Smartbrief: STEM is an Essential Literacy that Kindergarteners Should Learn
Our CEO, Mitch Rosenberg, highlights the importance of introducing STEAM concepts to young learners and teaching coding as a language, which can can be easily taught by: starting early, keeping it playful, and avoiding screens. While STEM education has historically started in middle school, educators can plant the seeds of design thinking years earlier — and have fun doing it.
The article reads in part:
“American schools begin teaching English language arts in early childhood, but, in some places, STEM education doesn’t start until middle school. In 2024, I find that surprising. Inspired by the work of Marina Bers, Ph.D., a distinguished professor at Boston College and my co-founder at KinderLab Robotics, I believe that students are ready and eager to learn STEM concepts much earlier in their education. Bers’ work has provided scientific evidence supporting the idea that the brain is particularly receptive to anything that resembles a language during the early elementary years — and the idea that coding is a language.
One of the key underlying concepts of coding is design thinking: generating an idea, testing it, modifying it and repeating this process. Working with robots like KIBO, which Bers created, is a natural way to engage young learners and teach them this kind of thinking. Here are three keys to bringing STEM learning to young students.”
Here are three tips to get started STEM learning:
Start early
Many people find it harder to learn a language as they get older. Using Bers’ metaphor that STEM skills like coding are a language, it follows that having students start to learn them in kindergarten (or even pre-kindergarten) will allow them to grasp the key concepts more naturally. As with any language, immersion is the most effective form of teaching, which means integrating these concepts into as many subjects as possible. Here are some examples of how teachers can include coding in a variety of classes:
- ELA: Bring a storybook to life by programming a robot to play the role of Piglet navigating the Hundred Acre Wood.
- Math: Use a robot car to travel up and down a number line to practice addition and subtraction.
- Science: Learn about weather by programming a robot to blink to simulate lightning and rumble to sound like thunder.
When deciding when to start teaching subjects such as robotics, the critical question is: “What is most likely to support these students in a meaningful life and career?” Today, more professions require STEM thinking than in the past, even those that don’t seem connected to science or engineering. For instance, a restaurant worker might write a script in Excel to calculate the profitability of various dishes, or an art gallery employee could program software to predict visitor attendance. (Of course, the most effective way to start young learners to develop confidence and skills in STEM is not to plop them down in front of a spreadsheet.)
Keep it playful
As Albert Einstein said, “Play is the highest form of research.” Learning that’s driven by fun can effectively complement learning something like multiplication tables. Programming challenges are a playful way to solve a problem, get immediate feedback about your solution and try again as you gradually improve. They provide internal motivation because they’re fun. Trying to learn multiplication tables because you want to be a good student is not the same as having every fiber of your being engaged in figuring out how to make a robot navigate an obstacle course on the way to delivering a snack to your teacher.
The hands-on nature of play-based learning is particularly effective for young learners who haven’t yet developed the capacity for abstract thinking that will come later in life. Bers explains that a technology-rich experience for children should be modeled on the idea of a playground. On a playground, children move and explore, invent games and stories, collaborate with peers, and negotiate conflicts. These technology playgrounds are filled with creativity and social engagement, leading to students sharing their work.
Avoid screens
While computers and mobile devices play a role in education and the professional world, the growing number of cellphone bans in schools is a clear indicator that educators are seeing the value of limiting students’ time on screens. Online interactions are more abstract than hands-on activities and allow for passive participation that involves less agency, energy and attention. The physical world, where tangible objects like robots are present, demands active engagement.
Educational theorists have long recognized that young children think and learn best when moving, playing, building and engaging with concrete objects. Traditional coding is often screen-based and abstract. However, with robotics, children’s code affects the physical world: The robot moves and reacts based on the children’s instructions. When the programming language itself is based on hands-on interaction (like KIBO’s sequencing of colorful wooden blocks), children benefit from connecting programming concepts to concrete, physical objects, reinforcing learning in an age-appropriate way.
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