International STEM Education Conference (ISTEM-ED) 2024 Singapore

Written By meriSTEM NIE

The International STEM Education Conference (ISTEM-ED) 2024 Singapore, organised by the Multi-centric Education, Research & Industry STEM Centre (meriSTEM@NIE), took place between 26-28 June 2024 at NIE. This inaugural conference was attended by more than 200 STEM researchers, practitioners, and policy makers from 22 economies worldwide, sharing insights on integrated STEM curriculum research, development, and implementation in relation to this year's theme "With-In and In-With STEM Education Research.” The hyphenation of “with-in” in the theme underscores the sense of unity in both formal and informal STEM education spaces, as participants conceptualise, model and practise integration to be “in-with” the STEM education fraternity.

Highlights from the conference programme included four keynote presentations by Professor Lyn D. English (Australia), Professor Gillian Roehrig (USA), Professor Jinwoong Song (South Korea), and Assistant Professor Choy Ban Heng (Singapore). There was also  a tradeshow showcasing the latest innovations and resources in STEM teaching and learning, featuring a broad spectrum of organisations from pioneering startups to established global leaders. Participants contributed nearly 80 paper and poster presentations including two symposiums, while tradeshow exhibitors, meriSTEM@NIE, and the overseas keynote speakers conducted additional workshop sessions.

 

Day 1

Pre-Conference Workshops

Day 2

Opening speeches by Associate Professor Teo Tang Wee, Professor Kenneth Poon and Mr Teo Kok Hong; Keynote by Professor Gillian Roehrig and concurrent sessions

Day 3

Keynotes by Professor Jinwoong Song, Assistant Professor Choy Ban Heng, Professor Lyn D. English, concurrent sessions and poster session

 
 
 

  • ISTEM-ED 2024 is an inaugural STEM education conference organised by the Multi-centric Education, Research and Industry STEM Centre at the National Institute of Education (meriSTEM@NIE). This conference aims to offer STEM academics, scholars, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers interested in integrated STEM curriculum and research a professional platform to share and gain new insights into important topics related to STEM teaching, learning, evaluation, assessment and research. The hyphenation between ISTEM and ED underscores the strong connections between STEM and education. The capitalisation of “I” before STEM signifies “I” as an individual in the self-actualisation process to becoming a STEM educator and researcher through dialoguing about STEM education and research with the international fraternity.

  • The ISTEM-ED Conference logo integrates a stylised hypersonic vehicle swooping high over a sunrise. The curved horizon emphasises the global nature of the conference and the dawn of an exciting time for integrated STEM education. The precise, energetic red sweep of the craft represents all at once, not only the scientific, technological, engineering, and mathematical knowledge and their natural integration inherent in such an technical endeavour, but also the universal aspirations for STEM education. Spot the subtle hint of a double-helix in the overall form of the logo to know that integrative STEM education is in our DNA, and it is our hope that the conference serves to propagate that DNA for generations to come.

  • In the last decade, integrated STEM education research has emerged as a relatively new field in education studies. While most academic scholars are not trained in integrated STEM education, many of them have straddled between disciplinary-based education research and STEM education research. The latter presents many exciting new inspirations and opportunities for the individual disciplines to be designed, enacted, assessed, evaluated, theorised, and researched. "With-in" refers to the emergence of integrated STEM education research from within the monodisciplinary education research as academic scholars bring their knowledge from science education, engineering education, mathematics education, and technology education to construct new understandings in this emerging field. "In-with" suggests the collective efforts of the academic scholars working together to legitimise integrated STEM education as an independent field of study informed by robust research and undergirded by theories. This conference is a platform for researchers to be part of the exciting journey in co-constructing their identity as integrated STEM education researchers.

  • STEM curriculum and teaching: This strand presents studies/reviews related to STEM curriculum design and enactment. The studies may discuss pedagogies, strategies, and tools that are used in conducting STEM lessons.

