New Approach Required for Teaching STEM to Students? 

STEM dominated many a story in 2011, including here on the Digital Manufacturing Report.  And that’s not likely to change in 2012. It’s no secret that our kids are falling behind in math and sciences, and it seems the world is abuzz with ideas on how to remedy the situation.

Well, it may not be easy. According to the Washington Post’s “Ideas@Innovations” – STEM has always been difficult to promote to young people.

For example, in 1953, in order to engage students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, General Electric decided to begin printing comic books with titles such as “Adventures in Jet Power” and “Land of Plenty: A Story of Freedom and Power.”  Naturally, some members of the older generation believed comic books were “producing a crop of juvenile delinquents.”

Fast forward almost 60 years. These days the federal government is turning to video games to hook the younger generation on math and science and eliciting a similar response from crotchety critics.

Time will tell.