In the past few decades, our society has been moving from a manufacturing based to an information and service based society with an increasing demand for professionals in the STEM field. In 2007, Canada’s participation in STEM fields showed a proportionally low number of graduates in this discipline and this has continued until today (Conference Board of Canada, 2013)*.

 

The main question that raises are:

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Why is it that some students seem to perform well in all their classes except for their
science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) classes? What is different about STEM
classes that makes them more challenging for some students? Are there any “tricks” to
learning in STEM classes? Are STEM classes actually different from other classes?

 

In 2010, the Research in Disability Education program funded the National Science Foundation project to develop method that improve success in all STEM courses. According to their analysis, four important areas should be taught to all students learning STEM courses which include:

1) Active learning strategies

2) Terminology

3) The big picture
4) Organization

 

These four areas are revealed to be important for all aspects of studying and learning. Active learning simply means learning through action rather than being passive while trying to learn; for example, write and draw notes as you read from the textbook instead of just turning pages. The large amount of new terminology in a STEM course can be overwhelming for some students, so tips to handle the volume of new words should be taught to the students. Students should be able to categorize the big pictures in each chapter, and organize themselves in such a way that they will be able to learn the materials in all courses.  

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For many students reading and understanding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) books can be very challenging, as the textbooks often use complex scientific language, figures, graphs, charts, and new technical terminology to present information. 

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"What is the purpose of developing an approach to reading? "

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Students often jump in and just start reading. This kind of approach can take more time and cause students to miss valuable information. Therefore, not having plan can cause students to feel overwhelmed and stressed, specially close to tests and exams.

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Typically, students are taught to skim the chapter for main headings and ideas before reading. A more detailed reading approach that is often taught to students is the SQ3R reading method. The steps of this method are surveying, questioning, reading, reciting, and reviewing. The survey step is similar to skimming a chapter and understanding what areas are covered in the chapter and what are the headings for each section. Therefore it is recommended that students:.

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 Work in manageable sections

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Before reading the chapter, students are recommended to think about the purpose of the material and the major concepts being presented. Students should understand the purpose of the new concept and the terminology for each chapter. Finally student should "understand" rather than just memorizing the material presented.

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 Know "when" and "where" to Read

Falling behind in reading for a course is always troublesome and stresses students. This can be avoided avoided with planning. Students are asked to develop a schedule and read small amount every day. This can be tricky as you will need to examine what they do with their time and when they are more productive. Once they figure out a time, students are asked to block off the time specifically for reading. Students should be informed that  they should avoid reading for a long period of time, as they will rarely be productive. It is known that reading in short intervals will help them stay alert and improve their concentration. Therefore, it is recommended that students take a break every 20 to 30 minutes to maximize their efficiency.

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Break down the material to be read

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Figure out when you are productive

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Take break every 20 to 30 minutes

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It is recommended that students allocates a quite area with no distraction, studying in the bed or lying down on a couch are not the best choice as our brain normally gets into the sleeping mode and it will be very hard to concentrate.

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It is particularly important that students stay on top of their assignments and they make sure that understand each section before they move on. Students should be asked to skim through the material to be covered in that days class before the class. This will help them be more comfortable with the terminology and understand the lecture better.

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Skim through the material you read before class

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 Focus on the Readings
 

With so much going on in our lives, it can seem challenging to focus on a textbook
that is so full of material and terminology, especially these days where technology has become a big part of our lives and we can easily get distracted through our phones. The two main things that students should learn is 

A. Taking notes while they Read

B. Paying attention to new technical terms

 

Taking notes while reading is an important concept, and learning how to take notes is even more important.

reading specialist recommend taking an active approach while reading, which involves both writing and speaking the material what they just read.

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Take notes while reading

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Speak the material that you read 

 

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Jotting down notes is not the same thing as re-writing your textbook, instead, it means understanding the text and writing a take-home message in your own words. Notes should be taken even on charts and diagrams, as in STEM courses, diagrams and charts convey important information.

When taking notes, students should be able to make connections between new information and what they already know. 

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Understand the diagrams and charts and take notes in your own words 

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Paying attention to new technical terms is an important concepts that students should be told about. It is recommended that students write down new technical and scientific terms, once they understand the material, they can match the concept to the previous sections they have read. 

When students have completed reading the chapter, they should put all their summaries and definitions together and review how the sections are related to one another.

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Write down new technical terms and match it to the meaning

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Link the terms and concept and review the chapter 

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Students often comment that they have no idea on how to study other than reading the text book, but they seem to know what is going to be on their non-STEM course assessment as they are only required to read the text book. STEM courses are slightly different, as students should actively learnt the subject which is because each STEM textbook chapter has a great deal of information on it, vocabulary that students might have never heard or use in everyday conversation. Therefore, students should familiarize themselves with STEM culture in each STEM course.

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Familiarize yourself with each course culture

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Communicate with your classmates and clarify concept you don't know

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Ask Why?, What?, How? and Who Cares? question about each topic

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Ask questions in class or during your instructors office hours

 

 

Once students  have developed an approach and decided when, where, and how to read they will be on the path toward accomplishing their goal. In addition to the points listed above the following active techniques has been useful for students.

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