Teaching STEM subjects can be difficult, because many students lack confidence and motivation to tackle those courses and the academic rigor they require.
Nearly half of teachers say they’ve asked students for feedback on what would push them to work harder in their STEM classes, according to a nationally representative EdWeek Research Center survey of 605 teachers conducted in the spring.
One common piece of feedback teachers received was that students want more hands-on, project-based learning activities that they enjoy doing.
The math in physics is “brutal,” said Covey Denton, an elementary and high school science teacher at the Greenfield school in Wilson, N.C., in an interview with Education Week. “Students have to slog through that math, and it’s not fun.
“Pairing that unappetizing math with something that’s really fun, like building a rocket, I’m able to get my students engaged in the material,” Denton said.
Along with hands-on or project-based learning, students also like working with their peers. Sometimes students are better suited to explain topics to their peers because they can do it from the same level of understanding, teachers say. And if a student can explain it, then they really understand the topic.
Landyn Lucas, an 8th grade student at McDonald Middle School in Mesquite, Texas, said this is something that really motivates her to do well in her STEM classes.
“When I understand how to do something, and maybe my friend doesn’t, I like to help them, and that makes me want to be in there more,” she said. “It makes me feel good that I’m able to help them, and it makes them also understand it, and we can just help each other.”
Students also told their teachers that they like seeing their progress and getting immediate feedback.
Navayah Jones, an 8th grade student at McDonald Middle School is one of those students. Knowing that her teacher will recognize her when she does something right makes her feel “more motivated to do my work in class and get stuff done,” she said, “because I know I always have someone there to be proud of me.”
The following downloadable resource offers tips from teachers on how to motivate students to work harder in STEM classes.