    STEM teacher and teacher education: This stand presents studies/reviews about STEM teachers such as their learning experiences in enacting STEM lessons in action research. It also includes presentations related to teacher preparation such as professional development workshops for teachers to learn about STEM education.

    STEM learners and learning: This stand presents studies/reviews about students learning STEM. It also includes presentations about the dispositions and aptitudes of students when participating in STEM lessons.

    STEM learning environment: This strand presents studies/reviews about STEM learning environments including ecosystems that support integrated STEM learning. The studies will discuss broader issues and topics related to environments that are supportive of STEM learning such as in makerspaces and outdoors.

    STEM education goals and policy: This strand presents studies/reviews about STEM education goals and policies of countries worldwide. It includes studies that discuss changes in education focus and the impact of such policies on STEM education and how the promotion of STEM education has impacted teaching and learning.

    STEM curriculum evaluation, and assessment: This strand presents studies/reviews about STEM curriculum, including programme evaluation. It includes studies that discuss the development of research instruments such as observation protocols and surveys for evaluative purposes. It also includes studies about assessment of students' learning in STEM lessons.

    Sociocultural issues in STEM Education: This strand presents studies/reviews about STEM education from a social and/or cultural perspective. This includes equity and gender issues related to STEM education.

    History, philosophy, epistemology, and nature of STEM and STEM education: This strand presents studies/reviews about STEM educations from a theoretical perspective invoking history, philosophy and the nature of STEM.

  • in alphabetical order

    BERNINA Education

    BERNINA Education has been developed for learners and educators to acquire a unique blend of digital and soft skills, essential for 21st-century education. Our programmes are proven to promote and develop patience, resilience and improve overall mental well-being.

    We aim to inspire and empower individuals by instilling creativity, design thinking, hands-on problem-solving skills and collaboration through our innovative, engaging and interactive programmes. We champion holistic education in equipping a new generation of learners and creators.

    We offer a range of Education Programmes (for Primary, Secondary, Tertiary Levels & Institutes of Higher Learning) that focus on Sustainability, Innovation, Prototyping and Creativity. Visit bernina.com.sg »

    DOST Science Education Institute

    Science Education Institute is one of the attached agencies of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). It is mandated to develop the Philippines' human resource capacity in science and technology through administration of undergraduate and graduate scholarships and advanced specialized trainings, conduct of promotional and research activities in Science and Technology, and development of innovative science education programs.

    The Innovations Unit (IU) of the SEI - Science Education and Innovations Division (SEID) meanwhile develops and produce educational resources, models and strategies to support teaching and learning of science and mathematics from pre-school to Grade 12 through prints, digital, interactive and immersive technology platforms. Visit sei.dost.gov.ph »

    Duck Learning

    Established in 2007, Duck Learning has emerged as a trailblazer in the field of STEAM education, driven by a deep-seated commitment to empowering students and educators alike. Duck Learning ignites a passion for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) by offering exclusive educational resources. As the distributor for LEGO Education, Quarky by STEMpedia, KUBO robotics, Databot, and Strawbees, they provide innovative kits, tools, and curriculums. These resources seamlessly integrate Robotics and AI into classrooms. Duck Learning's "The QUACK Methodology'' fosters self-directed learning and cultivates essential 21st-century skills like critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Visit ducklearning.com »

    LD Didactic GmbH

    From the beginning in 1850 till now, LD DIDACTIC concentrates on how to make content understandable for students in different levels of scientific and technical STEM education. So we are proud that for generations our training systems have made a significant contribution to knowledge transfer.

    We have found that you can achieve a lot when keeping up with customer’s needs: we continuously challenge ourselves to preserve our high-quality standards and adjust our products and services to changing curricula or new technologies.

