3 ways to help children that are having a hard time at school with STEM

Spatial thinking and reasoning help children become adept in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths.

Although students with spatial talents solve problems by visualising and dismantling objects in 3D space, the same way scientists, engineers, and innovators in STEM-related fields do, there’s evidence that they are not getting the specialised support they need to flourish between kindergarten and high school, missing out on making the most of their potential! 

  • Is it challenging enough?

Teachers are generally preoccupied and mainly focused on covering the annual designated syllabus. Whilst being in a hurry and stuck in a mindset that only allows very specific ways of teaching, it’s safe to say that the educational services are not equipped to discover these children and help them.

As these students may lack appropriate stimuli and interesting mental challenges, they tend to lose interest and experience academic issues. In turn, these failures can cause a child to presume they lack a certain level of intelligence, they may become disheartened with education as a whole, and they may go on to show behavioural problems.

  • A problem that can be addressed early

It’s easy to make judgements about the intelligence of a child, but studies show that students with high spatial talents are often less capable when it comes to core subjects such as English and maths. Unfortunately, these students are also statistically less likely to go on to college or may drop out of college before completing their qualification.

Since 4% to 6% of students are believed to be spatially gifted*, this brings up the issue that many of them, with great talents in the STEM arena, will never fulfil their full potential. For educators, spotting these students and helping to bring out their skills, is so important, boosting their confidence, once they discover a field they’re particularly good at. These are skills that could well transform their lives if only they are given the right opportunities to develop them.

  • Engino is the ideal tool for cultivating spatial talents and help students excel in STEM

As an educator, once you are aware of these issues regarding spatially gifted students, it becomes much easier to make note of the children in your care that may benefit from a more hands-on method of learning when it comes to STEM topics.

By implementing the award-winning Engino building system to your teaching, communication skills grow as problem-solving skills are put into practice. For spatially talented children, this is where they can excel, giving them an insight into their talents, and a big confidence boost.

This method of enquiry-based learning is easy with Engino as there are progressive sets for all age groups that will enhance many hours of STEM education, whilst urging students develop all necessary skills fit for the 21st century. It’s also great fun, so it’s very easy to get young people engaged in these projects, learning through play.

Discover the world of Engino and find what caters to your classroom

Visit the Engino Eshop today to see all the educational sets available, all with worldwide shipping availability. With a wide range of themes for all ages, you can easily tie in an Engino set to your teaching practices, helping your students put theory into practice with a plethora of fun experiments that’ll help them make sense of the science world around them.

Our curriculum-based educational toy sets create a wider and most importantly inclusive framework, further enhancing both teaching and learning outcomes, in the most exciting way!

*References:

Lakin, J. M & Wai, J. 2020, Spatially gifted, academically inconvenienced: Spatially talented students experience less academic engagement and more behavioural issues than other talented students, viewed 26 August 2020, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/bjep.12343

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