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Twin Cities Mom Collective

Preparing Our Kids for the Future | STEM

What are your hopes and dreams for your children as they grow older? I want my kids to be happy and healthy, to find love. I want them to be productive, good citizens of this world and I want them to find satisfying careers where they can solve interesting problems and create things that better humanity. As parents, how do we help them to achieve these things? The answer, of course, is STEM…Science, Technology, Engineering and Math!

Preparing Our Kids for the Future | STEM | Twin Cities Moms Blog

What? How can those subjects help our kids achieve all those things? Well, I might be slightly over-exaggerating my point, but I firmly believe that kids today will need an advanced literacy in these areas as the world evolves around us and becomes more complex. Even if they don’t become computer scientists or electrical engineers or chemists, their futures will be brighter and our world will be a better place if our kids understand and can apply the concepts they learn through STEM disciplines. Let me illustrate my point with a few stats and facts:

  • Completing advanced math courses in high school is a strong predictor of whether students will graduate from college. Students who take math beyond Alegebra II nearly double their chances of earning a bachelor’s degree…in ANY major. [i]
  • STEM subjects help kids develop skills like problem solving, persistence, observation, curiosity, innovation, and experimentation. What kid or career wouldn’t benefit from these skills?
  • Just in Minnesota alone, it’s projected that in 2018, we’ll need to fill nearly 190,000 STEM related jobs…high paying jobs. In the overall U.S., demand for scientists and engineers is expected to increase at four times the rate for all other occupations. These types of jobs are the basis for a successful, globally competitive and innovative Minnesota and U.S. economy. [ii]
  • Students who take advanced math have higher incomes ten years after graduating—regardless of family background, grades and college degrees. [iii]
  • We have great schools in Minnesota, and in the U.S., but did you know that a study recently ranked the U.S. 24th in the world in mathematics and 17th in science? The top performing country, China, is nearly two years ahead in it’s math curriculum than the top performing state in the U.S. In that same study, it’s noted that 26% of 15-year-olds in the U.S. do not reach the math level that enables them to participate effectively and productively in life. [iv]

These are all important considerations for both boys and girls, but girls seem to need extra prodding and support to feel confident in pursuing STEM subjects. One study shows that, although girls achieve at equal levels to boys in middle and high school, many girls stop taking math as soon as they can. Girls are also much less likely than boys to enter math-intensive college majors and, later, careers. Gender researchers have shown that the root of this problem is not differences in innate math skills, but rather the contexts in which students learn math…contexts that give girls less encouragement and less confidence in their math abilities. [v]

Preparing Our Kids for the Future | STEM | Twin Cities Moms Blog

Pretty compelling, huh? But, gulp, what does this all mean for you as a parent? Maybe you hated math and science as a kid. Maybe you don’t think you’re good at those subjects or maybe they even intimidate you. Maybe your kids have already surpassed your own literacy level in these subjects and you can’t help them with their homework anymore. I have some words of advice for you:

  1. Whatever you do, do NOT pass along those feelings or insecurities to your kids. The upcoming generations simply do not have the luxury to turn their backs on math and science. Even saying things like “I was never good at math” can negatively influence kids’ opinions and attitudes about STEM subjects.
  2. Figure out a way to encourage your kids in these subjects, even if it makes you feel insecure. If you can’t help them with their homework, find other ways in which they can get the support they need. Hire a tutor if you have to. If your child struggled to read, you would do whatever was needed to help them improve their reading skills, right? The same should hold true for STEM subjects.
  3. Demand more from school systems and teachers with regards to STEM subjects. Hands-on teaching methods and highly qualified teachers can make the world of difference in connecting theory to real world examples, making it easier for your kids to learn and retain STEM related concepts.
  4. Expose your kids to STEM related careers, just as you would other career options. Find adult role models that will talk positively about their STEM jobs. Even better, find babysitters, neighbors, or other young adults that will foster these concepts and encourage your kids to visualize themselves in a STEM career. As an example, your kids USE technology every day, so talk to them about technology related careers they can pursue that are fun and satisfying.
  5. Start early. This isn’t something you can wait to address in middle school or high school. Many kids have already lost interest in these subjects by the time they get to middle school and after that, it becomes harder and harder to reignite their interest. If you read to your kids each day, switch it up once in a while and do something math or science oriented instead. Quiz them with addition and subtraction problems at the dinner table. Take them to the Bakken Museum or The Works to encourage hands-on experimentation with science. Get them involved with Lego Leagues or FIRST Robotics clubs.  Check out this Minnesota STEM website for more resource ideas.

