It is hard to believe we are almost a quarter of the way through the twenty-first century. We continue to witness unprecedented things happening in our country and worldwide. Global crises, war, epidemics, and politics, to name a few, have impacted schools directly. As a result of COVID-19, the disparities and inequity in our education system have become more evident, especially in technology. For the last fifteen years, we have seen shifts in our students’ attentiveness and ways of learning. Twenty-first-century students born between 2010 and 2025, also known as Generation Alpha, are taught using twentieth-century practices. This could be a root cause for the steady decline in standardized test scores.
The Answer in Front of Us
Fortunately, the answer is right in front of us. Educational institutions have realized that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is the change agent needed to combat our pedagogical dilemma. Students aren’t failing as a result of their inability to reach academic achievement goals. Rather, the flaws with the systematic education approach are propelling low student performance. Generation Alpha students are considered digital natives—that is, a person who is very familiar with digital technology, computers, and so on because they grew up with them. For example, the first iPad was released in 2010.
In 2011, campus leadership in my district, which mainly serves marginalized student groups, began one-to-one, meaning each student had a device to use during instruction and for assessments because we realized that it would be beneficial for our students. At that time, textbook publishers and educational resource entities had digital platforms that were minimal, ineffective, or nonexistent. The lack of digital content meant that, initially, the devices were used for word processing, games, and internet surfing. Realizing that we needed to teach our kids in engaging ways that set them up for success meant our district had to become innovative to get students acclimated to using devices for educational purposes. We decided that our STEM curriculum was a great place to start.
Digital Education in STEM
In 2016, top publishers began developing curricular products accessible via digital platforms. However, these remained lackluster and not user-friendly. In more recent years, educational digital platforms have improved with accessibility and content, but there are still missed opportunities for technology to assist campuses in efforts to develop students who are able to think independently. When we noticed those gaps, we continued to increase the use of technology within the STEM curriculum. Now we see evidence of independent and critical thinking being applied to content that is both rigorous and engaging. As a result, we have seen increased student achievement and feel confident that our students will be able to demonstrate all of the qualities and characteristics needed to perform well in the twenty-first-century workplace. An article by Studyusa.com explains the importance of this:
The world we live in is changing, and we must keep pace with it. STEM education changes society by offering learners a new mindset and skills valued in any profession. They allow young people to be flexible, look for patterns, find connections, and evaluate information. Besides, STEM education raises social awareness. It communicates global issues to the general public. Therefore, STEM opportunities move us to a knowledge-based economy and enhance sustainability literacy. (Studyusa.com n.d.)
A New Generation
It is more apparent than ever that our twenty-first-century children are far more technologically advanced than the previous generation of students. It is amazing to see three-year-old children with the capacity to operate handheld devices intuitively. I was astonished when my friend’s two-year-old granddaughter created a TikTok video. In fact, I witnessed her scroll through the iPhone, find the music, set the timer on the phone, and record herself dancing—it was mind-blowing. I asked how she learned this, but her grandmother could not answer.
While I was astonished, I should not have been; I noticed that this trend began five to seven years ago. All too often, toddlers are cajoled into behaving with technology. How often do we see parents give a child a device while they conduct business? The realization that technology has revolutionized a generation is unbelievable, yet many educational institutions have yet to address how schools who serve marginalized student populations are far behind in their attempts to meet students’ learning needs with the use of technology in conjunction with the STEM curriculum. In many districts, multiple gaps persist in STEM education, which impacts youth in those populations disproportionately.
The Need for a New Approach
Why is there a need to change our curricular approach to STEM education to meet the needs of marginalized students?
- Black and Latinx students enter into secondary STEM learning spaces with gaps in knowledge.
- Black and Latinx students lack early exposure to STEM education.
- The students’ existing funds of knowledge of STEM concepts are not often acknowledged or utilized in the classroom.
- Students lack a connection to their experiences and the STEM content, thereby stunting their academic identity.
(Thevenot n.d.)
For many years, I have witnessed vibrant preschool and kindergarten students excited to attend school for the first time. They come with a lot of curiosity, talk nonstop, and ask a million questions. By second grade, these same vibrant students become robotic in their responses, and you can see that many have disengaged and just complied with the requests of their teachers. Many are relegated to worksheets and memorization. The twinkle in their eyes is no longer there. What happened to all the curiosity and excitement with which they began school? Where is the agency for their own learning?
Where does the excitement go?
