THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

NAME:……...........................................................................JUSTINE MALUMA

COMPUTER NUMBER:……………………………………2016139219

COURSE CODE:……………………………………………..MSE9030

PHONE NUMBER:……………………………………………0972581043

ASSIGNMENT:………………………………………………..ONE

QUESTION:

Discuss three (3) possible strategies that could facilitate Zambian secondary school learners’
development of interest and abilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM).
According to the 2016 report by a parliamentary committee on education, Science and
Technology, the committee was informed that teaching and learning of Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) was a challenge in Zambia due to poor strategies put in
place to attract learner's interest and abilities of learning STEM subjects, more especially in
secondary schools.Therefore, the main essence of this piece of writing is to discuss some of
strategies that can facilitate Zambian secondary school learners' development of interest and
abilities in science, technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
In its general sense STEM is a term often used to address curriculum choices in schools which
are critical in improving the competitiveness in science, technology and innovative. In an
interdisciplinary and applied approach, rather than teaching the four disciplines as separate and
discrete subjects, STEM improves them into sticking way of learning (Banks, 2009).
The first strategy is Curriculum and assessment. In order to make STEM more accessible,
attractive and relevant to learners, various curriculum reforms has be implemented in the
education sector. These reforms should adopt a more learner-centered approach to learning, with
a stronger focus on developing skills and competencies such as problem-solving and critical
thinking skills.
For Examples, promising constructivist approaches include vocationalisation, interdisciplinary
approaches, assessment and integration of local and indigenous system. Meaning the
Government has to create a school culture where the importance of STEM is recognized and
valued, and this gives high expectations and interest to all students to engage themselves in
STEM education opportunities (Barlex,2009).
Furthermore, another example, both a teacher and pupils should have an interaction way of
learning. This is the best way of boosting ability and interest in pupils. For being friendly to
learners as a teacher, therefore trust is being built, which facilitates a learning environment that
allows risk, failure, and the acquisition of resilience to be worked on. Learners should be given
free time to ask the challenging questions to the teacher at any time. Remember asking questions
enables the teacher to know whether the learners understood the concept taught or not and be in a
better position to apply scaffolding for misconceptions (Bour,2011).
Not only that but this strategy also involves a simple way for learners to develop interest and
abilities, and this is where by teachers use repetition in order to improve STEM skills in their
learners especially slow learners. By doing that and reviewing previous formulas, lessons, and
information, students are better able to comprehend concepts at a faster rate. Scaffolding is very
important here according to psychologists.
The main concepts of mathematics’ basics must be able to be memorized before students made
to move into a more advanced study involve increasing abstract sequencing in your argument.
Repetition is a simple tool that makes it easier for students to memorize the concepts without
wasting time. Daily re-looping or reviews will bring the previous lesson back into the spotlight
and allow teachers to build on those previous skills (Breiner, 2012).
In addition , we also discover that increasing STEM awareness programs, it surely addresses
the misconceptions about STEM that should be careers, and promote STEM career opportunities
through guest speakers, field trips to STEM businesses, student internships, and other activities.
It further recommended that programs increase awareness of STEM subjects and STEM careers
among not just students, but also parents, teachers and school administrators.
To increase STEM Learning, the programs such as activities has to be designed well so that it
improves student and teacher content knowledge and teacher pedagogical skill. Programs are
also encouraged to use innovative strategies both in and out of the classroom, including small
group settings and the use of hands-on activities and experiments to promote inquiry and
curiosity. Finally, the connection of learning should be real world through an emphasis on the
application of STEM subjects to everyday life, employment and the surrounding environment.
The strategy specifically encouraged active employer participation in project activities
(Chen,2001).
Therefore, vocationalisation specifically raises the standards, improve participation and increase
attainment in education while interdisciplinary approaches to STEM improves the practical
application of scientific theory and knowledge. But assessment plays the role of improving
learner's perceptions and attitudes towards STEM in education. In addition , the incorporation of
local and indigenous knowledge systems has the potential to improve the practicality and
relevance of STEM and curricula.
The second one is by Government encouraging teachers and everyone at large to prioritize
STEM content knowledge when determining their professional learning needs, given the rapidly
changing nature of science and technology. This will help teachers to Create an effective
learning environment by giving learners an opportunity. For example, to hold shapes in their
hands more often which motivate them to gain experience and enjoy the novelty of handling
mathematical instruments in reality (Deslauriers,(2011).
It usually starts by handing out some combination of paper, scissors, rulers, colored pencils, tape,
and glue sticks to the students. The use of visibly random groups is a practice that escalates
ability and interest in the learners. Showing that both self-selected and strategically formed
groups create a space where the students know what their role will be that day and many more,
that role was not to think. Random groups does not create this. In addition, random groups
bypasses all our biases of what students are capable of, reduces social barriers, and drives more
autonomous learning behavior. More recently, it has also shown that students take random
groups as a sign of confidence in them as learners and thinkers (Dickstein,2010).
What happens next is to try to help them see how a surface area formula works by building or
designing a triangular prism or help them visualize how a parabola is formed by drawing a series
of lines on a grid. And when math is more than just numbers and letters on a worksheet or an
answer on a calculator, it is suddenly something beautiful, creative, and worthy of exploration
and discovery. This will motivate learners in STEM learning subjects.
This will surely improves teachers status. For example, when various efforts are made to
improve public perceptions of teachers in the country, in the hope that this will attract more
people profession. Meaning that, salary increments has to be allocated to teachers in the rural
locations and academic fields where there are particularly acute shortage, such STEM and ICT.
Not only that but professional teaching standards should be also raised in an effort to change the
perception that teachers are less skilled than other graduate professions. Finally, career pathways
has be more clearly defined with formal recognition and accreditation of achievement providing
