iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

For most students, science, math, engineering, and technology (STEM) subjects are not intuitive or easy. Learning in general—and STEM in particular—requires repeated trial and error, and a student’s lack of confidence can sometimes stand in her own way. And although teachers and parents may think they are doing otherwise, these adults inadvertently help kids make up their minds early on that they're not natural scientists or “math people,” which leads them to pursue other subjects instead.

So what's the best way to help kids feel confident enough to stay the STEM course? To answer this question, I spoke with Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University in California. Over the past 20 years, Dweck has conducted dozens of studies about praise’s impact on students’ self-esteem and academic achievement. Here is a transcript of our conversation, which has been condensed and lightly edited.

Since the unprecedented success of Serial, podcasts have become a more popular form of mainstream entertainment. Not only are many adults listening for fun, but some teachers are bringing podcasts into their classrooms as a new kind of text. Teachers like Alexa Schlechter, Michael Godsey and Alex Fernandez have found teenagers to be a receptive podcast audience and have even experimented with asking students to make their own podcasts.

While audio has excited teachers of older students who can access the rich variety of content available for adults, teachers and parents of younger children are noticing there isn’t a ton of content made specifically for a younger audience. In an article written for The Atlantic, Stephanie Hayes investigates this hole in the podcast market. She was surprised to find that kids will pay attention to a full 15-20 minute podcast and learn from it. Hayes writes: