ARTICLES
Top FIVE STEPS in Championing STEM Innovations (continued)
explanation or demonstration by students but still determines
the content and flow of the interaction.
3. Adopt a transdisciplinary approach;
4. Assess for learning;
5. Develop thinking through talk.
(iii) Hermeneutic listening: The teacher and students co-
construct ideas together. The teacher draws on students’
responses to develop their ideas using specialised language
and the flow of interactions is not pre-determined. Knowledge
construction is evident through talk as the teacher adopts
the role of a co-learner while facilitating the knowledge
construction process.
We believe that by working through these steps, teachers
engaged in STEM programs similar to ours can develop their
instructional strategies, improve their task and curriculum design,
and foster 21st Century skills in their students. That is, these five
steps will help teachers make the leap from evidence-based
theory to high-quality integrated STEM teaching and learning in
their schools.
High degrees of collaboration necessitate exploratory talk which
in turn leads to creative solutions to the challenges encountered.
Teachers’ hermeneutic listening is as equally important as
students engaging in exploratory talk. Such interactions involve
teachers and students in what Littleton and Mercer (2013) called
interthinking, that is, using talk “to think creatively and productively
together” (p. 12). This is the catalyst that drives the 21st Century
skills in STEM activities.
References:
Davis, B. (1997). Listening for differences: an evolving conception of
mathematics teaching. Journal of Research in Mathematics Education, 28 (3),
355 - 376
Jonassen, D. H. (1997). Instructional design models for well-structured and
ill-structured problem-solving learning outcomes. Educational Technology:
Research and Development, 45(1), 65-94.
Littleton, K., & Mercer, Neil. (2013). Interthinking: Putting talk to work. Abingdon,
Oxon: Routledge.
Concluding Thoughts
Mercer, Neil and Littleton, Karen (2007). Dialogue and the development of
children's thinking: a sociocultural approach. London, UK: Routledge.
Integrated STEM education has been the focus of much attention
since the inception of the National STEM School Education
Strategy (2016-2026) highlighted the role of science, technology,
engineering and mathematics in securing the futures of Australian
children in an increasingly knowledge-based economy. The
shift to integrated STEM requires teachers and schools to adopt
innovative teaching and learning strategies. In this article, we have
articulated the five steps we think are needed when developing
innovative STEM programs in school contexts. To recap:
NSW Education Standards Authority. (2017). Technology Mandatory Years 7-8
Syllabus. Retrieved from https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/
nesa/k-10/learning-areas/technologies/technology-mandatory
SRI International. (n.d.). Microsoft Partners in Learning - 21st Century Learning
Design Learning Activity Rubrics. Retrieved from https://education.microsoft.
com/gettrained/itl-research.
Vasquez, J., Sneider, Cary Ivan, author, & Comer, Michael W. (2013). STEM
lesson essentials, grades 3-8: Integrating science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics. Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann.
1. Set a vision for learning;
2. Design an ill-structured task;
Appendix 1: Microsoft Partners in Learning - 21st Century Learning Design Learning Activity Rubrics (SRI International, n.d.)
Low
21st C Skills
Collaboration
High
1
2
Students are NOT required to
work together in pairs or
groups.
Students DO work
together BUT they
DO NOT have
shared
responsibility.
3 4 5
Students DO have
shared
responsibility BUT
they ARE NOT
required to make
substantive
decisions together. Students DO have
shared
responsibility AND
they DO make
substantive
decisions together
about the content,
process, or product
of their work BUT
their work is not
interdependent. Students DO have
shared responsibility
AND they DO make
substantive decisions
together about the
content, process, or
product of their work
AND their work is
interdependent.
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SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 68 NO 1