According to Zaretta Hammond, “Over time, because of structural racialization in education, we have seen a new type of intellectual apartheid happening in schools…. Students of color do not struggle solely because of race or language or poverty, they struggle because we don’t offer them sufficient opportunities in the classroom to develop the cognitive skills and habits of mind that would prepare them to take on more advanced academic tasks” (Boykin & Noguera 2011 and Jackson 2011, as cited in Hammond 2015).
This is further expounded upon by Yvonne Thevenot, who states in her research article that “when there exists a lack of student knowledge acquisition and support in the classroom, there is often a maelstrom of events generated that quietly erode the possibilities for student academic achievement, and this erosion is more demonstrative for underrepresented students, particularly students of color” (n.d.). Thevenot goes on to quote that Irvin et al. (1997) who posit that “any given student’s quality of motivation reflects an interaction of characteristics of the individual and the environment surrounding her or him” (p. 41).
Further, “too many students of color have not been achieving in school as well as they should (and can) for far too long [and] this disempowerment must stop…Classroom teachers and other educators need to understand that achievement or lack thereof, is an experience or an accomplishment. It is not the totality of a student’s identity” (Gay 2010, p.1).
STEM as a Non-Negotiable
STEM education is non-negotiable. However, what must be non-negotiable is a shift in pedagogical approaches and classroom instructional practices to promote and improve STEM education implementation. STEM provides students with opportunities for a productive struggle that facilitates the development of the cognitive skills a student needs through equitable learning opportunities. I have witnessed firsthand how engaged students are in STEM labs. Teachers of diverse student populations must understand how STEM can be a great equalizer for our students as it allows teachers to provide culturally relevant instructional practices. STEM is non-threatening, and students learn to become independent thinkers:
The STEM approach to education fosters creativity and divergent thinking alongside fundamental disciplines. It motivates and inspires young people to be creative and think critically both inside and outside of the classroom. With a focus on practice and innovation, students get to learn from inquiry-based assignments. STEM education gives an understanding of concepts and encourages knowledge application. To keep it short, its aim can be formulated in two simple actions: explore and experience. Students are free to exercise what they learn and embrace mistakes in a risk-free environment. Project-based learning and problem-solving help learners to form a special mindset. Its core is flexibility and curiosity, which equips learners to respond to real-world challenges. (Studyusa.com n.d.)
Equipping Our Students for the Future
In order to ensure our students are equipped with the skills needed for the future, we were determined to make STEM opportunities accessible for all of our students. While STEM should be embedded throughout the curriculum and occurring every day, we realized that many staff members were not equipped with the pedagogical knowledge to infuse STEM throughout their lessons. Many staff members lacked knowledge of what STEM education entailed. To combat that, we set out to build a STEM lab, not only as a learning space for students but also as a learning space for teachers, resulting in consequential professional development and allowing teachers to learn alongside their students without feeling threatened or intimidated by STEM concepts.
Due to space limitations, my vision of creating a STEM lab was a challenge. However, I was determined to create a STEM space for our students. Alongside my district leaders, I visited several surrounding district’s STEM labs. We were inspired to be creative and focus on how to build a lab in our existing space. Using our ESSER funds, converted a portion of our underutilized library into our STEM lab.
STEM Brings a Sparkle
It is amazing to see the sparkle back in students’ eyes as they engage in STEM activities in the lab. When I observe students exhibiting those twenty-first-century essential skills, it makes me proud of our accomplishments. Now I know that the students who leave our building will be better equipped than their predecessors. Fortunately for us, we still have an opportunity to close those achievement gaps and provide an equitable opportunity for our students to be able to compete and sustain in the global environment. STEM provides students with key twenty-first-century skills, such as problem-solving, creativity, critical analysis, teamwork, communication, and independent thinking.
We must begin to teach Generation Alpha in ways that are engaging, impactful, and accessible. Students from this generation and those preceding them will have the following impact on the world:
1. Gen Alpha will be the more entrepreneurial generation.
Every generation from here on out will become more entrepreneurial than the next because they will have had more access to information, people, and resources earlier in life. We will see a lot of Alpha entrepreneurs starting companies before ten years old. As most will fail in their business pursuits, they will learn a lot and have much better luck as they get older. They will be more successful entrepreneurs because they will have taken more risks earlier and had time to build reputations and relationships before millennials, Gen X’s, and boomers did.
