STE(A)M in Split: What opportunities are offered to children and young people?
Romana Ban
23.01.2022.
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Support our communityRomana Ban
23.01.2022.
Fans of the legendary GITAK TV shows will surely remember the saying: “I love those words that sound nice and mean nothing.”
Perhaps the phrase above could also be used to describe the abbreviations STEM and STEAM? We hear them mentioned very often, but few really understand the meaning behind them.
If we do not fully understand the importance of STE(A)M, it may not be clear to us why it is important to provide new generations with a ‘ste(a)m-astic’ environment and support from an early age.
This article will be an attempt to contribute to this important topic.
My conversational partners today come from different sectors, but what they all have in common is that, together with their colleagues, they create the much-needed STE(A)M opportunities for children and young people in and around Split.
Dijana Barić Perić (Tinker Labs Split), Jozo Pivac (Association Inovatic), and Damir Brčić (EDIT CodeSchool) revealed all the details about the programs they initiated, which include hundreds of preschoolers and schoolchildren, but for a start, I bring you their thoughts on a ‘mystery’ called STE(A)M…
STEM is an English acronym that stands for different areas of education:
S – Science,
T – Technology,
E – Engineering,
M – Mathematics.
The letter A, which stands for ‘Arts’, has started to be inserted into this acronym with increasing frequency.
In the context of the Croatian education system, these areas of expertise are represented through the various school subjects: Nature and Society, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Technical Education, and Geography, as well as through various vocational subjects in vocational high schools.
“Within the regular and elective subjects in elementary schools, STEM content is present mostly in Technical Education and Computer Science. However, cooperative action between subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, etc. is important to achieve true interdisciplinarity, which is crucial in STEM content and implementation of these types of activities”, said Jozo Pivac, who serves as president of the Inovatic Association and works as a teacher of Computer Science and Technical Education.
“Our school system is quite inert while the world is changing at the rate never experienced before. The technological devices that are being introduced into our curriculum will not change the situation much if there is no vision and courage to design and implement the content of the school subjects in a modern way, and for students to solve practical problems from the real world as part of their education. In this way, STEM subjects would be among the most interesting for the students themselves, and they would certainly be much better prepared for the new challenges and job opportunities that have emerged”, warns Damir Brčić.
It is crucial to emphasize that STEM should not be seen only as a set of educational areas.
Actually, STEM is first and foremost a way of thinking and a wholesome approach to upbringing and education!
STEM involves the development of theories and tools through an interdisciplinary approach and experiential learning.
Some of the traits and skills associated with the STEM approach are problem-solving ability, scientific thinking, analytical thinking, drawing conclusions, critical thinking, accepting failure, positive learning experience, perseverance, and courage.
“Unfortunately, in the formal education, the STEM approach exists only as a concept on paper because children are taught all the knowledge and skills that the STEM approach encompasses only theoretically. This is often caused by the lack of funds needed for quality STEM teaching, but the biggest problem is the lack of knowledge, will, and ambition to change the education system by teachers, professors, school management, and the relevant Ministry “, says Dijana Barić Perić.
According to her, children not only need to be introduced to an area, knowledge, concept, or skill to be able to apply it in a specific situation, but they also need to be able to connect and apply what they have learned in similar situations on their own:
“In addition, they should be encouraged to come up with new ideas so that they can come to a conclusion as to why and how someone came up with a particular invention or solution. The STEM approach to education does not mean that all children should be ‘educated’ to be geniuses and inventors, but that they should be taught to think critically, ask questions, and think for themselves! ”
Dijana believes that all children are naturally interested in STEM because they are curious by nature, which is the first step towards interest in STEM areas. Unfortunately, their interest declines over time because their natural instinct and innate passion are not encouraged, that is, an environment is not created in which they can further develop that natural interest and curiosity they have.
Jozo shares similar thoughts: “Our experience has shown that children of primary school age are the ones who are the most interested in STEM activities. The reason may lie in the fact that these activities are often imbued with various playful elements, which encourages additional motivation and curiosity in the youngest children.”
“Children’s natural curiosity and their constant questioning of the world around them still do not find appropriate programs and answers in education. However, if we set the proverbial fire to their innate passion, children develop habits or skills of reasoning and critical thinking, which will guide them in learning no matter which school or profession they choose one day, so their interest in STEM should not decline with age”, emphasizes Dijana.
Experts predict that future careers will be mainly related to STEM areas. By guiding children towards STEM, we guide them towards their future and towards their future careers.
“STEM education provides young people with an easier understanding of the present and future world and has a positive effect on their adaptation in today’s society. STEM activities also encourage them to move from the level of users to the level of creators of modern technologies and thus prepare them for their future work and development,” explains Jozo, and Damir adds:
“A society that does not adopt technological knowledge and skills fast enough cannot progress, and that gap will only widen as technology becomes more advanced. We are witnessing the statement of the French President regarding the necessity of mastering artificial intelligence technologies at the state level, otherwise, the country will, in his opinion, soon be irreparably lagging behind as a society. If, in addition to STEM knowledge, the entrepreneurial mindset of young people, which is a natural STEM area, was encouraged, I think it would unleash the huge potential that exists, but is currently suppressed because as a society we do not promote such values enough.”
In addition to all the above, it seems to me that Dijana pointed out something crucial:
“Children involved in STEM activities have a different way of learning. They learn with understanding, they don’t learn by memorizing by heart.”
After we talked a little bit about STE(A)M, it is time to highlight the great activities initiated by our conversational partners, which are available to children and young people in our city.
Their programs can indeed serve as examples of good practice in their corresponding sector.
Let’s go in order!
Tinker Labs is a Croatian educational franchise that offers a unique STEAM approach that includes science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics, experiments, and practical learning.
