on Students’ Perception in Learning
Kevin LAW Lok-kan
Delia Memorial School (Glee Path)
Implementing the STEM Curriculum Using a Transdisciplinary and Thematic Approach
During the overseas trip, I was greatly inspired by the S-T-E-M Quartet suggested by Tan, Teo, Choy, & Ong (2019) as it serves as a useful reference for teachers to plan for problem-based learning in STEM curriculum. With the knowledge gained in the S-T-E-M Quartet, the school-based STEM curriculum was developed using a transdisciplinary approach, with an aim to develop students’
problem-solving skills through integrative application of knowledge and skills.
iNQUIRE
I would like to learn about how STEM is implemented in Singapore, the conceptual frameworks to integrate different STEM disciplines, and how to evaluate STEM literacy among students. I hoped my overseas experience could provide me with insights into the design of a blueprint for the STEM curriculum.
iNSPIRE
My trip to Singapore enabled me to learn about the latest trends in STEM curriculum design, pedagogies, and innovative technologies.
In-depth discussions with the educators of local schools and professors at National Institute of Education (NIE) have also enabled me to gain insights into implementing STEM in a transdisciplinary and thematic approach. Furthermore, I have learnt how to evaluate STEM literacy of students in terms of their subject knowledge, metacognition and attitudes.
iMPACT
The trip has given me inspirations on how to design a school-based STEM curriculum for junior forms with a transdisciplinary and thematic approach. I was greatly inspired by the S-T-E-M Quartet shared in NIE, which was adopted as the conceptual framework for connecting knowledge across different STEM disciplines. Better evaluation of students’ STEM literacy was also conducted through the integrated STEM exam and assessment of students’ learning portfolio.
S-T-E-M Quartet Instructional Framework
Objective of the Research
The objective of the research is to examine the effects of implementing a transdisciplinary and thematic approach in STEM curriculum at junior secondary levels.
Research Question
What are the effects of implementing a transdisciplinary and thematic approach in STEM curriculum on students’ perception in learning STEM?
Research Design and Approaches Adopted Transdisciplinary Approach
The STEM curriculum targeted three classes of S3 students and was designed as a one-year programme with a 55-min STEM session per week. The programme was divided into four modules on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. In each module (which lasted for an academic term), students solved authentic problems with design thinking approach. Consisting of five steps (namely empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test), the structured process of design thinking provided a platform for fostering transdisciplinary learning.
Thematic Approach
Design-and-make learning activities on the two themes,
‘Greenhouse’ and ‘Stationery Box’, were conducted to develop students’ creativity and problem-solving skills. For the theme ‘Greenhouse’, students were provided with opportunities to design and make a prototype of a greenhouse for growing vegetables in school. As for the theme on ‘Stationery Box’, students were tasked with designing a stationery box that can notify the owner when someone leaves a memo message.
Research Instruments and Findings
To collect data about the effects on students’ perception in learning STEM, pre- and post-research questionnaires were used before the commencement and upon the completion of the project respectively. The questions were categorised into five aspects below for analysis.
➢ Participation in STEM
Students’ motivation to participate in STEM activities
➢ Attitude towards STEM
Students’ willingness to accept challenges in STEM
➢ Self-concept in STEM
Students’ confidence in completing STEM-related tasks and activities
➢ Construction of ‘STEM identity’
Students’ sense of identity of possessing STEM knowledge and skills
➢ Career decision
Students’ preference to pursue STEM-related careers
Greenhouse Prototypes Designed by Students
Students Creating the Prototype of a Stationery Box
‘First’: the pre-research questionnaire
‘Second’: the post-research questionnaire
‘N’: the number of respondents to the questionnaires
A T-test was performed to compare and analyse the data. Comparing the data collected in the pre- and post-research questionnaires, although there was a slight increase in the aspects of ‘Attitude’,
‘Identity’ and ‘Career’, the difference was not
significant for drawing a conclusion on the effects of the project. Therefore, longer time is needed to observe the effect of the transdisciplinary and thematic approach in STEM curriculum on students’ perception in learning STEM.
Positive Impacts Brought about by the Research
When implementing the project, I adopted a transdisciplinary and thematic approach in designing the STEM curriculum, offering students opportunities to integrate and apply the knowledge gained from different subjects.
With reference to the STEM Lab that we visited in the secondary schools in Singapore, a STEM room was designed, where students could post their learning outcomes on the wall and encourage their peers to provide feedback for improvement. The installation of the partitions in the room also allowed greater flexibilities in classroom settings for conducting learning activities.
References
Tan, A. L., Teo, T. W., Choy, B. H., & Ong, Y. S. (2019). The STEM Quartet. Innovation and Education. 1(1), pp. 1-14.
From students’ perspective…
They engaged in problem-based learning to create solutions and prototypes through hands-on activities with their peers. With the design thinking approach, students were taught to understand the needs of the product users and plan meticulously during the design process to create products for satisfying users’ needs. Besides, students’
STEM literacy can be assessed more accurately. Students’
learning portfolios were collected by teachers for gauging their learning progress. An integrated STEM exam was also conducted to assess students’ integrative application of STEM knowledge. The project implementation also facilitated the setting up of the STEM Team with talented students who are nominated to participate in different competitions to stretch their potential.
From teachers’ perspective…
Their understanding of how to apply the design thinking approach in teaching problem-solving skills has been enhanced. Such approach has been adopted in designing one of the school-based subjects, ‘Research and Enquiry’, to teach students how to conduct interviews and design questionnaires to collect users’
views. The project has also inspired us to organise a school-based competition on designing a multi-purpose teacher desk in the following academic year.