“DO YOU THINK LIKE A SCIENTIST?”
This is the first question asked to the students during one of the most innovative and creative projects, STEAM Club, initiated by United World Schools Nepal in collaboration with Karkhana Nepal. The club is an initiative to create a learning space that connects ideas with reality and aims to enhance Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths (STEAM) education in the students.
STEAM Club further aims to foster innovative thinking and STEAM culture in students so that they could reflect and act upon personal and community issues using science and technology.
Targeting the children from grades five to eight, the Club was formed in five UWS schools including UWS HeluwaBesi, UWS Khamare, UWS Hedangnagadi, UWS Nundhaki and UWS Mahabir. The students were provided with different materials required for the project. The team from Karkhana taught the students to develop different materials related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. A total of 20 students from each school were selected for each session and were divided into five groups based on the subjects they chose. Each group was then provided with the required project supplies along with the instructions on how to use them in a safe manner.
The club formed from the session would be using the training and their ideas to inspire other students to make them familiar with the concept of science and technology.
“The project is very essential for the educational and mental growth of the students. It is already visible to us how the session has helped students explore their interest in science and technology,” says Chandra Kala Pakhrin, a Science teacher of UWS Mahabir.
The teachers from different UWS schools agree that the project would help the students receive practical knowledge, which could be combined with the theoretical knowledge they receive from the curriculum.
The students who were involved in the project were happy that they got the opportunity to explore their ideas and learn to combine their ideas with technology. “I am happy that I got the chance to attend this session. I, along with my friends, made the glass telephone, which was interesting and fun,” says Dipak Khadka, one of the UWS students.
The teachers in UWS Schools believe that projects like STEAM Club help uncover the hidden talents of these children, encourage discovery based learning and groom students to identify and solve problems using concepts of STEAM. Furthermore, STEAM Club has been all about children unleashing their potential and interest in science and technology and connecting their ideas, and creativity with technology and innovation.
