Teaching STEM part 2
I often advise my students: “If you want to have a better future, study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).” To succeed in STEM, students need to have a strong foundation of science and math BEFORE go to college but if they are afraid these fields, they will NOT choose STEM. How do you make them like mathematics and science?
According to several researches, most students lose interest in math between elementary school and high school; and they lose interest in science in the last two years in high school. Research scientists found that the teaching of “memorization of formulas” is NOT suitable for math because math is about thinking AND applying, NOT memorization. They concluded that unless we change the way we teach math in elementary school, we will have a lot of students who do NOT like math in high school. The better method to teach math is to show them how it is used in their daily lives. Many students do not understand that the tools they use such as a computer, software, robots, electronic devices, etc. all come from mathematics. When students understand this connection, they appreciate how mathematics can be used in many things.
A few years ago, when visited Finland, I saw that they teach math in elementary school by using puzzles and board games instead of formulas. In math class, students were taught how to play chess and think about their next move. The teacher showed a chess game and asked the student about their move then challenge students to think of the next three moves that the opponents will do. She said: “If you move the pawn to this position, what do you think your opponent will do? If they do this then what would you do?” The whole class is excited to think of the next move, and many young children raised their hand to be called to give the answer? The teacher explained to me: “The traditional method of teaching math by memorizing formulas and procedure to solve the problem is obsolete. Children who have a problem with math often have difficulty remembering formulas; they do not know how to perform arithmetic step by step. When they miss a step, they cannot continue then they lose confidence and afraid of math. Some math concepts like integers, variables, positive and negative numbers do not mean anything to young children. Today we teach math by challenge them to solve the problem by playing games, applying them at different levels based on what students have mastered. When they develop math skills from easy to difficult, they feel that they accomplish something, and eventually like math.”
Another teacher told me: “Children go to elementary school with different ability because their brain is still developing. Some are quick to learn but some are slow, and you need time for them to develop their thinking because math is something you cannot rush. Teaching math is like climbing a ladder; you must do it step by step else you will fall. The traditional method focuses on memorize formulas does not take into consideration of brain development at that young age. It does not allow time for the students to think, to apply, and to practice to gain the mastery in math. When children fell behind, they lose confidence and the class is often divided into “Smart students” who can do math well and “Bad students” who fail in math and that is why many young students go to high school but hate math. In our teaching method, we allow elementary students time to learn, we do not compare them with others but let them solve problems step by themselves, step until they grow more confident in math. More than anything, children need encouragement, not punishment. Learning math is about building confidence in their ability to learn. As the children experience success, their brains begin to develop more efficiently, and the more they like what to do their thinking begin to take shape logically, and that is the new way to teach math.”
For elementary students, Carnegie Mellon has developed several “Robots camp” in the summer to train teachers to teach young students about robotics. To learn how to program these robots, young children have to think logically, perform the calculation, and develop basic problem-solving techniques in their codes. When they are excited about making the robots perform certain tasks, they do not think about math. Their brain naturally guides them step by step in the way they think how their code work and in just a few weeks, most young students can code very well.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
