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/