For students to thrive in tomorrow’s global market, they need to gain the skills to operate in a high-tech, globalized world. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education is taking the world by storm, and China is the perfect place to get practical experience in it. China is the most rapidly modernizing country in the world, and developments in technology are crucial to its growth.
A STEM learning trip is just the ticket to have fun and gain real-world experiences. These three WildChina Education trips foster interest in STEM fields and can be completely customized to fit your school’s curriculum, timeframe and budget.
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STEM Trips for Students – Gansu: Paleontological Dino Dig
Dinosaurs is one topic that inspires obsession in children of all ages and this trip to Central China makes the dream of coming into actual contact with dinosaurs remains a reality.
At WildChina Education, a cornerstone of the STEM methodology is interactivity with the subject matter and real-world application of knowledge. It doesn’t get more hands-on and applicable than doing actual fieldwork, which is what your students get to practice on this trip. After a lecture outlining the basics of dinosaur life in prehistoric China, you’ll hit the dusty trail and start digging.
With hands-on guidance and instruction about the different tools used in paleontological digs, your students will spend an entire day learning and practising investigation in the field. During the second leg of the trip, you’ll also enjoy an additional educational session on archaeology, and then be released for a full day’s search for fossilized remnants.
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STEM Trips for Students – Shenzen Makers Space
What is a Makers Space anyways? If the boom of start-up companies and “innovation culture” can teach us anything, it is that DIY production is the way of the future. In Makers Spaces, communities of innovators, designers, creatives, and experimenters gather to work together, and try their hand at creating “outside of the box.” The city of Shenzhen was one of China’s first cities designated for economic development, and it’s now a hotbed for Makers Spaces.
On this trip, your students will visit Shenzen’s first Makers Space, where they dive right into their first hands-on, collaborative experience of figuring out how to build an automobile. They’ll receive guidance from Q&A sessions with actual makers that live the philosophy of discovery and collaborative learning. Your students will practice applying that philosophy in an additional makers project workshop, using the “open source” development model that encourages collaboration and team work.
They’ll then get a chance to visit the AMG Makers Space, where innovation is the name of the game. Makers Spaces provide the tangible problem solving techniques, integration of technology, and inquiry-based learning that are essential aspects of STEM curricula.
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STEM Trips for Students – Sichuan: The Spice of Life
One of the main challenges of the future will be our ability to adapt to an ever-growing population on Earth, while continuing to preserve the diversity of life and our natural world. One important symbol of conservation is the beloved panda bear. Native only to China, pandas are an endangered species – there are only about 2,000 left in the whole world. WildChina Education offers your students a totally singular opportunity to visit these mythical bears and learn the ins and outs of conservation work.
In China’s largest panda sanctuary, your students will work side by side with park scientists and learn about the struggle and effort for conservation. They will learn about the preservation of habitats by visiting an infamous historic irrigation system that continues to divert floods and irrigate farmland in the surrounding area. This multidisciplinary, holistic view of influence and interplay of the environment and environmental sciences, engineering and preservation exemplifies the STEM approach. Plus, your students will love learning to take care of one of the world’s cutest animals.
STEM education is one of the most important fields of learning these days, and China is the perfect place for your students to engage with it. All of WildChina Education’s student trips are completely customizable so feel free to reach out to discuss your specific learning objectives.
