Brass Bound Bulletin Bulletin #5 why 7-11 year olds are ideal for STEAM education

It saddens me that more elementary schools (at least in my district) don't have STEM classes. In my opinion elementary school is the perfect time to introduce kids to STEAM subjects. Especially in the third grade through fifth grade window. Aside from the aspects that I touched on in my last post there are a few specific reasons why I think kids 7-11 is really the sweet spot for STEAM education.

Most people would agree that elementary school is where it starts for kids. They start coming into themselves, they are feral and honest. Their brains are developing rapidly and elementary school sets the foundation for learning later in childhood. And while most schools focus on the "three Rs" STEAM classes teach them how to really USE what they are learning. If students are designing something for 3D printing they need the math they are learning for things like measurements and dimensions. They need science to understand how 3d printing works, what it's strengths and limitations are. If they are building something that moves they have to understand forces and motion. They have to be able to read and understand what they are reading. They learn to do research and find information and they learn to be creative even if what they are creating is more practical than decorative. In short, STEAM reenforces what they are learning in their homerooms by giving them the practical application of it. Their knowledge is strengthened because they learn to "connect the dots" and see how different subjects relate and compliment each other. Kids also learn problem solving skills, reasoning, critical thinking, resilience. All of these thing contribute heavily to brain development and the fact that much of the time they're having fun means students are more engaged in learning. And while studies are coming out indicating that access to technology in schools is hindering children's cognitive development, technology use in STEAM is INTENTIONAL. Students aren't just taking a test or doing a Kahoot. They are engaging with technology purposefully. And learning a healthy relationship with tech early is not a bad thing.

One of the missions of Cogwheel STEAM Workshops is to spark a lasting love and excitement for Invention, problem solving and STEAM in general. If done early in a child's development they are more likely to continue that interest throughout school and into a career. This is especially important in groups under represented in STEAM fields in college and in career fields. A year or so ago I looked at the demographics of college students entering STEM fields as a course of study. Less than half were women. Hispanics made up 30% and African Americans made up less than 10% of STEM majors in college. This didn't make sense to me. A lot of girls and children of color are some of my best students. And that doesn't even factor in economic opportunity. What that tells me is after leaving elementary school these students are choosing other paths than the ones they are telling me they are interested in or have an aptitude for. I made it my goal to excite ALL children, especially girls and children of color. To light that fire and love for technology, making, engineering and problem solving. To stoke it so much that after they leave me and society begins to (either implicitly or explicitly) tell them "these jobs are not for you" these kids will shout back "YES THEY ARE" and keep going. Computer Science and engineering needs more than old white guys like me and exciting students in STEM fields early is how we make that happen.

I touched on this earlier but it's proven that STEAM classes promote deeper learning in kids. Many younger kids are into robots and video games. They like cars and planes, drones and building. STEM class make learning fun because they get to mess with those elements. Through building a tower with toothpicks and marshmallows kids learn about geometry and structures (math.) through making a mechanical hand they learn about the human body and well as forces (science.) Through building a video game they learn how to write a story, and an algorithm (spelling, grammar, punctuation.) depending on what they are doing a teacher can integrate social studies into the mix as well. All while learning social and emotional skills that all kids need.

Not I don't want anyone to think that I don't believe STEAM is valuable for students younger than seven. It absolutely is. but at five and six the learning (in my opinion) should be more about learning to use the tools they will be interacting with for more advanced activities later. For example, I teach Kindergarteners how to build a simple robot they can control for different activities. In first grade students learn to code the robot in specific and guided ways. By second grade they are assembling the parts and coding the robots themselves to complete certain tasks. Same kits, scaffolded learning. So by the time they move out of elementary to sixth grade they have a good base and hopefully are hyped to continue learning. In my view, every elementary school should have an official, district supported, dedicated STEM class.