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STEM Education: �What should we know?

Roslinda Rosli

Research Centre of STEM Enculturation

Faculty of Education

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What is STEM Education?

Mathematics

Engineering

Technology

Science

Knowledge about the structure and behavior of the natural and physical worlds

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Scientific knowledge used in practical ways in industry

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The science of numbers and shapes

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The activity of applying scientific knowledge to the design, building and control of equipment, etc

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Current state of STEM learning

  • Many students not receiving an adequate STEM education.
  • STEM subjects are not taught every day in many schools.
  • STEM subjects are taught in silo.
  • Emphasize solving problems correctly – not creatively – tests, grades, university admission, degrees.
  • STEM teachers are not trained well.

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Why focus on STEM?

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  • As technology progresses, students need to know more and be able to work with computers, software and other pieces of technology.
  • To create a large pool of capable and creative individuals in science, technology, engineering, and advanced mathematics (STEM jobs of our economy),
  • High-paying 21st-century jobs: web developer, network administrator, IT analyst, operations analyst, video game designer, registered nurse, application developer, and nurse practitioner.

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https://www.slideshare.net/kiwi321/stem-education-53852823

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Upper Secondary Students in Malaysia – OPTING STEM Subjects

2022

2021

2020

47.18%

40.94%

40.95%.

2030

60%

Malaysia Ministry of Education 2020 Annual Report

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Research 1: Students’ Career Choice (n = 1780, 14 years old)

No

Types of Career

n

1

Doctor

477

2

Engineer

232

3

Teacher

120

4

Scientists

84

5

Lecturer

82

6

Pilot

69

7

Accountant

64

8

Architect

52

9

Police

47

10

Entrepreneur

46

11

Business

45

12

Arm Forces

43

13

Lawyer

34

14

Veterinary

25

No

Types of Career

n

15

Chef

17

16

Astronomers

18

17

Athlete

18

18

Air steward or stewardess

17

19

Dentist

15

20

Psychologists

14

21

Pharmacists

14

21

Astronauts

13

22

Fire Brigade

13

24

Fashion Designer

12

25

Movie actor/ Singer

14

26

Mechanics

11

27

IT experts

10

Students start to make decisions about their future careers as early as in middle school (Tai et al., 2006).

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Students’ Career Choice

8

63

Agriculture

1

64

Financial analysts

1

65

Traveller

1

66

Administrator

1

67

Book writer

1

68

Traffic police

1

69

Historian

1

70

Volunteer

1

71

Martial art instructor

1

72

F1 racing driver

1

48

Environmentalists

1

49

Physicists

1

50

Geneticists

1

51

Geophysicists

1

52

Chemists

1

53

Zoologists

1

54

Bank Governor

1

55

Model

1

56

Motivator

1

57

Optometrists

1

58

Cancer specialists

1

59

Beautician

1

60

Footballer

1

61

Driver

1

62

Speaker

1

28

Photographer

9

29

Nurse

9

30

Drawing artists

8

31

Mathematician

6

32

Graphic Designer

5

33

Forensic

5

34

Archaeologist's

4

35

Technicians

4

36

Bank officer

4

37

Astrophysicists

3

38

Interior designer

3

39

Cabinet ministers

3

40

Motorist

3

41

Biologists

2

42

Botanists

2

43

Physiotherapist

2

44

Illustrator

2

45

Investigators

2

46

Modern farmer

2

47

Journalists

2

Students who indicate that they are interested in pursuing a career in science-related field were three times more likely to graduate with a science degree, making career aspirations during middle school an important predictor for STEM professions (Tai et al., 2006).

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Research 2: Career Choice vs Types of Schools

Career choice/ Types of schools

Doctors

Engineers

Teachers

Scientists

Astronomers

Pharmacists

Astronauts

IT experts

Mathematician

Daily School

116

30

77

15

0

2

1

3

2

SBP (Boarding School)

167

100

26

39

11

7

3

4

2

MRSM

(Science School)

194

102

17

39

7

5

9

3

2

n

477

232

120

84

18

14

13

10

6

Career choice/ Types of schools

Astrophysicists

​

Physicists

Geneticists

Geophysicists

Chemists

Zoologists

Daily Schools

-

-

-

-

-

-

SBP (Boarding School)

3

-

1

1

1

1

MRSM

(Science School)

-

1

-

-

-

-

n

3

1

1

1

1

1

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Factors pushing away students from interest in STEM subjects and careers in STEM

  1. Limited awareness about STEM.
  2. Students’ perceptions that STEM stream is difficult.
  3. Students’ career aspirations not inclined towards STEM.
  4. Influence of parents and peers on choice of study at upper secondary level ( 16 years old).
  5. Career prospect wider in non-STEM careers
  6. Pay is higher in non-STEM careers compared to those in STEM careers.
  7. STEM curriculum is too much and overwhelming.
  8. Quality of teachers and STEM learning is unattractive.
  9. Deterioration of laboratories and laboratory facilities.
  10. Difficulty for schools to select students to follow STEM stream for upper secondary level ( 16 years old onwards).

