STEM Education, Students, And The Importance Of Labs

The number of jobs in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics sectors are on the rise, according to the U.S. Department of Education. That makes STEM education essential for today's students. That makes providing quality STEM-related courses and hands-on experiences essential. STEM labs offer children from pre-k through high school the chance to put what they're learning to use and practice their growing set of science, technology, engineering, and math skills. Understanding how a lab setting benefits students is the first step to seeing just how important this type of learning is and answering the question, "Why do schools absolutely need STEM activities?"

Problem-Solving Situations

One of the key elements of the lab activity is giving children the chance to problem solve. Science isn't always straight-forward, and innovation takes imagination. The scientific method itself provides students a framework for solving problems and finding their own answers. Instead of giving them the answer, students use STEM lab materials to conduct experiments, explore, and make their own discoveries. Younger children may use the lab activities to make predictions, test out a hypothesis and revise their plan as they problem-solve. Older students can do the same, just in a much more complex fashion. High school STEM students may problem-solve issues with a new technology – or even create one themselves.

Practice for the Real-World

The STEM lab can become a simulation for what happens in the real world. When a group of high schoolers fabricates their own creative machine that solves a practical problem, they're getting a taste of what goes on in the real-world workplace. Likewise, when students explore how they can use technology, science, or math in the lab, they're familiarizing themselves with potential jobs. A first grader who is testing a block structure to see how gravity affects it is exploring what an engineer may do, just like an eleventh grader who is using a laptop to draft a blueprint design is learning about what engineers/architects do.

Getting Hands-On Experience

Think back to your younger days. What did you do in school all day? It's likely that you sat at a desk and listened to a teacher. You opened a book, picked up a pencil and from time to time you took a few tests to show the teacher that you were listening. But, this may not have been the best way to learn. Hands-on experience (especially in engineering and technology areas) has advantages for students when it comes to learning and engagement, according to research from Purdue University. The lab experience provides the perfect environment for children to become the center of the learning experience, getting in on the action instead of passively listening. Students build, create, and make discoveries for themselves. This allows them to learn by doing in an active way that makes ideas and concepts concrete and relatable.

STEM education provides students with opportunities that they otherwise might not have. Whether it's problem-solving, experiencing real-life situations, or learning in a hands-on way, these activities help children to grow their minds, discover the world around them, and develop the skills that they'll need to eventually move into a STEM career.