STEM education part 2
All over the world, companies are finding that hiring people with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills are becoming more difficult than ever. An Industry Analyst wrote: “This is a problem for many developing countries as they need to create jobs to improve their economy; to do that they need workers with STEM skills but cannot find enough of them. Currently demand for STEM skills is high but supply is low, and the problem will get worse as technology changes and more business are depending on technology. These problems will accumulate and hurt their ability to stay competitive or improving their economy.”
Most people think STEM skills are for people who work in technology industries or scientific laboratories but the fact is STEM skills are needed in every industry, from energy to manufacturing, from food production to health care etc. Basically “STEM” is a “simple label” for all the skills needed in the “Knowledge Age” just like reading, writing and arithmetic skills were needed for the “Industrial Age”. In this technology driven economy, a basic STEM knowledge such as how to use a computer is as important as the basic arithmetic skill that elementary students must know before they go to high school. Today STEM skills are no longer a luxury but a necessity that should be taught in every school to every student.
The question is: “Why fewer students are enrolling in STEM area?” The obvious answer is because teacher training programs has not been updated to focus on STEM. Currently most of the teacher's trainings in high school are still following the guidelines created in the late 19th century which consider science and technology as optional, not main subjects. Even in universities, science and technology trainings are still based on textbooks and concepts written fifty years ago which are mostly obsoleted. Without setting high priority on STEM education, developing countries will not be able to catch up with the rest of the world and could be left behind. In this technology driven economy, the supply of STEM skilled workers is critical to solve unemployment and improve the economy. According to a global study, there is only one qualified worker for every thirty four position opens in STEM fields. AND there are more new positions create every year as technology is still changing fast. An economist wrote: “To understand the skills gap, we have to understand how the public aware and understands STEM education. Currently most people do not even understand what STEM is. The majority of the public still think STEM skills are something special for scientists who work in research laboratories rather necessary skills that people must have in this technology driven market. No one have been able to explain this needs publicly and few people understand that due to the advances in technology, workers do not have to use their muscles anymore but instead use their brain. Today in modern factories, workers must know how to utilize technology such as computerized machines and robotics to do the work and they got paid three to four times the current wage. As more factories are utilizing automation and robots the need for labor workers is decreasing fast but the need for knowledge workers is increasing quickly.”
It is important to make science and technology relevant for all students to foster creativity and passion for problem solving. STEM education is about using math, science and technology to solve real-world problems. To do that effectively, we need to implement new teaching methods such as “Learning by Doing” and project-based curriculum that allow students to understand the relevancy of their work to their lives and the world around them. Once they understand these concepts, they are able to use their own creativity to research, design, and test and solve problems. Contradict to common view that STEM is taught in college, the fact is it must be taught early starting in elementary school. Young children are born with a natural curiosity. Give children toys and watch them play, listen to the questions they ask then you can see how they innovate, how they imagine, and how they create. But when they go to school, they are taught to memorize many things, to take tests, to respond to strict academic questions which destroy their creativity and problem solving skills. That type of education must change. To encourage STEM education is NOT adding few science or technology courses but we must stop minimizing students' creativity and excitement by forcing them to memorize formulas and textbooks but instead encourage their creativity in every classroom. We must invest in STEM teacher's training to create a new educational culture that values not only excellence in math and science, but excellence in creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