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Science Outlook 2017

Responses from teachers

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Even though those who do not pursue work in STEM fields (NON-STEM) will need some literacy in these areas to navigate issues such as POLICY, CLIMATE, HEALTH and TECHNOLOGY.

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STEM knowledge extends beyond a career; it is knowledge for life.

Why focus on STEM?

https://www.slideshare.net/kiwi321/stem-education-53852823

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https://ahrdn.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/successful-implementations-steam-framework/

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What can we do?

Integrative learning

Real-world learning – hands on experiences

Teachers trained to work in specific STEM disciplines

Balance the learning ecosystem

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Specific attention to classroom instruction by adopting alternative approaches to learning (active learning):

          • Inquiry based-learning
          • Discovery learning
          • Project based-learning
          • Problem based-learning

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Making Connection

  • We cannot just assume that everyone will “see” the STEM concepts in a particular problem or project.

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  • This interdisciplinary connection of STEM subjects helps highlight how prevalent and relevant lessons are outside of the classroom and how students can interact with STEM in many ways.

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  • For example, students might learn about mathematicians in history class (e.g., Al-Khwarizmi).

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  • Eliminating the age-old question, “Why do I need to learn that stuff?”

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Assessing students by using..

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portfolios and process work

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The end product is only part of it.

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Macrosystem: the broader cultural frames, paradigms, values, and models that shape the child’s engagement and relationships in all the other systems.

Exosystem: the societal structures and institutions that do not directly contain the child but indirectly affect him or her.

Mesosystem: the connections between the child’s microsystem environments; and the experiences or people that directly affect the adult-child relationship.

Microsystem: the environments in which the child is directly involved, usually on a daily basis.

The Child at the Center:

In education, the

impact of multiple, interrelated environments and systems on the child is considerable and affects everyone involved.

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory

Children are affected by their home and school environments, the policies and practices that inform those environments, the cultural values that scaffold them, and the complex relationships between these factors.

STEM Learning Ecosystem

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Recommended Actions for Leaders and Policymakers�

Make a solid commitment to develop a strong mathematics and science program, including adequate instructional time and providing appropriate professional development, instruction materials, and on-going support.

When assessing STEM learning, recognize unique nature of integrative STEM activities and use or develop authentic assessment tools to look at connections and address problems integrating the STEM disciplines.

National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) & National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

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Recommended Actions for Teachers of STEM�

Teach according to professional recommendations (research).

Make sure mathematics content is appropriate for the grade level in supporting mathematical thinking and quantitative reasoning.

Look for opportunities to integrate S,T, and E in meaningful ways with mathematical problem solving in relevant settings.

Recognize whether one discipline is the primary emphasis of an activity and maintain the integrity of the discipline in terms of content, nature of thinking, and assessment.

National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) & National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

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Recommended Actions for Program/Curriculum Developers�

Look for opportunities to integrate S, T and E in meaningful ways as applications for mathematics in solving problems in relevant settings.

Look for ways that the activities can support the overall development of problem solving, critical thinking, questioning and academic curiosity.

When assessing STEM learning, recognize the unique nature of integrative STEM activities and use or develop authentic assessment tools that look at connections and address problems integrating the STEM disciplines.

National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) & National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

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Recommended Actions for Informal educators (after-school, school holiday camps, museum)

Relate informal STEM activities and programs involving mathematics & science content appropriate to the grade level.

Coordinate after-school STEM programs and activities with the school day academic program.

The activities should be fun and engaging, related to instructional goals and grounded in a practical and realistic understanding of what is involved in pursuing an interest in the topic or field involved.

National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) & National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

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Take-home message��As a teacher, we must transform the current teaching practices, when possible, into meaningful student learning.��Go beyond the basic skills of “reading, writing, and arithmetic” (3Rs).��To develop successful members of the global society, education must be based on a framework of the 4Cs: communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creative thinking.��

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Traditional education

read

​

memorize

​

practice

repeat

exams

STEM education

observe

question

experiment/self test

analyze

conclude

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Thank you�roslinda@ukm.edu.my