The Pedagogy
Designed to build the young learner’s competency
in science and engineering process skills.
For a highly engaging learning experience, STEMWerkz integrates:
- inquiry-based pedagogies,
- relevance-based teaching,
- science and engineering practices,
- hands-on investigations (with Lab-In-a-Box)
for children to explore the wonders of the natural world and apply the knowledge to solve problems in their daily lives.
Future-Ready Children need to develop Science & Engineering Practices and an Inquiring Mind
To have the ability to adapt to an ecosystem of new technologies, children must be able to apply certain thoughts and actions (Practices) in Science and Engineering, combined with the ability to ask the right questions (Inquiry) — collectively, they can be known as STEM practices and attributes.
Science and Engineering attributes are not just applicable to those who wish to pursue a career in scientific and engineering fields.
The practices in Science help the individual develop the ability to understand how the natural world works (an act of discovery), while practices in Engineering help her apply past and present knowledge to solve problems she faces in her environment (an act of design and invention), and Technology helps her make use of what is available to solve those problems. To develop such Science and Engineering attributes, our students need to be well-versed in the Practices of Science and Engineering.
Science
Understanding how the natural world works.
Engineering
Apply knowledge of Science & Mathematics to SOLVE problems in the real world
Technology
Apply knowledge of Science & Mathematics to SOLVE problems in the real world
Discovery
Invention & Design
Based on the science and engineering
practices proposed by the Next
Generation Science Standards (NGSS), learners progressively develop proficiency in different practices as they progress through with STEMWerkz.
Lesson design follows an inquiry-based approach through the 5Es instructional model to help our learners explore and apply scientific knowledge and concepts in authentic settings.
STEMWerkz provides a remote learning opportunity for students to progressively acquire such practices, through an immersive exploration of purposefully developed learning games, learning quests, and interactive contents.
Acquiring such practices and developing skills in inquiry demands that students remain engaged in the learning process. STEMWerkz features several of the following engagement handles in the user experience:
Share, through Social Currency, by enabling students to show, share and compare the results of their achievements.
Examples:
- Rankings in Monthly Challenge
- Badges earned through Quests
- Progressing in levels in STEAMValley
Play, through Game Mechanics, by introducing STEAMValley as an immersive game that challenges learners to solve problems, acquire and apply knowledge in Science and Mathematics, and design in the development of their town.
Freedom, by providing a sense Autonomy, through a rich library of animated and interactive content in Channel that cover different concepts in Science, Engineering and Technology.
Joy, by promoting Positive Emotions. The rich repertoire of activities in Channel and STEAMValley promotes positive emotions of awe, excitement and amusement as they advance in their understanding of the natural world and develop problem solving abilities.