Creating Engagement Between Schools and Their Communities by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Starting Early: Never Too Early

Exposure to STEM fields can begin as early as preschool. A good strategy is to engage parents in ways that allow them to learn about such fields along with their children. Afterschool events for preschool and elementary children which provide hands-on science exploration involving both the parent and child can help lay the foundation for STEM education. Another strategy is to invite diverse community members in STEM fields into classrooms. Students can more easily imagine themselves in these fields if they seem attainable; seeing people within their own communities who have attained these goals makes it seem more plausible.

University outreach and STEM departments may be able to provide STEM demonstrations at schools or provide hands-on activities from the variety of science fields. Universities and colleges offer STEM summer camps and may have scholarships based on need. Counselors are able to connect underserved students to these foundations and donors to provide funding for promising students to attend camps on STEM careers.

The Council for Economic Education, in particular, provides resources and teacher training to expose young children to financial literacy and the economic way of thinking. They deliver this training and offer competitive programs for students and teachers which exposes students to financial careers and develops decision-making skills to transition students to the real world and to college and careers. The council delivers these math-related opportunities through its state affiliates and in turn through the state centers which are usually housed in universities. Some university centers have provided resources and professional development to Y providers to enhance their after-school programs.

Universities are connected to local libraries and often offer STEM programming in conjunction with each other. Libraries, particularly those that draw from diverse populations, can secure funding for a variety of educational programs. Every educator should make a friend of the local librarian. Children’s literature today is abundant with fiction books connected to STEM topics and a multitude of fine informational texts on STEM topics for children at a variety of reading levels. Educators are allowed to check out large quantities of books for their classrooms from most libraries. Learning about STEM through the arts is a very popular concept today.

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