Problem solving

Successfully solving a problem gives a child a sense of achievement. With open-ended STEM assignments, there may be multiple ways to successfully complete the task, and sometimes solving a problem requires looking at it from a different perspective. As students work to come up with their own unique solutions, each child has an opportunity to succeed, using his or her individual strengths. Helping kids discover and rejoice in their unique strengths will set them up for confidence and success.

Perseverance

Children with special needs may be extra-sensitive to their learning differences and feel discouraged when their efforts don’t result in immediate success. STEM tasks remind them that everyone struggles when learning something new or trying to solve a difficult problem. Even famous inventors try many things before they find the solution that works. STEM lessons help students embrace the idea that it’s okay to fail multiple times before they succeed. It’s like a game where students can restart and try again as many times as they need to be successful. Kids gain confidence when they learn to see failure as just a step on the way to eventual success.

Responsibility

Having responsibilities allows kids to feel capable and confident. In STEM-based lessons, students work as a team, listening to one another, and seeing each other’s point of view, and every student has a responsibility to work together towards a common goal. Being able to contribute to the team’s success and knowing that others are depending on him or her to accomplish the task builds a sense of connection and achievement, as well as confidence in their ability to communicate and collaborate.

^{[1] https://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/1/docs/jep/STEMEducationArticle.pdf}