Educators and business leaders have more in common than it may seem. Teachers want to prepare students for a successful future. Technology companies have an interest in developing a workforce with the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills needed to grow the company and advance the industry. How can they work together to achieve these goals? Play may be the answer. Focusing on STEM skills is important, but the reality is that STEM skills are enhanced and more relevant when combined with traditional, hands-on creative activities. This combination is proving to be the best way to prepare today’s children to be the makers and builders of tomorrow. That is why technology companies are partnering with educators to bring back good, old-fashioned play. In fact many experts argue that the most important 21st-century skills aren’t related to specific technologies or subject matter, but to creativity; skills like imagination, problem-finding and problem-solving, teamwork, optimism, patience and the ability to experiment and take risks. These are skills acquired when kids tinker(鼓捣小玩意). High-tech industries such as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have found that their best overall problem solvers were master tinkerers in their youth. There are cognitive(认知的)benefits of doing things the way we did as children —building something, tearing it down, then building it up again. Research shows that given 15 minutes of free play, four-and five-year-olds will spend a third of this time engaged in spatial(空间的), mathematical, and architectural activities. This type of play—especially with building blocks —helps children discover and develop key principles in math and geometry. If play and building are critical to 21st-century skill development, that’s really good news for two reasons: Children are born builders, makers, and creators, so fostering(培养)21st-centmy skills may be as simple as giving kids room to play, tinker and try things out, even as they grow older. Secondly, it doesn’t take 21st-century technology to foster 21st-century skills. This is especially important for under-resourced schools and communities. Taking whatever materials are handy and tinkering with them is a simple way to engage those important “maker” skills. And anyone, anywhere, can do it.【小题1】What does the author say about educators?A．They seek advice from technology companies to achieve teaching goals.B．They have been successful in preparing the workforce for companies.C．They help students acquire the skills needed for their future success.D．They partner with technology companies to enhance teaching efficiency.【小题2】How can educators better develop students’ STEM skills, according to the author?A．by blending(混合)them with traditional, stimulating activities.B．By inviting business leaders to help design curriculums.C．By enhancing students’ ability to think in a critical way.D．By showing students the best way to learn is through play.【小题3】How do children acquire the skills needed for the 21st century?A．By engaging in activities involving specific technologies.B．By playing with things to solve problems on their own.C．By familiarizing themselves with high-tech gadgets(小器具).D．By mastering basic principles through teamwork.【小题4】What can we do to help children learn the basics of math and geometry?A．Stimulate their interest as early as possible.B．Spend more time playing games with them.C．Encourage them to make things with hands.D．Allow them to tinker freely with calculators.
Educators and business leaders have more in common than it may seem. Teachers want to prepare students for a successful future. Technology companies have an interest in developing a workforce with the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills needed to grow the company and advance the industry. How can they work together to achieve these goals? Play may be the answer.
Focusing on STEM skills is important, but the reality is that STEM skills are enhanced and more relevant when combined with traditional, hands-on creative activities. This combination is proving to be the best way to prepare today’s children to be the makers and builders of tomorrow. That is why technology companies are partnering with educators to bring back good, old-fashioned play.
In fact many experts argue that the most important 21st-century skills aren’t related to specific technologies or subject matter, but to creativity; skills like imagination, problem-finding and problem-solving, teamwork, optimism, patience and the ability to experiment and take risks. These are skills acquired when kids tinker(鼓捣小玩意). High-tech industries such as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have found that their best overall problem solvers were master tinkerers in their youth.
There are cognitive(认知的)benefits of doing things the way we did as children —building something, tearing it down, then building it up again. Research shows that given 15 minutes of free play, four-and five-year-olds will spend a third of this time engaged in spatial(空间的), mathematical, and architectural activities. This type of play—especially with building blocks —helps children discover and develop key principles in math and geometry.
If play and building are critical to 21st-century skill development, that’s really good news for two reasons: Children are born builders, makers, and creators, so fostering(培养)21st-centmy skills may be as simple as giving kids room to play, tinker and try things out, even as they grow older. Secondly, it doesn’t take 21st-century technology to foster 21st-century skills. This is especially important for under-resourced schools and communities. Taking whatever materials are handy and tinkering with them is a simple way to engage those important “maker” skills. And anyone, anywhere, can do it.
【小题1】What does the author say about educators?| A．They seek advice from technology companies to achieve teaching goals. |
| B．They have been successful in preparing the workforce for companies. |
| C．They help students acquire the skills needed for their future success. |
| D．They partner with technology companies to enhance teaching efficiency. |
| A．by blending(混合)them with traditional, stimulating activities. |
| B．By inviting business leaders to help design curriculums. |
| C．By enhancing students’ ability to think in a critical way. |
| D．By showing students the best way to learn is through play. |
| A．By engaging in activities involving specific technologies. |
| B．By playing with things to solve problems on their own. |
| C．By familiarizing themselves with high-tech gadgets(小器具). |
| D．By mastering basic principles through teamwork. |
| A．Stimulate their interest as early as possible. |
| B．Spend more time playing games with them. |
| C．Encourage them to make things with hands. |
| D．Allow them to tinker freely with calculators. |
题目解答
答案
解析
考查要点：本题主要考查学生对文章主旨、细节理解及推理判断的能力。需要结合上下文，准确提取关键信息，并匹配选项。
解题思路：
- 明确问题核心：每个小题均围绕文章中教育者角色、STEM技能培养方式、21世纪技能获取途径及数学学习方法展开。
- 定位关键句：通过关键词（如“educators”“STEM skills”“21st-century skills”“math and geometry”）快速锁定相关段落。
- 排除干扰项：注意区分“play”与“hands-on activities”的具体含义，避免混淆概念。
小题1：What does the author say about educators?
关键句：首段“Teachers want to prepare students for a successful future”直接点明教育者的初衷。选项C“帮助学生获得未来成功所需技能”与原文一致。
小题2：How can educators better develop students’ STEM skills?
核心逻辑：第二段明确指出“STEM skills are enhanced when combined with traditional, hands-on creative activities”，即选项A“混合传统活动”正确。
小题3：How do children acquire 21st-century skills?
关键细节：第三段强调“skills acquired when kids tinker（鼓捣小器具）”，说明通过动手解决问题（选项B）是核心途径。
小题4：How to help children learn math and geometry basics?
推理判断：第四段提到“free play中空间、数学活动占比高”，说明“花更多时间玩游戏”（选项B）是关键，而非单纯动手制作。