S.T.E.M. Empowers Futures (SEF) was born out of Dr. Moultry-Leach’s experiences as a STEM educator from 2007-2009. She taught Foundations of Technology and Engineering Foundations Courses. One of her greatest concerns was her students' lack of interest and focus in the technology class she taught. The
class was project based using real-world problems. The students
worked in a hands-on team environment. Given these components, the class should have been fun and engaging for the students. But it was not. Even
more disheartening, the majority of the students in her engineering classes did
not want to be engineers even after taking several engineering classes. Most
of the students in her technology and engineering classes had minimum exposure to technology or engineering throughout their k-8 experience. This resulted in their lack of interest in these types of subjects. Moreover, she began to understand for students to be interested and engaged in technology and engineering subjects or topics, they have
to be introduced and exposed to them starting in grades k-5. With earlier exposure to science, engineering and technology, students will begin to develop an awareness and appreciation for them. Because of this lack of exposure,
it was difficult for most students in her classes to engage and or appreciate what they could have learned
from the education experience.
In addition to the question of the lack of exposure was the lack of engagement. How do you get the students engaged in STEM? First, Dr. Moultry-Leach realized you have to get students passionate about STEM before you can get them engaged. How do you do this? The core question is do students know what STEM is? Do they know the different fields of STEM and their career paths? Students take chemistry and biology, but do they know what chemist and biologist do in their careers? So why would Students want to be a chemist or biologist? They will not, unless they see what biologist and chemist do at work. You have to see it to want to be it. That's "The Power of Vision."
SEF's "The Power of Vision" program is designed to open elementary students' eyes to STEM from the perspective of vision. They begin to understand what STEM looks like from the eyes of people who wear different STEM hats and work in various STEM occupations. Seeing STEM in action is what wakes up a student’s imagination to the world of possibilities derived from the vastness of the different fields of STEM. Elementary students can begin to see its benefits to mankind and how working in the field of STEM can make a positive impact in their life, community, country and possibly the world.
"The Power of Vision" STEM program awakens the student's imagination to the possibility of being an astronaut, architect, marine biologist, civil engineer; etc. It is a gateway to getting elementary students engaged and exposed to STEM at an early age, therefore; one day leading them to a pathway towards a STEM education and career.
SEF's "The Power of Vision" program is designed to open elementary students' eyes to STEM from the perspective of vision. They begin to understand what STEM looks like from the eyes of people who wear different STEM hats and work in various STEM occupations. Seeing STEM in action is what wakes up a student’s imagination to the world of possibilities derived from the vastness of the different fields of STEM. Elementary students can begin to see its benefits to mankind and how working in the field of STEM can make a positive impact in their life, community, country and possibly the world.
"The Power of Vision" STEM program awakens the student's imagination to the possibility of being an astronaut, architect, marine biologist, civil engineer; etc. It is a gateway to getting elementary students engaged and exposed to STEM at an early age, therefore; one day leading them to a pathway towards a STEM education and career.
Copyright©2018 Ganelle Moultry-Leach, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
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