Using Mentoring Programs to Engage Students in STEM

KEY POINTS

• Create opportunities for collaboration.
• Allow students to explore new topics.
• Prevent students from falling behind.

Sometimes complex STEM concepts can be rather intimidating for younger students. Pairing these students with others who have more advanced STEM knowledge and skills is a great way to overcome this obstacle. Mentorship can provide students with a valuable resource throughout their STEM journey, giving them the resources to succeed and preventing them from falling behind when faced with challenging STEM content.

ENCOURAGE CLASSROOM COLLABORATION

Not all students grasp the same STEM concepts at the same rate, and that’s okay. Very often simple teamwork, peer discussion, and effective communication serve as the perfect cure for clearing up confusion and misunderstanding, but encouraging group work and general collaboration in the classroom can be an indispensable tool, not only for the student who is struggling, but also for the student that helps them overcome such barriers. The struggling student gains the benefit of deeper understanding of the content, while the mentoring student further sharpens their communication skills. In this sense, group work in the classroom, if implemented correctly, can often act as an informal practice of mentorship.

EXPOSE STUDENTS TO NEW STEM PATHWAYS

Giving students the opportunity to pair with mentors can give them the edge they need to grasp difficult STEM concepts. Such opportunities also have the potential to expose students to a different and/or wider perspective of the STEM subjects, revealing new methods and aspects of study they may have not yet explored. A mentor, whether it be another student in their grade, a college student, or a professional in a STEM career, has the power to instill in a student a greater appreciation and a better understanding of what STEM really has to offer in the real world, potentially affecting their career path.

PREVENT STUDENTS FROM FALLING BEHIND

The STEM subjects can be daunting at times for students, and this can often lead to frustration and discouragement in students who are facing challenges as they wrestle with these subjects. Providing an active support network for students in the form of a mentoring program is a great way to reassure students and build their confidence when these kinds of situations arise. When students know that they have a place and/or a person to go to when they are having trouble, they will be much more likely to persevere, learn from previous points of confusion, and develop the problem-solving skills that are vital in the modern world.

— Dr. Jake Roark