Classroom Implementation of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Learning and Instruction: A Paradigmatic Shift

Abstract

Understanding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education as a curriculum that endows learners with specialized life skills in general and scientific literacy, along with a productive disposition and sense of social responsibility in particular, this paper discusses some elements of this curricular perspective and speculates on implications for classroom practice. The paper begins by examining the dimensions of mental orientation, motivation, design, and actioning in relation to STEM education, then proposes that meaningful realization of STEM education requires a paradigm shift that considers mindset change as the driver of the learning processes and places inculcation of a sense of curiosity in learners at the centre of instructional processes.  The claim is that an important goal for learning and a potentially effective method of instruction in a STEM education context could be that of generating curiosity in learners and nurturing it in ways that could ignite inventiveness channelled towards productive learning outcomes with value to the local community and society at large.