setting them up for success throughout their professional careers.

4. STEM fuels creative, innovative thinking

STEM, especially technology and engineering, allows students to tap into their creative side and think outside the box. Innovative thinking is key to the progression of our society and the world. Giving students this mindset in early education gives them the time to strengthen and improve this skill as they work through their education.

5. STEM encourages knowledge application

It is easy to learn something in theory. It is more difficult to take what you learned and apply it in real-time. STEM education pushes students to understand what they are learning on a deeper level through applying what they are learning to complex questions. This has been proven to increase content retention and standardized test scores.

Above are just five of the many ways that STEM education improves student performance in the classroom. As parents and educators, it is our job to expose students to STEM at an early age so they have the confidence and familiarity as they move forward in their education. This puts them in a position to improve on the skills listed above and will allow them to apply them in STEM, other subjects, their future careers, and personal lives.