Building a Bridge Between The Classroom and the Community

“Why?” We think it’s cute, and sometimes exhausting, when a 3-year-old’s conversation becomes consumed with this simple word. But somewhere between the inquisitive years of early and elementary childhood, a child’s natural curiosity begins to wane. This is especially evident in the classroom. Why? Because there’s a wide chasm between traditional teaching methods and this new generation of students that craves content that is tangible, moldable and applicable to their worlds.

Consider today’s sixth grader. She has never known life without the Internet, GPS navigation or the iPhone. The world has been within her fingertips since the first breath of life. How do we keep her engaged in the classroom with content that complements her “touch screen” wiring? How do we feed her brain in an environment that promotes problem solving, critical thinking and opportunities to engage both linear and lateral thinking?

We need an education system that can keep pace with students as they continue to explore and find their place in the world. And we need to understand that “this world” likely will be markedly different from even the one they were born into. We need to prepare these students for careers that might not even exist yet.

Who could have imagined 10 years ago careers such as social media manager, cloud computing expert and app developer? In science, the Human Genome Project exploded bioinformatics job opportunities in the mid-2000s as researchers finally had a map for genetic disease.

The best way to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s world is to ensure a solid foundation in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. Compensation research firm PayScale’s annual college salary reports consistently list STEM-related majors as the most valuable in terms of pay and job opportunities. However, only 19 out of every 100 bachelor’s degrees are in STEM fields.

Careers in health care, business, finance, engineering and technology are some of the fastest growing fields in our region. STEM occupations are projected to grow 27 percent over the next 10 years, compared with just 10 percent for non-STEM fields, according to Cincinnati’s 2020 Jobs Outlook Report.

The key to building STEM-ready students is to harness the natural experimentation and curiosity of elementary school students. Some after-school programs and extracurricular activities do this, but we need this type of learning in everyday classrooms. In every school. In every demographic.

Case-based learning is one promising approach. This method emphasizes critical thinking and data analysis skills. Adapting it to the elementary grades gets kids working on their STEM abilities earlier, particularly in areas of applied technology and mathematics. These are skills today’s students often find disconnected from real life.

The case-based method places the student in a decision-making role. Case facts and context are presented by teachers, who mainly play a facilitating role, and student must actively pursue a solution by analyzing real data. Rather than guiding students toward a single “right answer,” teachers encourage students to find their own solutions based on inference and data.

The curriculum is a departure from traditional teaching styles because it bases learning on the application of technology and critical thinking on authentic STEM content rather than acquisition of facts and formulas. I’ve seen this work in the classroom. I’ve seen students light up with “ah-ha” moments, and I’ve seen them become empowered with the realization of their own potential.

To compete in the global economy, American K-12 students must not only master critical thinking and STEM-based skills but also practice “hands on” application of those concepts through experiential, digital and project-based and learning methods. We must tear down the four walls of the classroom so students can see the relevance of their learning and knowledge in the real world.

We should not view this as a revolution but rather an evolution, just as our world has evolved into a higher concentration of careers requiring solid foundations of science, math and technology. To allow our children, our future, the opportunity to be competitive for any job of the 21^st century, we need to teach kids how to define problems, ask questions, and develop solutions based on analysis and thoughtful discussion. With this mindset, we can transform Ohio into a global leader in education and push the limits of innovation in education.

Mary Welsh Schlueter is the founder and CEO of the Partnership for Innovation in Education (PIE), a nonprofit organization headquartered in Cincinnati, OH. PIE was one of the key recipients of the Ohio Department of Education "Straight A" Fund, developing STEM curriculum applying critical thinking, decision-making and career ready skills in the 21st century classroom.