{"id":57636,"date":"2021-06-09T00:00:46","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T04:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=57636"},"modified":"2021-06-08T11:46:03","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T15:46:03","slug":"3-ways-schools-can-improve-stem-learning-for-black-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/3-ways-schools-can-improve-stem-learning-for-black-students\/","title":{"rendered":"3 ways schools can improve STEM learning for Black students"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Black people make up just\u00a09%<\/a>\u00a0of the STEM workforce in the U.S. As a\u00a0scholar<\/a>\u00a0who studies how STEM educators can more effectively reach Black students, I want to help all people develop an understanding of how\u00a0anti-Black racism<\/a>\u00a0is a significant barrier for Black students learning STEM.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Many scholars<\/a>\u00a0have argued that our current ways of teaching STEM are bad for everyone because only the experiences and contributions of white people are discussed, but the\u00a0negative effects are greater<\/a>\u00a0for Black people. Teachers frequently question the intellectual ability of Black students and\u00a0prevent them from using their cultural worldviews<\/a>,\u00a0spirituality<\/a>\u00a0and language in the STEM learning setting.<\/p>\n

Still, Black people continue to boost STEM knowledge across the world. It is time to generate new teaching practices in STEM that affirm Black students in a way that connects with their lives.<\/p>\n

1. Talk about Black excellence<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The projection of ideas about who can who can pick up STEM concepts is important. Research has shown that many people think of\u00a0engineers as white men<\/a>; therefore, seeing Black STEM professionals in person or via media representation can build inspiration among Black youths.<\/p>\n

Although Black representation is essential, it alone won\u2019t address the\u00a0barriers Black students face<\/a>. These barriers include\u00a0racial stereotyping<\/a>,\u00a0stressful academic culture<\/a>\u00a0and other social and cultural factors. Some of these issues are not unique to Black people, but together they can create a particularly harmful experience for Black students. When teachers celebrate the successes of Black people in STEM, they can also discuss the resources and opportunities these individuals had or did not have while navigating racism.<\/p>\n

\"\"

In 1992, Mae C. Jemison became the first Black woman to go into space. Thomas A. Ferrara\/Newsday RM via Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n

Many Black people throughout history have achieved advanced STEM knowledge.\u00a0Dr. Patricia Bath<\/a>, an ophthalmologist who developed laser technology used in treating cataracts, and\u00a0Steven Townsend<\/a>, who has advanced awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding, are just two examples. But\u00a0Black contributions to STEM<\/a>\u00a0predate American enslavement.\u00a0Recalling this history<\/a>\u00a0normalizes Black success across STEM disciplines.<\/p>\n

Educators must be mindful of how they tell Black success stories in STEM. When educators reduce examples of Black excellence to just a few people, it perpetuates the\u00a0myth of Black exceptionalism<\/a>, the idea that Black people who are capable of success are rare. Individual success stories can also portray these people as being successful without assistance or serve as limited representations. Instead, teachers can share varied examples of successful Black scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians, including local residents and family members of their students.<\/p>\n

2. Emphasize social skills<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Although STEM professions require both social and technical knowledge, technical skills are\u00a0typically valued more<\/a>\u00a0than social skills.<\/p>\n

Math<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0science<\/a>\u00a0instruction often encourage competition and rigor, which constrains students\u2019 ability to value differences in experience, style and problem-solving approaches. This also limits students\u2019 ability to see how math and science knowledge can solve social\u00a0problems<\/a>. Furthermore, traditional\u00a0math<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0science<\/a>\u00a0teaching has punished Black students for how they\u00a0speak<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0live<\/a>. This happens when teachers focus more on using scientific language than on displaying\u00a0scientific understanding<\/a>. Therefore, many Black students become disengaged and lose interest.<\/p>\n

STEM education in its current form pushes Black\u00a0students away<\/a>\u00a0instead of addressing the\u00a0racial and socioeconomic problems<\/a>\u00a0within STEM classrooms and broader society.<\/p>\n

Black youths tend to have a strong sense of social realities and a \u201csoulfulness<\/a>\u201d that causes them to focus more on people than objects. STEM educators can train Black youths to utilize their emotional strengths in designing problem-solving technologies that are both effective and humane. For example,\u00a0Black-centered design<\/a>, a race-conscious application of\u00a0human-centered design<\/a>, allows Black people to use their cultural knowledge to provide scientific solutions to problems in their community. However teachers choose to do it, Black identity and culture should be seen as an\u00a0asset to STEM education and careers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Teach with sociopolitical awareness<\/strong><\/h4>\n

An abundance of\u00a0resources<\/a>\u00a0can help teachers develop curriculum that highlights the ways\u00a0culture influences<\/a>\u00a0how we learn and practice STEM. One example is\u00a0The Woke STEM Teacher<\/a>, a website where educators can get tools to include social justice topics in their STEM curriculum.<\/p>\n

Teachers can design or use enjoyable exercises that prompt students to use STEM knowledge to solve problems relevant to their lives outside of the classroom. This allows opportunities for students\u2019\u00a0communities<\/a>\u00a0to be used as spaces for STEM learning.<\/p>\n

Also, the creativity of Black students may look different from that of other students, so it is important to develop a\u00a0supportive<\/a>\u00a0approach. Educators have used\u00a0hip-hop<\/a>,\u00a0cosmetology<\/a>, and\u00a0double-Dutch<\/a>\u00a0to demonstrate Black intelligence in STEM.<\/p>\n

I believe these simple steps are powerful ways to shift STEM education toward better appreciating and elevating the knowledge and contributions of Black people in STEM.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> James Holly Jr. is Assistant Professor of Urban STEM Education at Wayne State University<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Black people make up just\u00a09%\u00a0of the STEM workforce in the U.S. As a\u00a0scholar\u00a0who studies how STEM educators can more effectively reach Black students, I want to help all people develop an understanding of how\u00a0anti-Black racism\u00a0is a significant barrier for Black students learning STEM. Many scholars\u00a0have argued that our current ways of teaching STEM are bad […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":57637,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15645],"tags":[357433],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-57636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-stem-learning"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n3 ways schools can improve STEM learning for Black students - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/3-ways-schools-can-improve-stem-learning-for-black-students\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 ways schools can improve STEM learning for Black students - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Black people make up just\u00a09%\u00a0of the STEM workforce in the U.S. As a\u00a0scholar\u00a0who studies how STEM educators can more effectively reach Black students, I want to help all people develop an understanding of how\u00a0anti-Black racism\u00a0is a significant barrier for Black students learning STEM. 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