Talk tools: Be interested and enthusiastic

How do you feel about STEM? Studies have found that when students perceive their teacher to be enthusiastic and intrinsically motivated about what they are teaching, the students themselves are more motivated and interested.

Enthusiastic teachers take genuine and obvious pleasure in the act of teaching. If you want students to be engaged with STEM, the first step is to ensure that you are actively and positively engaged yourself.

We all have our own relationship with STEM, shaped by our own experiences, ideas and perceptions. While you might appreciate the value of STEM, maybe you don’t feel confident to teach it. Within STEM, you might feel differently about each of the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

While negative, ambivalent or fearful attitudes might not stop you from delivering the curriculum, it’s important to recognise that you might be unconsciously transmitting those feelings to your students through the way you engage with each STEM topic.

Studies show that students see straight through faked enthusiasm; it’s authentic positive emotion that most benefits them. You can’t erase your own experiences, nor change your feelings overnight, but you can find ways to reposition your own relationship with STEM. If you’re feeling like your STEM identity needs some work, here are some strategies to try.

Work out why you feel the way you do. What experiences shaped your attitudes? Use this tool to map the defining moments in your life as you developed your STEM identity. Next, explore what you needed to hear or experience at that stage of your life – how can you embody that positive role model for your students now? Here is an example of a documented STEM journey.

Find your own hook. One of the great things about STEM is that it is a human endeavour. Perhaps you’re excited by the stories of the people who contributed to great STEM advancements, or those whose lives have changed as a result of STEM. Maybe your connection is through representations of STEM in film, stories, poetry or art. For example, check out this article, ‘Black Panther, Vibranium and the Periodic Table ’ – maybe it’s superheroes that bring the periodic table alive for you! Find your hook and indulge your own curiosity and delight.

Strap on a parachute. We’re all nervous about teaching out of field, but there’s an amazing suite of high-quality resources available to scaffold your teaching when you’re outside your comfort zone. Avoid just selecting materials that seem ‘doable’; instead, look for materials that actively support and educate you about the content, the teaching strategies required and students’ possible responses. Some good places to start are the GiST STEM Lesson Plans,  the Digital Technologies Hub  and the Mathematics Hub . 

Bring along a friend. Invite into your learning space a colleague, friend or parent who can share their enthusiasm for STEM with your students and shape your own enthusiasm around the learning community you’re creating.

Create space for your students’ enthusiasm and mirror it. It’s exciting and motivating when our students love learning. Create opportunities for your students to wonder, ideate, share experiences or instigate their own research and celebrate their agency as learners.

Take a look at the next GiST Talk approach, 2. Foster STEM dispositions