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Stemming flight from STEM with robotics

Educators are trying to stem the tide of students away from STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) by reshaping programs...
Written by ZDNET Editors, Contributor

Educators are trying to stem the tide of students away from STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) by reshaping programs to make them more enticing to students, reports eSchool News

"Technology and engineering are like the neglected stepsisters in the STEM education family," said Niel Tebbano, vice president of operations for Project Lead the Way, a national initiative that offers eight high-school-level courses designed to expose students to the rigor of engineering before they reach college.

Programs like Project Lead the Way and others aim to "provide students with the context--that practical understanding--with which math and science can be applied," said Tabbano.

Many educators are holding design competitions and robotic games to challenge students classmates in a duel for technical supremacy.

More than 20,000 people will gather in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta for the finals of the 2007 FIRST Robotics Competition. FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is an annual event that brings K-12 students from every state and at least three countries together to compete in a series of robotics challenges.

"Robotics brings a real sizzle to engineering," said Tebbano. "It's something that's always been very appealing to young people."

Robots are slowly making there way into classrooms to teach simple mathematics concepts, to engage developmentally disabled learners, as well.

The earlier students interact with technology, says Gail Warren, K-5 math and physical science teacher at the Mathematics & Science Center in Richmond, Va., the more likely they are to retain the information being taught.

"If you make something exciting for a kid, [he or she] will remember it forever," says Dave Catlin, chief executive officer of Valiant Technology, a U.K.-based engineering and design firm that builds robots for use by teachers and students. "The robot helps give students that practical experience ... it helps build that intuitiveness, that understanding."
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