STEM in Gifted and Talented

Nurturing Advanced Learners

Gifted and talented students thrive in challenging, dynamic learning environments that push their intellectual boundaries.

Integrating STEM into gifted education enhances creativity, problem-solving, and innovation, providing students with opportunities to explore advanced concepts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Schools that incorporate hands-on, inquiry-based STEM learning into gifted programs cultivate the next generation of critical thinkers and leaders in STEM fields.

In this page, you can find:

→ Three Key Benefits

→ Success Stories

→ Grant Opportunities

→ Meet the Account Manager

Why Implement STEM?

Three Key Benefits of Implementing STEM in Gifted and Talented

There are many reasons to implement STEM education in gifted and talented programs but we've highlighted three primary reasons below including encouraging advanced problem-solving, providing personalized accelerated learning opportunities, as well as developing future STEM leaders and innovators.

Reasons to Implement STEM in Libraries

Encouraging Advanced Problem-Solving and Innovation

What we know:

  • Gifted students benefit from complex, open-ended STEM challenges that stimulate higher-order thinking.
  • Hands-on engineering projects and coding challenges allow students to develop innovative solutions.
  • Research from the Journal of Research in Science Education showed that the application of STEM-based learning was effective in training the 21st century skills of Gen Z students in science learning.

Providing Personalized and Accelerated Learning Opportunities

What we know:

  • STEM education allows gifted students to explore topics at an advanced pace, aligning with their unique learning abilities.
  • Programs such as robotics competitions and independent research projects provide meaningful challenges.
  • According to the Journal of Gifted Education and Creativity, attending unique STEM programs can meet the academic and social-emotional development needs of gifted students.

Developing Future STEM Leaders and Innovators

What we know:

  • Exposure to advanced STEM learning helps gifted students develop the skills needed for leadership roles in science and technology.
  • STEM mentorship programs and research internships provide real-world experience.
  • According to the U.S. Department of Education, fostering STEM talent early leads to higher rates of college and career success in STEM fields.
Success Stories

STEM in Gifted and Talented with Strawbees

Strawbees has had a significant impact on STEM in gifted and talented programs. Our hands-on, innovative approach to teaching STEM empowers students to build, create, and collaborate—skills that are essential for their future success.

Engaging Gifted Students

Forget what you know about "Gifted and Talented". Sara Hays is here to clear it up and show how she uses Strawbees to work with them.

“Gifted and Talented is thinking differently. That’s all it is. It’s not being smarter. It’s not being better at anything. They just think differently. So many people still think it is that you’re the smartest kid in class. I’ve had students that could not read and were actually in Special Education but they were also Gifted and Talented.”

Read Sara's Story
Sarah Hays Story

What Educators Say

Here’s what teachers and educators are saying about their experiences:

“Strawbees can scaffold up to those higher level students to get that problem solving and critical thinking going and it can also scale down."
Sara Hays-1
Sara Hays

Student Enrichment Specialist

“Every student is engaged because it is hands-on and it does require some out of the box thinking depending on what they are creating. It’s accessible and engaging for everybody."
PatrinaConrow
Patrina Conrow

K-8th Computer Science

"(Strawbees) has versatility because it can be used in so many things. We have a summer STEM camp, Gifted and Talented, in a library, a regular classroom. I don't think it's pigeonholed to one level."
Holly Landez
Holly Landez

Director of Digital Learning

Strawbees Classroom

Strawbees Classroom includes a variety of lessons that can be easily implemented into Gifted and Talented programs, including anything from building basic shapes to using micro:bit to code a plant that responds to light.

Strawbees Classroom is free to sign up for and explore, whether you have Strawbees just yet or not. To explore the lessons and teacher resources, you can join today.

Learn more
strawbees-classroom_overview_white
Grant opportunities

Gifted and Talented STEM Grants

Finding funding for STEM and STEAM education can be challenging, but there are a range of grants and funding sources to support hands-on learning initiatives for gifted and talented programs wanting to implement STEM lessons.

National STEM Grants for Gifted Students

Many organizations offer funding to support advanced STEM education programs for gifted learners, providing resources for curriculum development, enrichment activities, and specialized training.

Some useful resources include:

Foundation Grants for Gifted Programs

Foundations often support STEM education initiatives for gifted students, funding research, mentorship programs, and hands-on learning opportunities.

Examples of foundations include:

How We Can Help with Grant Applications

If you're looking for funding to bring hands-on STEAM learning to your students, we do have a grant writing webinar you can watch to help support you.

Learn more →

Strawbees in Gifted and Talented

Next Steps

Integrating STEM into gifted and talented programs offers students the challenges and opportunities needed to nurture their exceptional abilities.

Through hands-on problem-solving, personalized learning, and advanced STEM applications, educators can inspire the next generation of innovators.

At Strawbees, we provide dynamic STEM tools that support gifted learners in exploring their full potential. Discover how our solutions can enhance gifted education today!

Beniamin Bundo Beniamin
Beniamin Bundo
Partnership Developer