STEM Education in the Realm of Modern Academics

India, on the way to become a global manufacturing hub, needs critical thinkers and innovators who can solve real-world problems. This is where skills in STEM can help. In order to make this happen, traditional education system must change with an emphasis on practical learning. The existing rote learning can never fulfill the current talent demands. Hence, in order to create a desirable talent pool, significant emphasis should be put on integrating STEM education in regular school curricula.

To make necessary changes to the age-old academics, India needs to take initiatives which promotes STEM along with traditional learning. Students must be introduced to STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math – from an early age so that they can develop an interest in these subjects. While students get basic knowledge of science and maths in primary and high school, they do not get enough opportunities to explore and experiment in these subjects.

STEM Education

STEM education allows students to learn through experiments. Students gather information, conduct experiments and evaluate their results to understand the authenticity of fallouts. All these activities enhance their learning outcomes and transform them into critical thinkers. Since the problems which they are working on are from real-life, they take more interest and get into cutting-edge research. They work individually or in groups, get to compare their results with others and note observations. All these things also enhance their communication, interpersonal and social skills.

Current scenario in India

The socio-economic status of families in India poses major challenge in creating a skilled taskforce. Lack of financial aids, IT infrastructure requirements and the shortage of skilled educators create difficulties on the way to implementing STEM. However, the government has already sensed the situation and is doing every bit to make STEM popular. NITI Ayog has proposed to establish Atal Tinkering Labs in select schools under Atal Innovation Mission.

 Authorised vendors like StemBridge Labs provide necessary equipment, IT and infrastructure support to establish STEM labs in elementary school. The government also provide financial aid along with other support to increase engagement of students in hands-on learning. For students, it provides them with immense opportunities for a better future with a lucrative pay scale.

Reference Link:

https://www.stembridgelabs.com/blog/stem-education-in-the-realm-of-modern-academics/

 

Project Based Learning – More Than Just Academics

In order to succeed in today’s era of technological evolution, students must have skills and knowledge beyond their academics. Project based learning (PBL) provides a comprehensive understanding of subjects and concepts. Students can apply the learnt concepts to real-life experiences and gradually move towards innovation through all-around enriching education.

At the core of project based learning:

Active & engaging learning 

Since students are allowed to explore and experiment, PBL provides active and engaging learning. Students get a deeper knowledge of the subject when they are studying. In addition, students are extremely likely to retain the knowledge gained this way. Besides, students work in groups or alone which develop in them confidence and self-direction. Thus, PBL provides a better opportunity than textbook-centered learning.

Also read : How to Promote STEM Education in School?

Research skills 

During the course of project completion, students get into some kind of research alone or with group. This gives an opportunity to students to hone their organization and research skills, enhance their communication skills, and often provide them a chance to see the positive effect of their work on the community.

Meaningful evaluations 

While traditional curriculum evaluates students on the basis of written reports and exams from a few fixed recited theories, PBL evaluates students on the kind of projects they take. Therefore, this kind of evaluation is more meaningful to them and also inspire them to pursue a carrier in subjects they are really interested in.

Failure imparts experience 

Students are afraid of failing their exams and it can affect their grade. However, there is nothing like failure in project based learning. Projects provide real-life experience and every failed experiment lays the foundation of success. PBL is also an approach in STEM education where students learn through experiments and use scientific tools and equipment for research and development.

In India, project-based learning is at the core of STEM education and also gains backing by the government. StemBridge Labs, a vendor to establish Atal Tinkering Labs, provides necessary tools to schools selected for the lab. Thanks to the encouraging efforts by the government that schools are adopting STEM based curriculum to spark students’ desire to research and explore.

Reference Link:
 
http://stembridgelabs.com/blog/project-based-learning-more-than-just-academics/

STEM Teacher Training Program – Better Approach to Teaching STEM

In order for India to emerge as a successful country on the world map, its students must receive equitable access to STEM education. There should be no gap for minorities and children living in rural areas to ensure the education is for all. Support from qualified teachers is equally crucial to help them succeed academically, professionally and personally.
 

To stay competitive, India needs more qualified STEM teachers who can nurture young minds and inspire them to be the next generation of scientists, innovators of advanced technologies and excellent problem solvers. It would be hard for students to become world leaders if they show poor STEM performance and decreased interest in STEM careers due to a lack of high-quality educators.  

Dearth of high-quality teachers also reveal a weakness in maintaining a standard approach to recruiting qualified teachers, training and retaining STEM teachers. A shortage of accomplished instructors in this field is at the root of this problem. Whatever it is, it threatens the nation’s ability to compete in the global economy.  

