Gathering Insights
This series shares reflections on my process working on my capstone design (essentially a master’s thesis project) for the LDT program.
We know that well-designed hands-on learning experiences are valuable for students and lead to deeper understanding, but they are also time-consuming and difficult for educators to implement. How can we create tools for students and/or teachers to help facilitate experiences which offer deep learning in multiple areas? What are ways we can more effectively develop future-looking skills and help prepare students for a world which is changing rapidly?
As a rough sort, I’m thinking about subjects / skills that fall into these three categories:
Problem-solving skills
Motivation and metacognition
Engineering / applied science / realization skills
The first challenge I’m seeking to understand better is: How can we make hands-on learning experiences in STEM more accessible for learners and easier for educators to implement? Or in other words, what are things that limit access or implementation of these experiences?
The second challenge I’m seeking to understand is: How can parents or educators support building students’ motivation to engage with STEM learning experiences? How can we support students in middle school / high school in seeing themselves as capable of gaining these skills?
In finding research to explore, I’ve started gathering lists of research papers in these areas:
Maker education, in various contexts
Inclusive and culturally-relevant STEM education
STEM knowledge, tools, and practices