Teaching STEM After School

After-school STEM programs are popping up all over the nation as support for STEM education continues to grow. After-school programs also help to keep students safe, and they are less likely to get in trouble with drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. The Afterschool and the Future of Learning network acknowledges that STEM after-school initiatives are relatively new but insists on the importance of teaching STEM after school. After-school program can provide students with multiple opportunities to practice STEM, teamwork, and problem-solving skills in an exciting setting, rich with hands-on engagement and opportunities to be creative. After-school STEM programs can be a great asset in introducing STEM to students from high-poverty, minority, handicapped, and female populations all significantly underrepresented in STEM. According to the STEM After School guide book, creating the own after-school STEM lesson activities can be time-consuming. But there's no need to start from scratch. It may have to take the initiative to spark a relationship around shared STEM goals.