Orientation on

STEM in TVET
What exactly is STEM?
• The STEM education movement advocates moving away from
segmented content areas, emphasizing technology to connect the
subjects, and relating teaching to the outside world.

• STEM impresses 21st-century skills acquisition so that students

gain proficiency in collaboration, questioning, problem-
solving, and critical thinking.
Goals of STEM in TVET
• Employability - Employability means being equipped with
knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable an individual to be
able to secure a job.
• Proactive citizenship - proactive citizenship means contributing
to nation-building as well as being a responsible global and digital
citizen
• Human flourishing - “human flourishing” can be something akin
to lifelong learning but on a much higher level.
STEM Competencies support Technical and Vocational
Education and Training (TVET) have four major domains
1. STEM knowledge that is disciplinal and also transdisciplinary is important
in TVET.

• Disciplinal knowledge means subject-specific understanding of

concepts, theories, principles, laws, and contexts of Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics.

• Transdisciplinary knowledge refers to the integrative understanding of

the useful and most relevant content and techniques from the STEM
disciplines to be able to solve work-related and other real-world
problems.
Thinking skills -involve skills for sense-making to be able to solve problems,
understand connections, make informed decisions, or innovate for the
improvement of personal, community, workplace, and regional/national contexts.
Thinking skills include:

a. Creative/Inventive Thinking
Combine or connect ideas and information in unique and novel ways to generate
new ideas, applications, products, processes, or services

b. Critical Thinking
Apply logic and reasoning to make sense of data or information by posing
questions, putting forward arguments, exploring counterexamples, searching
evidence, identifying relationships, recognizing patterns and trends, evaluating
pros and cons, and synthesizing information
C. Systems Thinking
Understand the bigger context of a system, its emergent properties, and behavior over time
by knowing the connections, interrelationships, and dynamics of its constituent parts.
D. Problem Solving
Identify feasible and efficient solutions to solve problems and to create new
Opportunities
E. Transdisciplinary Thinking
Put together relevant concepts and processes from multiple disciplines to generate
solutions and new applications
D. Decision-making
Make a logical choice of action by looking at evidence, exploring alternatives,
considering likely impact, evaluating options and providing justifications
E. Computational Thinking
Develop or apply computational models, tools and techniques to interpret and
understand data, solve problems, and guide decision-making
F. Ethical Thinking
Use value system as guide for making choices that adhere to acceptable standards
and protocols
3. Multiliteracies are various forms of literacy that bridge STEM
knowledge, skills, attitudes, dispositions, and values. The literacies can be
applied singly or in combination with other forms depending on the context
of learning.

• Numeracy
• Digital Literacy
• Civic Literacy
• Cultural Literacy
• Occupational Health Literacy
• Entrepreneurial Literacy
• Organizational Literacy
4. Socio-Emotional Intelligence refers to “the ability to integrate
feeling, intuition, and cognition to acknowledge, understand,
manage, apply, and express an individual’s emotions and social
interactions at the right time, for the right purpose, in the right
context, and with the right person or group.” (Devis-Rozenthal,
2017)3

