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Highlights of This Post:
Why Is STEM Important: STEM education, that is during the kindergarten through 6th grade years gives children their best chance at excelling in a STEM related careers.
STEM's major role in the life of Elon Musk
Elon Musk is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time. He is the founder of Tesla, SpaceX, and several other companies. But what many people don't know is that Elon was a very gifted child. At the time, he probably didn’t know what STEM education was, but he did know that he liked it!
He excelled in STEM subjects and was always interested in when his teachers introduced new science lesson plans. In fact, he was so good at school that he skipped several grades. By the time he was in elementary school, he was already taking high school level classes. This early academic success and exposure to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) based curriculum laid the foundation for his future success as an entrepreneur.
Does your child have what it takes to be like Elon? It’s possible! But -- it takes more than just a curious child to expose true talent. Studies clearly demonstrate that an early introduction to STEM education, that is during the kindergarten through 6th grade years gives children their best chance at excelling in a STEM related careers. The four areas of what STEM education puts an emphasis on are; critical thinking, processing, innovation, gathering and evaluating evidence, and problem-solving. The first few years of life are absolutely critical in the development of brains. The brains of children make connections at such a speed that cannot be achieved at any other stage of life. It is important to introduce STEM education to children at an early age because it is the kids of today that, like Elon Musk, will be the innovators of tomorrow. Introducing STEM at an early age sets the foundation for future learning. Most STEM education activities involve calculations and formulas and learning these, even as early as kindergarten, provides hands-on experience to children. STEM education transforms young minds into innovators of the future. The following are only a small sampling of skills that an early introduction to STEM education can provide:
Information Retention
STEM education has proved to be a source of powerful increase in retention in children. If introduced at an early age, STEM education allows the children to learn, build, and retain a knowledge base that will be beneficial to them as they get older and are introduced to more complex problems.
Language Development
Besides helping kids remember and retain information, STEM education at an early age plays an important role in the development of language skills. If kids read books about science and are introduced to new science lesson plans, it may spark new areas of discussion about what STEM education truly means to them. This may prompt the child to carry out and test a hypothesis for further investigation. Children discuss the hypothesis with one another which helps in developing their literacy and comprehension skills.
Collective work skills
What STEM education does is that it encourages children to work collectively and think creatively in each subject. This develops the ability of teamwork in the children which is fundamental for success in their classroom and their social groups. The encouragement of teamwork helps the children in utilizing the knowledge of others which in the future would be helpful in making a project successful. Young children are generally inquisitive and want to explore and know about the environment in which they live so STEM education assists young students in developing concepts about their world which would be helpful for them at the later stages of their lives.
Gamification
Gamification is also a part of STEM education. Children explore and learn through the lenses of games. STEM education lets the children learn about science and engineering through gamification that can be applied in professional and educational pursuits in a more constructive manner.
The introduction of STEM education at an early age helps in developing and retaining the skills which they need in the later stages of their lives. Moreover, the introduction of STEM education at an early stage of life also benefits the children in their individual development. This provides the in-depth knowledge and skills to the children that they need for higher education and for success in their careers
CONCLUSION
Elon Musk is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time. But what is the secret to his success? While it's impossible to say for sure, many believe that STEM education during his early years absolutely played a role. Musk attended an elementary school that focused on STEM subjects. He then went on to get straight As in grade school. This gave him a strong foundation in science and mathematics, which no doubt came in handy when he was starting businesses in these fields later. In addition, his parents were very supportive of his education, taking him to stem school assemblies and ensuring that he got good grades. Nothing is a sure thing, but this sequence of events demonstrates that involved parenting can also be a factor in success later in life. So, while there are many factors that contribute to someone's success, it's clear that STEM education is one of them.
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Content of post updated since original publishing.