more opportunities for progression and promotion which should be accompanied with an
incentive for enrolling on initial teacher training programs by offering bursaries and scholarships
to STEM learners (Dugger,2010).
The third strategy is by exposing students (and their teachers) to a wide range of career options
and information early to help increase STEM aspirations and engagement, ideally in primary
school and continuing throughout high school, and involving parents and school communities
where possible. This will give a room for schools to have the opportunity to foster and nurture
young people’s curiosity towards STEM, and can use this to develop deeper engagement and
learning (Hmelo,1995).
This requires renewed focus on achievement in the STEM ‘building blocks’, especially
mathematics, as well as effective cross-disciplinary curriculum and pedagogical approaches that
build student interest and performance in STEM education. For example, actions are largely
focused on teaching and learning within the school environment, building and maintaining
student interest and aspiration in STEM cannot be achieved by schools alone. Parents and the
broader community, industry and the tertiary education sector are key STEM education partners.
The strategy is further saying , the integration of mobile technologies can play a motivating and
supportive role in developing teachers' knowledge and skills. Mobile phones should also be
utilized to develop teaching practice through such programs as the teacher education in
secondary science project and the schools project in Zambia, which provide teachers and teacher
educators with materials to support and enhance their subject knowledge and pedagogical and
skills. Even an opportunities has to be provided through digital technologies gives these
initiatives the potential to reach teachers who might not otherwise have access to training
programs (Education Association (ITEEA,(2007).
Furthermore, material and resources are very important. As the primary teaching aid, textbooks
are important for providing high quality education. In order to improve both the provision and
quality of textbooks, for instance South Africa has produced and distributed workshops to all
learners in grades 1to 9 in key subject areas, including mathematics. However, an issue with
textbooks concerns the language of instruction, which often differs from the teachers' and
students' home language. The language supportive Teaching and Textbooks project in Tanzania
has developed a mathematics and biology textbooks which uses simple language.
Building ICT capacity in schools. The provision of hardware and software is necessary for
teaching and learning STEM. However, an ethnocentric approach to build the capacity that
focuses on simply supplying new technologies in educational environments is not only
expensive, but is also ineffectual when delivered without the necessary teacher training. One
successful approach to promote STEM subjects has been through the provision of content
(Jacobs, 1989).
In addition, Science laboratories also is very cardinal when it comes to learner’s interest and
abilities towards STEM education. This helps learners to have access to the laboratories and
specialist science teaching materials allowing students to view science in a more practical and
stimulating manner. However, the resources required are expensive to procure, distribute and
maintain. In some cases, students bear these costs themselves through school fees, which
subsequently disadvantages those in rural and low socioeconomic positions.
Since mathematics needs critical thinking, we find that developing a mathematical conceptual
understanding of the how and why it works, it reinforces ability and interest of learners, that is
the connections from one idea to another, and how it develops in young children all the way to
high school STEM. Also by concentrating on the content of sequencing in curriculum such as
simple to complex and scaffolding in psychology. And also embedding in an inductive teaching
approach.
The inductive teaching approach creates an environment for students to uncover the beauty and
creativity of mathematics for themselves through inquiry based learning. The inductive teaching
approach encourages students to inquire through experimentation, enables connections between
different topics to be made, and supports deep conceptual mathematical understanding which
gives students the ability to apply and transfer to different contents (Kelley, 2010).
Finally, the powerful way of promoting the interest and abilities in learners is by collective
learning, which is simply the learning that is happening between groups of people. Through
collective learning, learners are able to correct their common mistakes and make adjustments to
their practice. This is an example of individual learning. For example, in a classroom that
promotes student discourse, two students may learn different things from a lesson. The
conversation that is facilitated between them will multiply the learning that occurs in that room,
as each student brings their individual learning and jointly shares with the others. It is vital for
the teacher to ask What did we learn collectively today?, and not off shoot of saying , I taught it,
so they learned.
Despite the strategies discussed above, there has been also a number of challenges to promote
interest and abilities of learners towards STEM education. One we can say, there has been so
much discomfort to some of the pre-service, secondary teachers. Not only that but also an
evidence of risk-taking and engagement with a lot of their work. This previously mentioned
that, a desire to really understand the STEM being explored also emerged. Now we can make
meaning of foreign mathematical concepts, and enjoy doing so. My main aim now is gaining
and developing a relational understanding in a similar manner and love it when i get the light
bulb moment (Harden, 2000).
The Centrality of Learning STEM was considered emotion experienced throughout the
process of engaging with the investigations. While the over-riding feeling present during the
group interview (held approximately two months after the course had finished) was happy
and positive, there was a definite mix of emotions logged in the personal records. Pre-
service teachers wrote and spoke about their past negativity towards STEM subjects. Phrases
used when reflecting on past experiences included being scared, gunned down, being frozen,
and ashamed. As the investigations progressed however, there were mentions of learning to
persevere and cope with frustration. This increased perseverance was noted in all three of
the assignments that were analyzed her summary statement, made a connection to a journal
article where the notion of learners developing determination to ‘stick with a problem’ was
discussed (Banks, 2009).
Today we just observed those feelings, and kept working with pairs modeling the expectation
that a strategy can be found. As we did that they reengaged, and began to show persistence!
we need to keep a check on our frustration and believe that we will get there.
In conclusion we can precisely deduce that as society seeks a technologically literate and STEM
proficient student, it is important to evaluate and pursue methods for delivering technology
education instruction. This paper was written with the intent to provide technology education
teachers with an improved understanding of STEM including three distinct STEM instructional
approaches. Each approach was defined, strengths and shortcomings were described, and ideas
for implementing the STEM approaches were presented through the Infection Detection
activity.

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