STEM Teachers Training Program

Many institutions have already rolled out special programs to up-skill teachers to teach STEM subjects. Creating good teachers is the only solution to achieve success. After the NITI Ayog’s initiative to nurture young minds and foster critical thinking at school level, many schools and other institutions have started to provide programs for both teachers and students.

 Learning Centres established by program partners such as StemBridge Labs have researchers and practitioners working in collaboration to help students get engage in scientific activities, research and experiments to excel in STEM subjects. Programs include summer camps and Atal Tinkering Labs to emphasize on project based learning for problem solving. Active participation of teachers in these programs leads to their professional development for better contribution.

 Skilled educators can train young students to connect the dots and understand the relation between the natural world and the artificial world. STEM Education is a lot more than traditional teaching and doesn’t rely on memorizing the old, existing theory. It’s all about learning to think critically and innovate to understand and solve real-world challenges.

For more Update about STEM Education & Teacher training program visit here 

Reference Link:

 http://stembridgelabs.com/blog/stem-teacher-training-a-better-approach-to-teaching-stem/

STEM Education – Driving Factors in Schools

As the need for innovation is increasing due to the effect of globalization, the demand for STEM is going up in India. Relatively new, STEM – the acronym referring to: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – has become something of a household term.

While the world has already started to shift towards STEM, our traditional primary schools are making a gradual move towards integrating STEM in regular curriculum. The power and importance of scientific innovation is realised by the world and our country needs to amend its educational system to adopt innovation which can lead its path to development. STEM education in India can help to create a highly skilled workforce that will be capable of providing solutions to modern day challenges.

Technologies changes rapidly, so it would be really difficult to predict trends which may influence STEM pedagogy. It, in fact, can be said that the ‘technologies to watch’ in future can have a direct influence on this method of education.

Modern and future trends that can influence STEM education and practitioners:

• The Internet of Things
• Virtual assistants
• Machine learning
• Wearable technology
• Gamification
• 3D printing

Most of these technologies have already made their presence felt in our lives and the classrooms. Though already known and being in use, evolutions in the mobile technology and online learning could also be included here. Comfort conferred by the emerging technology trends actually sets the stage for what’s to come, which also forms the basis for STEM education.

Also read : STEM Education in India – Paving the Way for Our Girls

Initiatives in India

‘Make in India’ roll-out is nothing new. If this idea is being promoted across the globe to attract manufacturers, providing the required skill-set is also compulsory. With the mission to create a highly skilled workforce, government has taken an initiative to establish Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) across schools and institutions. A strategic partner in this program, StemBridge Labs helps establish ATLs which provide a scientific environment for critical thinking and innovation. StemBridge Labs also provides necessary equipment for hands-on training and experiment to learn how to solve real-world challenges.

Equipped with the latest technology, StemBridge Labs also provides training programs for teachers to counter the increasing demand for quality STEM educators.


Reference Link:

http://stembridgelabs.com/blog/stem-education-driving-factors-in-schools/

STEM Education – Nurturing Young Scientists

STEM education fosters curiosity and instills a love for learning in children. The sooner children come across disciplines, the faster they grasp concepts. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math often has a variation with the STEM e inclusion of Arts. It then takes the form of STEAM Education to ensure positive mental health practices among elementary students.  

When children are introduced to STEM at an early age, they develop a lifelong love for learning. We are living in a world that is constantly advancing in the fields of science and technology. Everything that we use is based directly or indirectly on some forms of technology. In this scenario, students must come out of the traditional learning systems and make a move towards innovation. In order to make this happen, they must have a keenness to learn. Without a passion to learn, students will have to struggle in the real world. And, elementary age is the best time to instill that drive and passion to learn.

Elementary students have immense curiosity and fondness for learning new things. With year it gets lost in traditional education. On the contrary, STEM education in elementary school drives curiosity and generates in them a thirst for knowledge. Gradually, students develop a passion to create something new and learn from innovation. These skills provide them with the much needed background to tackle challenges of higher education. No matter which area they explore, their drive and passion will ensure a path to success.