2. Gen Alpha will be the most tech-savvy and not know a world without social networking.
Alpha’s will be introduced to mobile phones before becoming teenagers and will take most of the technology we use today for granted. Their mobile phones will be so sophisticated when they become teenagers that they will primarily use their phones over a laptop or desktop computer. If you want to reach them from a marketing or recruiting perspective, you’ll have to have a mobile-friendly website. They will gravitate to applications that are extremely easy to use and visual and expect everything to be customized to their needs.
3. Gen Alpha will primarily shop online and have less human contact than previous generations.
Based on research I did a few years ago, students say that technology has hurt their soft skills—like communicating in person. Gen Alpha will be the most connected generation yet spend much less time talking to their peers in person. There will be clear psychological challenges with this generation as they will feel more alone despite being so connected.
4. Gen Alpha will be extremely coddled and influenced by their Gen X and Y parents.
Alpha’s could potentially have older parents because Gen Y’s are waiting longer to get married and have children. Gen Y’s were always made to feel special, which will carry onto Gen Z because how you were raised is how you raised your kids. Based on research I’ve done this year, every generation is now more influenced by their parents than friends, or strangers. Gen Alpha will be no different so if you want to sell to them or hire them, their parents should be part of your marketing campaign.
5. Gen Alpha will be more self-sufficient, better educated, and prepared for big challenges.
Gen Alpha will have to take on many of the biggest challenges of the world, including global warming and the deficit. They won’t have social security or any safety nets but will enjoy the benefits of healthcare (Obama Care). They will get a more robust education through online learning earlier in life and they will be in the education system longer but also create their own way of learning. A percentage will avoid the higher education system in favor of cheaper (or free) online learning, while the wealthier families will be able to support their Alpha’s by investing in their education. The divide between rich and poor will become much more apparent with the Alpha generation.
(Schawbel, Dan. 2014)
What can you do to ensure that those of us on the frontline begin to advocate for education reform to meet the needs of our twenty-first students? What are you doing in your schools/districts to promote STEM education? And, what are you doing to ensure your teachers, especially your seasoned teachers, are equipped with skills to teach marginalized students to become independent thinkers in this digital age?
References
Basile, Vincent, Daniel Birmingham, and Douglas H. Lee. 2020. “Transforming and Improving STEM Education for Minoritized Students.” Colostate.edu. Accessed October 25, 2022. https://www.chhs.colostate.edu/rise/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2020/09/RISEreport_STEM-Ed-Brief.pdf.
Hammond, Zaretta. 2015. Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain. London: Corwin. National Inventors Hall of Fame. n.d. “The Benefits of STEM Education for Children.” Invent.org. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.invent.org/blog/trends-stem/value-stem-education.
Studyusa.com. n.d. “Why Is STEM Important? The Impact of STEM Education on Society.” Accessed October 24, 2022. https://www.studyusa.com/en/a/2157/why-is-stem-important-the-impact-of-stem-education-on-society.
Thevenot, Yvonne. n.d. “Culturally Responsive and Sustaining STEM Curriculum as a Problem-Based Science Approach to Supporting Student Achievement for Black and Latinx Students.” NYU Steinhardt. Accessed October 25, 2022. https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/metrocenter/vue/culturally-responsive-and-sustaining-stem-curriculum-problem-based-science-approach.
Wade Boykin, A., and Pedro Noguera. 2011. Creating the Opportunity to Learn: Moving from Research to Practice to Close the Achievement Gap: Moving from Research to Practice to Close the Achievement Gap. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
About the Author
DR. ANITA D. RICE
Dr. Anita D. Rice started a second career in education twenty-five years ago as a paraprofessional, teacher, reading coach, assistant principal, curriculum director, and interim superintendent. She is now the superintendent of Lincoln Elementary School District 156 in Calumet City, Illinois. Dr. Rice began her career in business working for the Federal Government for over ten years. It was in this field of work that she witnessed firsthand that our young people lacked basic employment skills. Her passion has always been education, and she felt she could make a difference by following her dreams to be a teacher. She went back to school to pursue her master’s in education while working a full-time job and being a single parent.
Dr. Rice has always known the importance of science and technology for students of color and the necessity of these skills for the twenty-first century. Under Dr. Rice’s leadership, Lincoln was one of the few elementary schools in the South Suburbs of Chicago to have one-to-one technology in 2011–2012. Lincoln’s experience with technology allowed our students and teachers to pivot quickly to remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Rice has recently cut the ribbon on a state-of-the-art STEM classroom for the elementary students. This has been one of Dr. Rice’s passion projects for several years, and it has finally come to fruition in the 2022–2023 school year.
Dr. Rice is a servant leader, who believes that she is a voice and resource for those whom she serves.
