STEM Integration in Resource Constrained Environments

摘要

The revolutionary pace of technological advancements of present day offer a silver lining for bringing about much needed and desired change in education systems in developing countries to bring them at par with the requirements of the 21st century. STEM education promises the necessary impetus to catapult the orthodox education systems to modernity in an accelerated manner. In this chapter, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of STEM integration in the context of resource-constrained environments, offer our insights and present novel approaches developed based on our experiences from STEM implementation in urban and rural areas of Pakistan. From setting up purpose-built STEM labs to conducting STEM sessions in tight spaces or open areas, development of STEM curriculum based on relevance, authenticity and affordability, from robotics to do-it-yourself (DIY) projects with low cost electronics or recyclable and reusable materials, a range of possibilities are extensively covered. Teacher training and program sustainability are also discussed for STEM integration in resource-constrained environments of developing countries.