Why Cultivate STEM Learning Ecosystems?
What is a STEM Learning Ecosystem?
A STEM Learning Ecosystem encompasses schools, community settings such as after-school and summer programs, science centers and museums, and informal experiences at home and in a variety of environments that together constitute a rich array of learning opportunities for young people. A learning Ecosystem harnesses the unique contributions of all these different settings in symbiosis to deliver STEM learning for all children. Designed pathways enable young people to become engaged, knowledgeable and skilled in the STEM disciplines as they progress through childhood into adolescence and early adulthood.
Robust STEM Learning Ecosystems have the potential to:
Seek out and successfully engage young people, historically under-represented in STEM to participate in high-quality, diverse and interconnected STEM learning experiences.
Design and connect STEM learning opportunities to reflect the reality of young people’s lives: learning not just in school but out-of-school, online, home and in daily life.
Equip all STEM educators to understand the multiple learning contexts of young people and successfully lead them in active, collaborative and rigorous learning.
Provide experiences in multiple settings that enable young people to build complex skills, including how to design, test and revise solutions to real-world problems, and to work collaboratively with adults and peers.
Encourage young people to experience the joy of learning and the rewards of persistence through unhurried opportunities to tinker, experiment and explore areas of interest.
Actively engage young people in science, engineering and mathematical practices, as detailed in the Next Generation Science Standards and other similar state standards for science education and the Common Core State Standards.
Nurture young people’s “STEM identity,” or self-perception of competence in STEM. STEM Learning Ecosystems can do this by engaging them in challenging, relevant problem-solving on issues they care about; publicly recognizing them for their efforts; and helping their parents and guardians support their pursuit of and interest in STEM.
Ensure parents and guardians have the capacity to support their children’s STEM success by understanding the pathways to further STEM education and careers and accessing consistent guidance and resources.
Assess what young people know and are able to do in diverse ways that are understood and respected across settings. New assessment strategies include use of such tools as digital badges, e-portfolios or other competency-based ways they can demonstrate mastery of skills and knowledge.
Ensure young people have opportunities to meet and build mentoring relationships with STEM professionals from similar backgrounds who serve as role models. STEM Learning Ecosystems ensure that young people are taught, from an early age, about a range of STEM career possibilities.
Connect preK-12 STEM learning, in and out-of-school, to post-secondary and STEM career opportunities.
Match STEM learning pathways to the changing needs of STEM higher education and workforce.
