As I said in my previous post, being the numbers cruncher that I am, I attend various economic and financial forums. At each one, an expert shares with us the 'State of the Economy'. The recurring theme is that STEM careers are the future. So we wanted to devote a Monday night #MoneyChat to helping parents prepare their youth to jump on the wave.
We interviewed @LaToniyaAJones an educator and founder of P.O.W.E.R Organization which embraces, engages, and empowers at-risk youth ages 4-15 in Metropolitan communities to increase their proficiency with math. Below are her tips for preparing your children and teens for the wave of the future!
How do we get youth interested in STEM classes in and outside of school?
Youth develop interest in new areas when connections are made to what they enjoy. Youth enjoy being heard and will in turn listen to your advice. Ask their rationale for not selecting certain courses. Show them the list of the Top Future Careers of 2030 (http://bit.ly/b46rH0) via FastCompany. Use technology to help them learn and explore STEM.
What are a few effective ways to explore #stem careers with your youth?
Relevance, dollars, and cents will get their attention. Show them the top careers in demand and let them decide which may be interesting to them. Students can also watch video interviews at www.thefutureschannel.com which detail the roles of various careers.
Also check with your local community college - there may be classes for kids to introduce them to things like app development, science and engineering. These classes are normally made interactive and fun for them.
What are a few trends supporting the urgency for more STEM education?
In 2010, only 43% of college grads who took the ACT passed the math benchmark. By 2018, a shortage of 3 million workers with U.S. college degrees is predicted.
Why should we be concerned with improving math skills at home?
As your child’s first teacher, you can plant powerful seeds and habits. Speak positively about math, science, money, and their benefits to help youth face vs. run away from challenges. The more skills we have, the better prepared we are to compete (interpersonally and in life). Higher math skills lead to higher income potential. Understanding the math behind money leads to the ability to diversify resources and build wealth.
How do we cultivate success in #stem from home?
Encourage kids to think about different outcomes to build problem-solving skills. Always ask: “why, what else, what if” to improve critical thinking skills. Decrease anxiety by telling them that learning math may be challenging (not hard) but is necessary. Celebrate every milestone.
Enroll in family focused programs and activities like https://www.powertheyouth.org in your area. You can also do fun science projects at home, they aren't just for school. You can Google projects based on your child's age or pick up a book from the library.
For youth that may be challenged in science or math - immediately seek out effective tutoring. There are also plenty of videos like this one on YouTube that help youth understand on their level.
How can our family use technology to increase skills/interest in STEM?
Assign the task of putting price comparisons into a spreadsheet to improve money management, negotiation, and tech skills. When at the grocery store have them compare lbs, oz, etc. vs. price for the best deal. There are also several free math apps for the ipad/iphone for practice. Encourage youth to find a way to develop products or services that solve a problem they see everyday.
Resources:
Join us every Monday night from 8p.m. - 9p.m. ET for #MoneyChat - an online Twitter Convo about all things money and biz hosted by yours truly! Follow @DorethiaConner & @MoneyChatLive
“Math and Money” are like great pairs: music+ipods and peanut butter+jelly. A working knowledge of one enhances the other and can lead to lucrative careers. ~ Latoniya A. Jones
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