• Communication
• Collaboration
• Empathy
• Agency
• Lifelong/ Lifewide Learning
• Resilience
STEM Pedagogies, Example Activities, and
Tools for TVET from International TVET Programmes
STEM Pedagogical Target STEM Example Activities and Tools
Approaches and Competencies
Description
Experiential learning Critical thinking Apprenticeship
Immersing trainees in Problem solving Industry-led competitions/projects
tools, activities, actual Systems thinking Immersion or short-term
work settings of the Transdisciplinary thinking engagements (industry, research
relevant trade Decision-making facility, innovation spaces,
Empathy colleges/universities)
Agency
Resilience
Lifelong/Lifewide Learning
Contextual learning Systems thinking Practical tasks
Using examples that are Transdisciplinary thinking Work process matrix
familiar and relevant to the Numeracy Four-step method
situation of the trainees, Civic literacy (explanationdemonstration-
which may also include Cultural literacy imitationpractice)
indigenous resources
STEM Pedagogies, Example Activities, and
Tools for TVET from International TVET Programmes
STEM Pedagogical
Approaches and
Description
such as artefacts and tools
Problem-centered learning
Providing opportunities for
students to address authentic,
open-ended, ill-structured,
realworld problems for
meaningful
learning
Target STEM
Competencies
Occupational health literacy
Lifelong/Lifewide learning
Problem solving
Critical thinking
Creative/Inventive thinking
Transdisciplinary thinking
Decision-making
Example Activities and Tools
Guiding texts
Photo association
Task analysis
Training portfolio
Home-based
projects/experiments
Mentoring
Brown bag sessions with practitioners
Case study
Industry-led competitions/projects
Experiments
Internet rally
Technical specifications
Project plans
Data visualization
STEM Pedagogies, Example Activities, and
Tools for TVET from International TVET Programmes
STEM Pedagogical Approaches Target STEM Example Activities and Tools
and Description Competencies
Project-based Learning Giving short- Problem solving Projects
term challenges or tasks with relatively Critical thinking Case study
shorter period of time to complete Creative/Inventive thinking Simulation game
Transdisciplinary thinking Role play
Decision-making Experiments
Project Management Internet rally
Service orientation Data visualization
Entrepreneurial literacy
Inquiry-based learning Designing an Critical thinking Experiments
investigation to enable students to Problem solving Technical specifications
discover new concepts or explore scientific Ethical thinking Research projects
phenomenon by asking questions, Computational thinking Baseline assessments
gathering evidence, offering explanation Numeracy Needs analysis
from evidence, connecting evidence to Digital literacy Data analysis, visualization
scientific knowledge, as well as, providing Communication Research meetings
justification based on patterns derived
Colloquia
from evidence
STEM Pedagogies, Example Activities, and
Tools for TVET from International TVET Programmes
STEM Pedagogical Approaches Target STEM Example Activities and Tools
and Description Competencies
Design-based learning Posing an open- Problem solving Design challenges
ended, handson design challenge that allows Critical thinking Agile project management (for example,
students to go through the engineering design Creative/Inventive thinking Kanban, Scrum)
or design thinking processes in generating Transdisciplinary thinking Persona maps
innovative solutions such as new products, Decision-making Ideation techniques
optimized processes or services Empathy Brainstorming ;Invention algorithms
Service orientation Storyboards ; Design briefs
Entrepreneurial literacy Technical specifications
Project plans ; Prototyping
Innovation pitch ; Concept testing
Usability testing ; Mock campaigns
Design briefs ; Technical specifications
Project plans ; Prototyping
Innovation pitch
Concept testing
Usability testing
Mock campaigns
Critical reading and writing
STEM Pedagogies, Example Activities, and
Tools for TVET from International TVET Programmes
STEM Pedagogical Approaches Target STEM Example Activities and Tools
and Description Competencies
Place-based learning Addressing local Systems thinking Case study
or community needs by applying relevant Transdisciplinary thinking Experiments
STEM knowledge and skills Numeracy Projects
Civic literacy Community Science
Cultural literacy Design challenges
Occupational health Agile project management (for
literacy example, Kanban, Scrum)
Lifelong/Lifewide learning Persona maps
Ideation techniques
Brainstorming
Invention algorithms
Storyboards ; Design briefs
Technical specifications
Project plans ; Prototyping
Innovation pitch
Concept testing ; Usability testing
Mock campaigns
Critical reading and writing
STEM Pedagogies, Example Activities, and
Tools for TVET from International TVET Programmes
STEM Pedagogical Approaches Target STEM Example Activities and Tools
and Description Competencies
Education for Sustainable Critical thinking Case study
Development Systems thinking Industry-led competitions/projects
Using Sustainable Development Goals Problem solving Experiments
(SDGs) as platforms for connecting Transdisciplinary thinking Projects
learning to global needs for greater Decision-making Design challenges
societal impact Ethical thinking Agile project management (for
Empathy example, Kanban, Scrum)
Lifelong/Lifewide learning Persona maps
Glocal mindset Ideation techniques
Brainstorming
Invention algorithms
Storyboards ; Design briefs
Technical specifications
Project plans ; Prototyping
Innovation pitch
Concept testing
Usability testing
STEM Pedagogies, Example Activities, and
Tools for TVET from International TVET Programmes
STEM Pedagogical Approaches Target STEM Example Activities and Tools
and Description Competencies
Reflective learning Engaging in the Critical thinking Task analysis
analysis of individual or team thoughts, Communication Mind mapping
actions, and outputs to enable Agency Resilience Flowchart
improvement Critical reading and writing
Personal growth plan
Training portfolio
 THANK YOU

Curriculum and Training Aids Development Division

National Institute for Technical Education and Skills Development