STEM students are some of the brightest and smartest students around. STEM focuses on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Still, even the most gifted students can face challenges when taking on various STEM exercises meant to challenge them and make them better students.
If you find that you’re struggling or have a STEM student struggling, you’ve come to the right place. Below we’ve taken the time to create a brief guide of tips that will help your student get off to the right start when they begin undergoing STEM activities.
Identify the Problems and Find a Solution
The first step in helping a STEM student that’s struggling is identifying what the problems are that they’re experiencing. If you’re not able to find the areas that are proving to be challenging, you can’t find a solution that will work for your student moving forward.
You also need to have an open line of communication to that your STEM student will feel comfortable coming to you when they find that they’re struggling with things in their daily struggles. After you’ve determined what the problems are, it’s time to start brainstorming solutions to remedy the issue.
When students understand they have a potential issue with their STEM studies, they can bring them to you or speak to you about getting a tutor to help them move forward. Not only does it teach students to be conscious about what they’re dealing with, but also to be honest about their struggles.
It also teaches them to be proactive and not wait until the last minute to get the help they need.
Always Show Your Work
As a STEM student, when conducting different projects and activities, it’s best to show your work. The reason for this is that when something goes wrong in the calculations, or you have to repeat a similar process, it’s easier to refer to previous work to see what you’ve done before.
While most problems in STEM have one solution, there are several ways that people might arrive at that solution. However, these solutions can’t be made clear if the work wasn’t written down for the student to show to their teachers.
Also, if students have continued to struggle, they can meet with their teacher and provide examples of their work. Being able to view the work the student has performed, the teacher will be able to identify where in the problem-solving the equation went wrong.
By identifying where in the equation things went wrong, a student can move forward and minimize making the same problem in the future.
Connect With Your Peers
Connecting with peers is one of the greatest assets at the fingertips of STEM students. Students can provide each other with different study tips and solutions they can use, like PASCO, which can be extremely useful moving forward. Peer support can help struggling students when they’re thriving in their studies.
When students face an upcoming test or homework assignment that requires lots of focus, they can spend time studying together. You and your peers can address the numerous areas where you both struggle and help each other throughout your STEM courses.
Study Consistently
It can be easy for what you’re studying to overwhelm you, so you must create a routine study schedule. This will help you to continue learning the information you already know and add to it over time without becoming stressed about all the material you have to learn.
Remember, when you’re involved in STEM activities and classes, you have to add to what you already know at each step. Maintaining a study schedule will make it easy to add to what you’ve learned in the past and apply it every chance you get.
Maintaining some form of structure as your studies become more chaotic is the key to ongoing success. If you’re unsure of what type of study schedule to put in place, you can ask your teachers or peers for their suggestions.
Remember, these are things that work for them, but if you never try them, you might not understand what techniques and tactics will work for you and your STEM studies.
Tips to Improve When You’re Struggling With STEM
When it comes to being a STEM student, some challenges and roadblocks might come up over time. However, we’ve provided some tips above to help you overcome these struggles, such as leaning on your peers or developing a study routine that works for you.
Take your time and understand that you deserve to be in your STEM courses. When you find what works for you, you will ensure your continued success in your classes and activities.
Also did you know that you can make some extra cash alongside your studies by teaching online for platforms such as Cambly? Read more below:
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