Tying the real world to the classroom, building collaborations and considering the future were all themes during Tuesday’s STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice 2023 convening. Capt. Barrington Irving, the first black man to fly solo around the world, today told an audience of 600+ STEM leaders that educators must not tell students what they need or have to learn. Instead, they have to show them.
“In education, we’re going through some very real challenges. People - in general love the perception of creating change. People love the perception of creating change. How many individuals will truly sacrifice to create the change?” Irving said. “Our young people want experiences. They want to see and experience powerful things in the classroom.”
Irving shared his own journey from a mediocre high school student to a pilot leading global educational transformation in a keynote address that urged attendees to not confuse activity with progress.
“In order to create change in education, we have to be honest with ourselves. It’s OK if you don’t have infrastructure to do certain things,” Irving said.
Irving and dozens of other speakers have been sharing thoughts and strategies for improving STEM learning for all during the three-day convening of the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice, Ideate. Innovate. Implement.