Launched several years ago in Osijek, it has spread not only throughout Croatia but also to many cities in the region.
Fortunately, the Tinker Laboratory for the youngest kids has also been opened in Split, thanks to Dijana.
“As Chemistry Masters, the motivation for opening such a school is the wrong method of teaching, primarily Chemistry, and then also Physics and Mathematics in elementary and high schools,” explains Dijana.
Namely, from her many years of experience working with children through lessons, lectures in schools, and at universities, she got the impression that children are not aware that these sciences are all around us and that it is something natural and applicable.
To most children, she says, the subjects mentioned are repulsive, illogical, and difficult to understand. They are required to learn dry definitions and formulas and are not given enough practical or experimental work.
“At Tinker Labs, children are introduced, through play and fun, to chemical and physical laws and experiments at a very early age. For these children, the first encounter with Chemistry and Physics in elementary school will not be foreign and unknown. For example, they have been working on the electrical circuit since the age of 7, and when they come across this material in the eighth grade, the children from our school excel because they have developed creative and logical thinking, which goes beyond defined school subjects.”
Tinker Labs deals with all STEM areas and their subcategories. However, they believe that the inclusion of art in the STEM model is a necessity because it is Art, explains Dijana, which provides a key element in the process of innovative thinking that holistically takes place within the mind.
“When it comes to this kind of thinking, children are geniuses because they have not yet started to classify phenomena into certain disciplines. We want to provide an inspiring space where children can use their hands and mind to create and build different things. Our goal is to develop their passion for learning through play, especially the passion for the many different STEAM subjects we cover during the school years. The slogan that accompanies the development of our curriculum is – ‘From play to passion to purpose‘.”
For this school year, Tinker Labs in Split offers beginner programs for children from 4 to 6 years (TINKER TOTS) and from 7 to 14 years (TINKER TOWN).
In the next school year, they will introduce advanced courses TINKER TOTS PLUS (5-7 years) and TINKER TOWN PLUS (8-14 years).
In addition to the above, there are also TINKER WORLD (9-14 years), TINKER WORLD PLUS (10-14 years), TINKER VERSE, and TINKER VERSE PLUS (12-16 years) programs.
Each of the programs contains 40 teaching hours during the school year, and classes are held once a week from 45 to 75 minutes, depending on the complexity of the program.
“Every school year, children learn over 200 STEAM concepts and do about 150 different experiments and tasks, which is something they don’t have the opportunity to see and do anywhere else”, says Dijana.
In addition to their regular programs, they offer STEAM workshops for children, art and summer workshops, and very soon Tinker birthdays, as well.
The Association for Robotics “Inovatic” was founded in 2014 with the aim of education in the field of modern technical disciplines.
“We are primarily engaged in education in the field of robotics, which interdisciplinary combines electronics, mechanics, automation, and programming”, explains Jozo, who is the president of the Association.
They organize year-round workshops for participants, which they group according to their age and previous experience in robotics.
Consequently, they have programs for beginners and advanced for preschool age, lower elementary school students, upper elementary school students, and high school students.
In addition to all of the above, they also have various competitive programs for more experienced and motivated students.
Jozo points out that their workshops are open to all students who show interest in engaging in such activities:
“We strive to dedicate ourselves equally to all students, both those who show talent and those with individual needs.”
And the public sector has its own horse in the race! Namely, as part of the ICT County project, and with the motto “Knowledge available to all“, for the fifth year in a row, EDIT – a free programming school for elementary and high school students in Split-Dalmatia County – has been implemented.
“Through meetings, the EDIT CodeSchool team defined expectations from the labor market and formal education in the field of ICT and, based on this data, designed an educational program that aims to encourage students to engage in this extremely interesting and sought-after field,” explains Damir Brčić, ICT County Project Manager.
The list of courses they are currently conducting is really impressive and to be commended:
“At EDIT CodeSchool we have applied the principle of ‘Teach the Teachers ’: we have trained teachers and professors of Computer Science in selected schools to run the curriculum of our modernly designed courses, developed by local IT professionals and experts. Armed with this new knowledge, the teachers returned to their respective schools, where they keep successfully training new generations of students – participants in the EDIT program”, explains Damir.
Damir is full of praise for the professors involved in the mentioned projects: “Participation in our programs represents a great challenge and satisfaction for EDIT professors. They quickly realized that this type of knowledge was desperately needed, so no greater motivation than that was needed. These are responsible people who have shown that they want to learn and advance in their profession, so they are ready to learn all new knowledge they need to teach at EDIT CodeSchool, but also for their own professional advancement. Only with quality, with a professional and highly qualified staff, can we ensure that students receive the education that follows the time in which they live.”
All students are required to do a practical final project to apply the acquired knowledge and skills and develop their teamwork skills.
Although it seems that presentations, videos, and examples are key to successful education, this is never enough without high-quality mentoring and motivation, which is provided by educated EDIT lecturers, Damir emphasizes.
“After all, high-quality students motivate the teachers, and this is what gives special value and effect to education because it is based on this interaction that we adjust the content and teaching methods every year,” he explains.
It’s not all for everyone and we don’t all need to be into ST(E)AM.
However, it is important that we are aware of the opportunities and potential benefits that our children and young people (and ultimately society as a whole) can have if we provide them with a stimulating environment, which ST(E)AM opportunities like these definitely provide.
Tinker Labs, Inovatic Association, and EDIT Code School are just some of the shining examples of extracurricular activities that make our city a better place to live.
A big thanks to their representatives for their time given to Split Tech City, but above all – thank you for all the small and big steps you make that make Split move forward!
The article was translated from Croatian by Nikolina Kukoč.
Article cover photo by: Inovatic Association
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