|
By Roel Snieder The project Compassionate STEM Education seeks to support teachers to bring compassion into the STEM Higher Education classroom. In this newsletter, I describe four reasons why compassion is important in STEM Higher education.  Our young people are not doing well. Recent studies have shown that about 40% of undergraduate [1] and graduate students [2] suffer from anxiety and/or depression. These mental challenges are not unique for students; the general population is not doing well either. To a large extent we have even normalized mental health challenges [3]. We can support students in distress by treating them with compassion. A compassionate stance does, however, not mean that pampering or spoiling students. One can set healthy boundaries of behavior in an atmosphere of compassion.
Teachers are role models for students. The behavior of teachers communicates to students what behavior is considered to be “normal.” When our teaching is businesslike and rigorous students may conclude that being businesslike and rigorous is the norm in STEM fields. There is, of course, a place for these attitudes in STEM professions, but there also is a place for kindness [4], compassion, imaginative creativity, and laughter in the STEM workplace too. If we want STEM professionals to embody these behaviors in their future careers, we should model these behaviors during the education of STEM students. We learn and collaborate better in a mindset of positive emotions. When we are in a state of stress and fear, much energy is devoted to dealing with threats. That energy cannot be spent at the same time of learning new things [5]. Research has shown that we learn better when we experience positive emotions [6]. If this the case, then it makes sense to create a classroom where students feel safe and cared for; it helps students learn better. The importance of feeling safe extends beyond the classroom, people collaborate better when they feel safe and cared for. Showing compassion is morally the right thing to do. It is important as teachers to bring our values to the classroom and display the moral behavior that we aspire to in life. One of the most practical moral guidance is the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. If we would like to be treated with kindness and respect, then we should bring kindness and respect to the classroom too. There is no reason why STEM teachers should discard their values as they enter the classroom, so treating students with compassion is the right thing to do from a moral point of view. These four reasons for compassionate STEM education reinforce each other. Our society currently shows a lack compassion as division and distrust widespread. The classroom is a place where we can inoculate the next generation with compassion. This simple action is within our span of control, and we encourage STEM teachers to grow compassion in the classroom in every class and every student interaction. [1] A. I. Lesher, “Target student mental well-being,” Science, vol. 371, p. 325. [2] Council of Graduate Schools, “Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-being.” Accessed: Sept. 02, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://cgsnet.org/graduate-student-mental-health-and-well-being/ [3] Maté, G. and Maté, D., The myth of normal; trauma, illness & healing in a toxic culture. Penguin Random House, 2022. [4] Snieder, R., “Just be kind,” Science, vol. 382, p. 338, 2023, doi: 10.1126/science.adl3599. [5] J. Medina, Brain rules; 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work, home, and school. Seattle, WA: Pear Press, 2008. [6] B. L. Fredrickson, “What Good Are Positive Emotions?,” Rev Gen Psychol, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 300–319, Sept. 1998, doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.300. Comments are closed.
|