    We can supply all from one source: Teaching systems, software for experiments and organization, experiment literature and teacher training. Visit www.ld-didactic.com »

    NIE Graduate Studies and Professional Learning

    The National Institute of Education offers evidence-informed graduate, executive leadership and professional development programmes and courses for educators and professionals in educational settings. Our faculty members are deeply passionate about teaching and learning. They are experts in education, and many are also internationally renowned in their respective academic fields. Our aim is for students and learners to become thought leaders, skillful teachers, disciplinary experts and good researchers. This aspiration is embodied in our philosophical statement of “Learning Differently, Leading Change”. Visit www.ntu.edu.sg/nie/about-us/programme-offices/office-of-graduate-studies-and-professional-learning »

    Science Centre Singapore

    At Science Centre Singapore, we make science accessible and engaging, creating an environment that fosters a love for science and discovery in all who visit. With 14 exhibition galleries, we house more than 1,000 exhibits covering a wide range of topics related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). We also offer a wide range of enrichment programmes for students, professional learning activities for educators, as well as enriching and fun events, competitions and outreach activities for people from all walks of life. Join us at the Science Centre, as well as other Science Centre attractions such as Omni-Theatre, Snow City and KidsSTOP. Visit www.science.edu.sg »

    Spectra-Teknik (S) Pte Ltd

    Spectra-Teknik (S) Pte Ltd is a Singapore-based company and we specialize in supplying Scientific Equipment suitable for Laboratory, Out-Field and Industrial use. Given our broad product offering, we have a wide clientele base in various fields, including but not limited to Government Agencies, Universities, Research and Educational Institutions/Schools as well as Industries in Semi-Conductors, Petro-Chemicals, Pharmaceutical and Food. Visit spectra-teknik.com »

    Springer

    Springer is part of Springer Nature, a leading global publisher that serves and supports the research community. With one of the strongest HSS and STM eBook collections and archives, Springer has a comprehensive range of authoritative books, journals, and reference works covering key areas in their respective fields.

    We are exhibiting at the ISEC and ISTEM-ED conferences, and invite you to explore our growing portfolio and find out more about the benefits of publishing with Springer. Researchers interested in authoring or editing a book are encouraged to drop by and have a chat with our Publishing Editors. Visit www.springer.com/gp »

    Stick'Em Pte Ltd

    Our mission is to give every child an avenue to pursue quality STEAM Education and create thinkers and problem-solvers for the future of humanity.

    Nearly 1 billion children are growing up without proper technological education. In 2030, without STEAM skills, most of these children won’t have a future.

    Our solution? SUPER affordable STEAM Kits to empower children to develop curiosity in STEAM fields, paired with our Stick ‘Em online ecosystem that engages students in fun and exciting STEAM challenges. Visit stickem.sg »

    Texas Instruments

    For more than 30 years, Texas Instruments (TI) has been an active member of classrooms around the world, empowering teachers and inspiring students to succeed in mathematics and science. Through our calculators, coaching and classroom resources, TI Education Technology is transforming the way teachers teach and students learn STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects. With our award-winning products, engaging lessons, real-time assessment and top-notch professional development, TI is leading the way in mathematics and science education. Visit education.ti.com »

    Tinker Class Pte Ltd

    Tinker Class delivers comprehensive technology education solutions tailored for schools, educators, and learners across Singapore and Southeast Asia. Our extensive selection of STEM products is perfect for makerspaces and classrooms alike, featuring popular brands like micro:bit, Raspberry Pi, M5Stack, Gigo Toys, 3Doodler, ElecFreaks, Chibitronics, Makedo, Cubetto, Sphero, and more. As STEM educators ourselves, we regularly incorporate these products into our own classes, giving us in-depth knowledge of the curated catalogue we offer. Visit tinkerclass.tech »

    VEX Robotics

    VEX Robotics is educational robotics for everyone. The VEX Continuum spans all levels of both formal and informal education from primary though to university education. With accessible, scalable, and affordable solutions, VEX encourages science and engineering principles as well as creativity, teamwork, leadership, and problem solving among groups. It allows educators of all types to engage and inspire the STEM problem solvers of tomorrow!

