Getting students excited about Math or STEM can be hard, particularly in the classroom. But what if the solution to engaging all children in STEM could be found outside of school?
With summer upon us, kids everywhere are excited to finally be away from their desks, and explore the world around them: going to summer camps, taking trips with their family, playing in the park with their friends, working on art projects, swimming, hiking, chasing the ice cream truck – anything and everything but learning, right? Except, here’s the thing: summer is actually where kids could do their most learning.
Why? Curiosity.
Dr Koshi Dhingra on curiosity as the secret sauce for learning
Curiosity is the secret sauce for learning. Kids are naturally curious about the world around them. They want to understand why things are the way they are and how they work, and this pursuit of understanding is learning at its most fundamental. So how can parents and STEM educators harness that curiosity? This question is at the heart of talkSTEM’s mission, so as you might expect we think about it quite a lot!
First, let’s think about how kids demonstrate curiosity. They ask questions. A lot of questions. Questions like: “Why do cats, dogs, and most other 4-legged animals walk using the same walking pattern? Why does a soccer ball curve when you kick it? Why can’t I have cake for dinner?”
And if adults can’t provide a satisfying answer, their curiosity will inspire them to seek novel answers, either on their own or with their friends. They’ll look around. They’ll poke. They’ll prod. They’ll explore. Nobody teaches a child how to do this kind of independent place-based learning – they just instinctively do it. And scientists say it’s critical for their cognitive and social development.
According to a 2024 review of seventy years of theoretical research by Anne-Laure Le Cunff, curiosity is closely linked to the brain’s dopaminergic reward system and enhances memory. (Bromberg-Martin et al., 2010; Bromberg-Martin & Hikosaka, 2011; Gruber et al., 2014). Le Cunff concludes that “As children develop cognitively, curiosity prompts question-asking and independent discovery of their physical, mental, and social world, facilitating cognitive and social development.” (Chouinard et al., 2007; Frazier et al., 2009)
This development allows children to flourish – increasing their levels of self-confidence, happiness, and personal growth. Simply put, the more curious you are, the happier you are. (Kashdan & Steger, 2007; Lydon-Staley et al., 2020; Reio & Sanders-Reio, 2020).”
Children need to be curious, or they won’t learn, which means it’s up to parents, educators, and really any stakeholder in the child’s life, to nurture and cultivate their curiosity for academics, rather than repress it. That’s what talkSTEM does. We harness a child’s natural, infinite curiosity and systematize it for STEM. We ground STEM lessons in the spaces and places they already inhabit through our STEMWalks and Math Walks.
Over the next few months, we will be posting videos on our social media that highlight and encourage children’s curiosity. Developed by educational experts, our videos take you on a quick walk in the real world and highlight a Math or STEM question that’s based on simple observation. Our methods increase children’s curiosity for STEM by personalizing it, connecting it to the zoos, amusement parks, and dance studios in their community, as well as far-flung places like a horse pasture in Ireland and a movie theater in India. They’re also just entertaining videos.
We encourage you to follow us on social media and sign up for our free video library, which contains over 300 virtual STEMwalks and Math walks. Each video models place-based observation and question asking. You can use part or all of your child’s annual screen time to watch these Math and STEM walks together and discuss possible solutions. If you happen to live near one of our STEM walk stops (our library is searchable by location), you can go directly to that place and watch the video there. Maybe your child will even be inspired to come up with their own question, like our STEM ambassadors.
However you use our tools, the point is simply to get kids to notice the real world wherever they go and ask questions based on their observations – just like we do in our videos. We want to show children how valuable their questions are, because in today’s world, the questions matter just as much (if not more) than the answers!
We hope our walks inspire you to ask more questions. Think more deeply. And most importantly, be more curious.
