One of the biggest challenges in math education today is closing the achievement gap, especially given the complexities of a diverse population in the U.S. school system. In particular, many students have difficulty solving word problems. Although students may have learned to find answers when solving problems, there is evidence from state, national and international [...]
All students bring their cultures to the classroom, so it’s vital to connect school subjects to students’ cultural values and everyday life experiences. As we showed last week, the Reach for the Sky (RFTS) program brought culturally relevant STEM education to American Indian students from the White Earth Reservation using Snow Snakes. Integrating science into [...]
During our STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) blog series, we have highlighted how students become more engaged and energized with math and science when we combine the four disciplines into relevant, real-world content. Perhaps even more than national averages indicate, research shows that most American Indian students do not adequately learn science and math [...]
It’s been said that variety is the spice of life—and in STEM classrooms that same principle rings true. To best engage with and motivate young STEM students, we’re discovering that thinking outside the textbook is a very effective method to connect with K-12 and undergrad college students. How MEAs Improve Teaching & Learning in STEM [...]
Teachers and parents around the world have certainly heard, “why do I need to learn this?” from their students! A classroom tool known as MEAs (Model-Eliciting Activities) let students see firsthand how the ideas and theories they are learning in the classroom can be applied in real world scenarios. K-12 and beyond, it’s clear that [...]