    VEX offers robotics solutions and lesson plans for classroom use, robotics competitions for extra-curricular use and ongoing professional development through our PD+ platform. Visit vm-education.com/vex-robotics/ »

Keynote Speakers

Lyn D. English

Professor of STEM Education/Mathematics Education
School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Queensland University of Technology, Australia

Lyn English is Professor of mathematics education and STEM education at the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Her areas of research include mathematics/STEM education, ways of thinking in integrated STEM-based problem solving, mathematical modelling, engineering education, and statistical reasoning. Her research has been supported for many years by grants from the Australian Research Council. Professor English is a Fellow of The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, and is founding editor (1997) of the international journal, Mathematical Thinking and Learning (Taylor & Francis). She was awarded the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia Career Research Medal in 2012, and the University Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research in 2015.

 

  • Ways of Thinking in STEM-based Problem Solving

    This presentation will argue that traditional notions of problem solving are outmoded, highlighting the need for more future-oriented approaches. Compelling evidence for reviewing and restructuring school problem-solving experiences can be found in the ill-conceived ways in which society dealt with Covid-19. A focus on ways of thinking in dealing with unforeseen problems has been lacking in education, despite an OECD report warning 13 years ago that “Education today is much more about ways of thinking which involve creative and critical approaches to problem-solving and decision-making.” The presentation will address this gap by examining various modes of thinking with-in STEM-based problem solving across the primary and middle grades. Consideration will be given to design and design-based thinking, systems thinking in dealing with complexity, critical and philosophical thinking, and adaptive and innovative thinking. In conjunction with fostering disciplinary and interdisciplinary concept development, ways of thinking can promote students’ competence in undertaking STEM-based investigations. Design-based thinking, for example, is increasingly prevalent in STEM and in society more broadly. Appropriate problem experiences can facilitate students’ learning about design and through design, with the former targeting the iterative processes of designing, and the latter, STEM knowledge application and development. Examples of investigations encouraging different ways of thinking across primary and middle grades will be explored, covering topics in mathematics education and STEM education more broadly, such as, mathematical representations, models and modelling, scheduling, measurement and geometry, spatial reasoning, coordinates, statistics, and earth science including energy sources.

  • Exploring and Developing STEM-based Problems that Challenge Students’ Thinking

    This International STEM Education workshop will comprise four components as follows:

    1. a brief review of traditional problem solving where problems tend to be closed, have only one correct answer, and require the application of previously taught procedures. These problems tend not to promote different ways of thinking or encourage development of new concepts.

    2. a brief consideration of why traditional problem solving is inadequate for today’s rapidly changing world.

    3. an overview of different ways of thinking, to be addressed more fully in the plenary.

    4. exploration of interactive STEM-based problems that encourage both disciplinary knowledge growth and application, and different ways of thinking. It is envisaged that participants will engage in working a sample of such problems, together with designing their own examples. Included in this component will be shared ideas on assessing students’ responses.

    If possible, it would be helpful if participants could bring samples of problems implemented in their classrooms/school systems. These could be explored during the workshop and adapted to encourage more challenging problem solving and thinking skills.

 

Gillian Roehrig

Professor of STEM Education
University of Minnesota, USA

Dr. Roehrig is a professor of STEM Education at the University of Minnesota. Her research explores issues of professional development for K-12 science teachers, with a focus on implementation of integrated STEM learning environments and induction and mentoring of beginning secondary science teachers. Her work in integrated STEM explores teachers' conceptions and implementation of STEM, curriculum development, and student learning in small groups during STEM lessons. She has received over $50 million in federal and state grants and published over 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She is a former president of the Association for Science Teacher Education and the Immediate Past President of NARST.