Preparing Our Kids for the Future | STEM | Twin Cities Moms Blog

I know it’s hard. Both my husband and I have degrees in the STEM disciplines and even we sometimes struggle to help our kids with their homework. We also know the difficulties of selling kids on the virtues of STEM subjects…they can be hard to learn and sometimes it’s difficult to see their application in our everyday lives. Out of our three kids, we have two who love STEM subjects and one who hates them. With her, we have to work extra hard to tutor and motivate her. Her subject matter confidence level waivers on a regular basis…it’s a constant battle to keep her thinking positively and to help her manage her frustrations.

Preparing Our Kids for the Future | STEM | Twin Cities Moms Blog

But we press on because it’s important. Really important. She’ll likely never be an actuary or biomedical engineer or nuclear scientist, but I want her to be equipped with the problem solving skills and the basic STEM knowledge she will need for any career she pursues. And, I want her to be persistent, innovative, curious, observant and experimental. Her latest career interests include artist, marketer, project manager and physical therapist…I know the skills she learns from STEM subjects will help her in any of those careers or anything she chooses to pursue.

Commit to raising the profile of the STEM disciplines in your home.  Speak positively with your kids about the skills and knowledge to be gained by studying STEM. Prepare your kids for the future by making it cool for them to love (or even just like) math and science.  Are you in?

 


 

photo credit: Mykl Roventine via photopin cc
photo credit: Bindaas Madhavi via photopin cc

[i] Adelman, C. (2006, February). The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion from High School Through College. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
[ii] Anthony Carnevale, Nicole Smith & Jeff Strohl, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce publication: Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018 (2010, June).
[iii] Rose, H. & Betts, J. R. (2004, May). The effect of high school courses on earnings. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 86(2), 497-513.
[iv] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). 2010. Lessons from PISA for the United States, Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education. Paris, France. http://www.oecd.org/pisa/46623978.pdf
[v] Cech, Erin. The Clayman Institute for Gender Research. Sugar and spice and… math under-achievement? Why classrooms, not girls, need fixing.

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2 comments

Johnson February 12, 2015 at 4:20 AM

Now a days technology plays a vital role everywhere, its important that we should start making our kids comfortable with technology, well I don’t mean that we should turn them into geeks, lol. However, its always good to be up-to-date with the technology.

As a parent I always teach my child how to use computers and internet. Liza, my 15 year old daughter is studying in a High school. She wanted to prepare her project for a school competition, so I helped her completing her project. In the process, not only she completed her work but also understood how to use computers, I know next time, it’ll be a cake walk for her. You can always try this with your kids. Trust me its fun!

http://compoundwisdom.com/prepare-kids-2030-k-life-lesson-lifes-best-lesson/

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Angel G. September 10, 2016 at 7:26 AM

I’m a Project Manager who, growing up, found STEM subjects intimidating. I’ve since figured out I’m a hands-on learner who needs to understand real world application of those skills. I use them now in my everyday life as I figure out complex data mapping, etc. in a technical field. I would recommend finding ways to show your daughter how these concepts aren’t just fluffy, but are things she can actually use, that is when it becomes fun. Good luck, and good for you that you’re keeping this a focus in your household! Side note, I was an English Major, Music Minor who fell into this career, so it really can happen organically.

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