Also Read : Integrating STEM in Traditional Curriculum

STEM doesn’t affect the regular curriculum, instead imparts skills for better planning and using creativity to solve challenges. This interdisciplinary way of learning is not only limited to geeks in lab coats, but has benefits for everyone. STEM is all around us and it’s for everyone, and more benefiting than one can think:

• Its real-world inspired, engaging and motivating
• Students develop a sense to apply learned concepts to solve real-life challenges
• It uses sense and allows students to do so
• It’s creative and there is nothing life failure, but each failed experiment is a lesson to learn
• STEM requires students to develop teamwork and collaboration which helps forever

To make STEM education an integral part of traditional curriculum, StemBridge Labs provides the necessary tools and support to schools. Their endeavors are to benefit children from elementary STEM programs.

For more Information about STEM Education Please Visit here

STEM Education in India – Paving the Way for Our Girls

The ‘Make in India’ initiative by our honorable Prime Minister intends to make our country a prominent manufacturing hub of global standards. This requires creating a vast pool of highly skilled workforce who can adopt modern practices around innovation. Intelligent quotient of our youth plays a remarkable role here.

India’s academic institutions are adopting the best practices to enhance the skill level of students. Major emphasis is put on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (termed together as STEM) to create highly skilled graduates who can lead India to innovation. Since this pedagogy is relatively new, there are many challenges that the education industry has to face in enhancing the popularity of STEM education in India. One of the biggest challenges is to encourage the participation of girls in STEM based curriculum.

Also Read : STEM – Being a critic of Indian Education System

A nation’s socio-economic growth is possible only when both men and women show equal participation in the development process. Non participation of women in the technological innovation can create a disturbing imbalance which is not good for the society, the country and the women themselves.

The traditional patriarchal society always envisions women in some gender defined roles which leads to a deeply biased workplace. This contribute to women leaving jobs not only in STEM disciplines, but other streams as well. In fact, most of the girls do not even get a chance to pursue the basic education. Further, girls hardly get involved into any research or scientific based job as their families pose a restriction. While they favour boys and willingly invest in their education, they expect girls to stay behind doors and plan to save for their dowry.

Amidst everything – family responsibility, maternity break, safety concerns, longer working hours for research, etc. – impose restrictions on them. Since STEM education in India is more of a boy’s club, the working pattern favours the same. It’s time to modify this traditional culture and create flexible spaces to accommodate more female STEM aspirants.

StemBridge Labs believes that every child is equal and must be given equal opportunities to succeed. Educational institutions, government agencies, and society must work together to encourage more girls to actively participate in STEM.

Reference Link:

http://stembridgelabs.com/blog/stem-education-in-india-paving-the-way-for-our-girls/

Challenges Faced in Implementing STEM Education in India

Debating around the importance of STEM Education in Indian curriculum is nothing new. With the government’s aid, the country is making great developments in popularizing STEM subjects among students. Focused towards developing critical thinking, self-management and innovative skills, STEM Education is all about hands-on learning. ‘Do-it-yourself’ activities remains at the core of this rather modern education system.

However, a country like India which produces the highest number of scientists and engineers still struggles to increase involvement of students in this curriculum.

Several challenges are being faced in implementing STEM Education. 

Let’s have a look:

The biggest obstacle in this direction is the infrastructural support. Schools need to design infrastructure to create an environment of scientific learning. It requires funds to bring the required DIY tools and equipment including the best computers. Difficulties are also faced while finding the best guidance and support for children. Making arrangements towards educating the ecosystem about the need for such programs could be one of the possible solutions to overcome these challenges.

Educators’ conventional thinking and more inclination towards traditional learning also create problem. They think that STEM labs will divert students from studies and defined curriculum would be difficult to complete on time. Probably, this problem could be addressed by creating awareness around STEM education and showing the positive side of introducing students to STEM learning.

More boys and fewer girls in this discipline also creates an imbalance. Providing them equal opportunities and career prospects can be a way to bring equilibrium.

India is a developing country that is gradually striving to make its position among renowned nations of the world. This would turn into a reality only if its sizeable young population is educated in science and technology, which is a huge challenge. A major proportion of India’s population is economically backward and lives in poverty.

In this scenario, keeping pace with the global scientific and technological innovation seems like a distant dream. Now, integrating latest developments in STEM in traditional curricula while considering both the employ-ability and the social development of students is a huge challenge. A possible solution could be to increase awareness around the need of education and introducing STEM at the school level. Global STEM job requirements are already up.

India needs to make strategic plans and establish STEM labs in elementary schools to acquainting students to research life, identity their interest areas, foster curiosity and nurture innovation. In addition, there’s a strong need to assist academically brilliant students from economically backward sections to make greater advancements in STEM.

Reference Link:

https://stembridgelabs.tumblr.com/post/175108354847/challenges-faced-in-implementing-stem-education-in