How Early Education Can Reap the Benefits of STEM

Early STEM education enables youngsters to develop and retain a foundation of knowledge to expand as they grow older.

FREMONT, CA: STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) has gained popularity in recent years. According to the United States Department of Education, problem-solving, acquiring and assessing evidence, decision-making, and information processing have become critical life skills for a successful 21st-century lifestyle.

STEM education is founded on these fundamental concepts, with computer science as a vital component. As of 2018, 2.4 million STEM positions were expected to be vacant, but STEM-related occupations are expected to increase at a healthy 13 percent rate between 2017 and 2027.

While higher education must have a mission and vision that support STEM education, it is also critical for students to begin their STEM journey at a much younger age. The following are critical reasons STEM education should be introduced from the very beginning of childhood—both in and out of the classroom.

Experiential Learning

While mathematics and computations are necessary components of most STEM activities, they are far from the primary focus. The majority of STEM education, particularly in early childhood, is centered on teaching each subject through hands-on activities.

For example, many of NASA's STEM activity options involve hands-on activities such as making a paper Mars helicopter or constructing a soda-straw rocket.

By utilizing kinesthetic learning, students can gain experience understanding of disciplines such as mathematics and physics, rather than solely through written instruction. This can offer them a vital experience that they can use throughout their careers.

Retention of Memory

Experiential learning, which occurs naturally during STEM education, has improved retention significantly. Indeed, experiential learning has been demonstrated to have an excellent retention rate of 80 to 90 percent, compared to a meagre 5 percent for traditional methods of instruction.

Early STEM education enables youngsters to develop and retain a foundation of knowledge to expand as they grow older. STEM is crucial to optimizing their educational trajectory for the remainder of their lives, whether through further education or professional growth.

Language Acquisition

Language is "simultaneously a cognitive capacity and a cultural resource," as The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine explain. Children use it to learn and participate in their homes and communities from an early age.

As youngsters join the educational system, STEM can aid their language development. This can help youngsters build their vocabulary and facilitate communication, which can help them learn both language and broad understanding of a subject simultaneously. Additionally, it teaches them how to communicate across cultural divides, a skill that will serve them well for the remainder of their professional careers.