We hear much about learning styles, but learning has characteristics that are common to everyone. We all learn by doing. Using what we are taught helps us retain information. More importantly, demonstrations of what we learn lead to proficiency. For if we can't put something into practice, have we truly learned it?

This highlights the question of relevancy. It is difficult to justify paying attention to a course of study if you don't know how the knowledge can be applied. Introducing practical applications of school subjects can put knowledge into its proper context. A student should be able to tell you what information they are taught can be used for. This is why so often the response we get from students when asked what they learn in school on any given day is "Nothing."

SOTV/KCCC Mobile STEMS Lab exists to reinforce concepts taught daily in the classroom. Our goal is to increase knowledge retention rates by providing problem-solving opportunities for what students have just learned earlier in the day. We want to introduce relevancy into the teaching process. Students become even more attentive when what they are learning aligns with their interests. All students find experiments quite interesting, although there is little time for it in the traditional classroom setting. Participation in our Mobile STEMS Labs is a great way for students to create a portfolio of achievements that can demonstrate mastery.

- Imani Malaika-Mehta