PHILADELPHIA — "Work It Out Wombats!," a new animated series for kids 3 to 6, premieres this week on PBS Kids. The stars of the show are marsupial siblings Malik, Zadie and Zeke, who take their young audiences on a parade of adventures, tackling challenges, problem-solving and seeking creative solutions — all while having fun. The adults who got federal and major funding for the series call all that computational thinking that is key to the STEM disciplines and which Wombats artfully lays the foundation to explore.
The trio's Treeborhood is a diverse place, where their friends are many different kinds of animals. They sometimes speak different languages and have varied customs, but all share the same adventurous world.
That's all right up Kareem Edouard's alley. The assistant professor in Drexel University's School of Education researches the intersectionality of race, culture and STEM engagement for students of color. He and his wife, Darlene Mortel Edouard, head of the Ole Greens Group, a media consulting organization, are co-creative producers of the new show. Kareem Edouard is a consultant with Ole Greens Group.
The couple has guided the show's culturally inclusive content and spirit. Their 5-year-old daughter was their resident expert and at-home test audience.
Kareem Edouard's goal is to motivate Black and brown students to be active in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Here he talks about some of the barriers, what could help, and his hopes for Wombats. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: One of your goals is motivating students of color to pursue STEM. How do you think 'Work It Out Wombats!' can plant that seed?
A: The design of the show is really providing a creative approach to look at STEM, but particularly computational thinking and ideas. Computational thinking really is about problem-solving, and engaging in problem-solving is using computer science principles. Those can be complicated on the surface. But thinking about patterns and how to solve problems using patterns are very common ideas. What we do on the show is create creative fun opportunities for young people to see our primary characters, Malik, Zadie and Zeke, try to be change-makers and solve issues that are in the Treeborhood. Fun is really the heart of the show.
Q: Earlier in your career, you taught elementary and high school. For the students disengaged from STEM, what were the factors that kept them away?
A: My experiences connect to my research. I was finding that Black and brown children were not being exposed to STEM professionals and STEM careers in their early ages. When I was a kindergarten-to-first grade teacher, I taught in South Los Angeles. A lot of the curriculum design didn't provide STEM activities. So I would bring in my iPad, and other tech devices into my classrooms, and I would welcome my students to engage in learning games and learning opportunities and start to create art and animations. I started to see that through the access and building these kinds of safe environments where my Black and brown students were welcome to fail without being punished, that they really started to see themselves as potentially entering into STEM pathways.
Q: Black and brown young adults are still underrepresented in STEM fields. What do you think are the main reasons?
A: I'll speak very clearly. It's funding for their schools to have STEM programs. Secondly, scholarship access is very limited for one particular reason. Many universities that are STEM-focused require certain scores in math and science courses, but many underserved communities may not have access to resources where students are able to take certain courses to meet those requirements. The other thing, too, is professional engagement — many of the union STEM jobs or the corporations within a city infrastructure coming into the schools, doing job fairs, doing recruitment. Black and brown kids are absolutely ready and willing to be a part of STEM. I was one of those Black kids growing up. It's those three issues that particularly limit their access. And limiting access is where the problems really are.
Q: What do you hope 'Work it Out Wombats!' brings to its young viewers?
A: One word: agency. I hope that this show provides and supports agency for young people to identify not only with the characters, but how they solve problems and interact with the world around them. I personally identify with Zadie. She is always headfirst and looking to engage, and that's how I've always been. And that's what I want young people to take from this — that their agency and engaging in computational thinking is absolutely important for not only their own development, but also their STEM identity development.
Q: What is something any adult can do to encourage kids to pursue STEM?
A: Listen. The most important thing that I've learned as both a classroom educator and as an academic and researcher is listening to young people. They have wonderful questions, but then they're also absolutely capable of providing solutions.
Not only listening is paramount, but also taking the advice that young people give. Because at some point, we're going to age out of this system. It's going to be them who will be creating the infrastructures, designing solutions, and it's really important to have them be a part of the process early. If we talk at them, we're not going to be able to really fully engage with young people.
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"Work It Out Wombats!" premiered Monday on PBS Kids. "Work It Out Wombats!" games will be available on pbskids.org and the free PBS Kids Games app. Parents and caregivers can access resources like tips and hands-on materials on PBS Kids for Parents. Educators can find classroom-ready materials on PBS LearningMedia. The show is produced by GBH Kids and Pipeline Studios.
