A New Approach To Teaching STEM

In our fast-paced world, the content of STEM subjects being taught in classrooms is constantly evolving.

Most recently, there has been a notable shift away from teaching traditionally ‘pure’ STEM topics. As teachers, we are now delivering the content in a manner that is more relatable to students. This applied approach helps students to appreciate more fully how the topics they are studying are not just of benefit for their academic development, but also applicable outside of the classroom.

Likewise, the idea of discovery-based learning is being more intricately implemented in a way that ensures students still remain active in their learning but without the loss of focus on the core content. This has been excellent in allowing students to develop their skills in crucial areas such as problem-solving, creativity and critical thinking. Learning is much more inspiring when given as a problem to overcome as opposed to simply reaffirming that facts already given.

Despite the evolution in how we are teaching STEM subjects today, there are still barriers to progress. These are largely attributed to perception and stereotypes. While the gender and diversity gaps within STEM are closing, many students still perceive STEM subjects as intimidating and careers in STEM fields as being unattainable for them.

A further barrier, but certainly an exciting one, is the pace at which STEM is evolving from a technological perspective. Innovation in this area certainly keeps teachers on their toes and requires constant review and adaptive teaching methods.

The use of apps in teaching STEM

More and more teachers are using apps for knowledge as well as to support teaching in STEM today. The clear advantage here is the ability to provide more tangible representations of what are otherwise abstract concepts – for example, the structure of an atom or the interactions between cells. Certain apps also enable institutions to diversify their methods of teaching practice, allowing access for a broader range of neurodiverse students. Simulations of practical work through the use of apps also allows schools to be more environmentally friendly as this approach reduces consumables.

The way we teach STEM subjects today also supports the development of other soft skills for students which translate in the future world but may fall outside of the typical STEM remit. It is always good practice as a teacher to look at what the current skills gaps are in the job market right now, but also to investigate what the predicted essential skills will be in the decades to come. By doing this, practitioners can work backwards to ensure that students are provided ample opportunities to develop these skills throughout their educational journey.

As Head of STEM, I am always looking at ways to boost the teaching of these subjects and as a school we are looking at a number of techniques to help us do so.

For instance, the creation of the Head of STEM position itself gives an incredibly clear message about a school’s commitment to ensuring that STEM is a cornerstone of the education delivered. As a girls’ school, we feel strongly that our students should ‘see it to believe it’, so we provide them with ample opportunities throughout the year to see and meet other female role models who have been successful in STEM-related careers and disciplines.

The school also runs two STEM magazines. The first is called Pioneer and is pitched at our lower school students; its aim is to foster a love of learning in STEM subjects. The second publication is called Origins; it is focused more on the older year groups and made up primarily of student-produced content.

Peer-to-peer teaching

In order to continue to deliver a high-quality education to the students, we are beginning to incorporate more artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) elements into our provision for STEM subjects in particular, with recent workshops aimed at exposing students to the opportunities these technologies bring.

We have also created several student-led societies, such as the Dissection Society, STEMsoc, Medsoc and Physics & Engineering Society. These provide a wonderful platform for peer-to-peer teaching to take place as well as the sharing of content and resources for students to trial and further enrich their experiences in the STEM fields.

To showcase the talent amongst our students and to encourage complex problem-solving challenges, we recently hosted a STEM Symposium in collaboration with another school. Our students worked in teams to complete an array of STEM challenges that pushed them beyond the curriculum.

The team-led event was designed to promote collaboration and collective problem-solving across four of the STEM subjects (maths, computing, chemistry and biology), with one complex challenge for each subject. Each challenge at the Symposium was designed so that collaboration, rather than individual thought, was essential for success.

The challenges included tasks such as identifying patterns in prime numbers, naming natural cures for scurvy, identifying ions and decoding encrypted messages. One member of each team was provided with some prior reading for each task, ensuring that all students had the opportunity to lead the team as well as have an impact on everyone’s success. 

Soft skills beyond STEM

We found that students from both schools really immersed themselves in the tasks and understood the importance of teamwork to ensuring success. The range of talent was impressive, and the students showed themselves to be incredibly adept at applying new knowledge to solve the problems posed. Our students found the new areas of STEM inspiring, and the event gave them a taste of what further studies in each of the fields might be like beyond secondary education.

Increasingly, feedback from industry is that post-secondary students, whilst knowledgeable in their fields, are lacking in some of those fundamental soft skills such as communication, critical thinking and problem solving. Events like this recent STEM symposium provide students with further opportunities to develop these skills to ensure that their education is not just about achieving excellent grades, but also about continuing their success and making an impact once they leave school.

All of these initiatives also help us as teachers to underpin what is being delivered in lessons and to ensure that our students continue to be inspired by STEM. The more students experience the benefits of these new techniques, the more likely they are to ultimately further their education in STEM-related subjects when they reach the sixth form stage and beyond as they navigate their future career options.

Charlie Littledale is Head of STEM at Downe House School in Berkshire, an independent boarding school for girls aged 11-18.