A 3-Tier Solution for Facilitating STEM Education in Primary Schools

Abstract

Many countries around the world are now putting emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education for a viable workforce in the high-growth technology sector. Teaching STEM at the primary level is important to spark the interest of young minds for future success at later stages of education (e.g., university). Imparting STEM education at the primary level has faced shortcomings due to insufficient training and background in the underlying subjects. Using innovative means to teach STEM makes it more attractive for the students, and easier to prepare and deliver for the teachers who normally need to manage a heavy workload. We introduce our 3-tier solution for facilitating STEM education in New Zealand primary schools. Our system consists of an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-empowered mobile robot, STEM-inspired storytelling, and a crowd-sourced content sharing platform. We present preliminary results of demonstrating our solution in Auckland primary schools. Feedback from teachers and students show that there is a deep interest in our solution.