 

  • Gender Equity Related to Integrated STEM in K-12 Classrooms

    Recent educational reforms in the United States promote integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as a means of remaining globally competitive and advancing the knowledge and thinking skills of all students (National Research Council, 2012). However, despite efforts to improve access and quality of STEM education, women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields (National Science Foundation, 2017). Given the prevalence of small group activities in K-12 STEM instruction, it is important to understand how students engage in epistemic discourse as they develop design solutions to real-world problems and engage in authentic STEM practices, parallel to those of STEM professionals. Given issues with gender equity in STEM, it is particularly important to consider the engagement of girls in STEM discourse and the impact on their developing STEM identities.

  • Characteristics of High Quality Integrated STEM Curriculum

    In this workshop, participants will learn about the characteristics of quality integrated STEM curriculum through the K-12 Integrated STEM Framework (Roehrig et al., 2021). This framework builds upon the extant integrated STEM literature to describe seven central characteristics of integrated STEM: (a) centrality of engineering design, (b) driven by authentic problems, (c) context integration, (d) content integration, (e) STEM practices, (f) twenty-first century skills, and (g) informing students about STEM careers. The integrated STEM framework is intended to provide more specific guidance to educators about the curriculum development and implementation. The framework will be illustrated by engaging participants in an exemplar integrated STEM curriculum. Participants will engage in some of the hands-on activities and reflect on the activities using the Integrated STEM Framework.

 

Jinwoong Song

Professor of Physics Education
Seoul National University, South Korea

Jinwoong Song is a professor of physics education at Seoul National University (SNU), the director of SNU Teacher Education Innovation Center (TEIC), and a fellow of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST). He received his BSc in physics and MEd in science education from SNU, and his PhD in science education from King’s College London in 1990. He has been actively engaged with international collaborations for establishing EASE (East-Asian Association for Science Education) as its 2nd president and APSE (Asia-Pacific Science Education) journal as its 1st editor-in-chief. Along with his life-long work with Korean Association for Science Education (KASE), he has served for several national-level policy making for the innovations of Korean science education, including Science Core Schools, 2015 National Science Curriculum, and Korean Science Education Standards (KSES). With ongoing academic interests in the interplay between science education and HPS (the history and philosophy of science), his current research interests cover science curriculum, the nature of science / physics, East Asian science classroom culture, science classroom creativity, science as wisdom, and the history and philosophy of science education.

 

  • Separately and Together: The Dilemmas of STEM Education

    Today, STEM education has become an irreversible global trend. It has become a ‘slogan’ for reforming current school and university education in both so-called developed and developing countries. STEM education is similar to the STS education of the 1980s and 1990s in that it emphasizes its integrated approaches and social contexts, but is different in that its core subjects go beyond science to include mathematics and engineering. In addition, the dilemmas surrounding the nature and methods of STEM education still continue. The first dilemma is whether the focus of STEM education should be on expanding its scope in curriculum or reforming its essential methods in teaching. The second dilemma is that mathematics, science, and engineering, the components of STEM, have not only common features but also significant differences in their natures. If we emphasize the common features, it is easy to miss the nature of individual disciplines, and vice versa. The third dilemma is that the nature of each individual discipline itself has been fundamentally changing through the second half of the 20th century. What STEM educators think of as their respective fields of study is no longer consistent with that of the 21st century. In this presentation, I will look back on the historical developments of emphasizing the social relevance of science in school education, compare the features of STEM disciplines, and explore its practical future direction by focusing on the ‘participation and action’ dimension of STEM education.

  • Developing informal STEAM programmes for scientific engagement and practice: Lessons from the 'Doing Science, the Gangnam Style' project

    In many countries, including Korea, STE(A)M education activities are still limited to the school education environment. As modern society changes into a life-long learning society, the scene of STE(A)M education also needs to take place in the context of non-formal education settings. In particular, in a future society where 'scientific participation and practice' is emphasized more and more, a key question becomes what kind of STEM learning experience not only for students but also for citizens need. In this workshop, how to develop an informal STEAM education program for 'scientific participation and practice' is going to be discussed, based on the experience of operating 'Doing Science, the Gangnam Style' Project, a university-community collaborative STEAM education program for elementary and middle school students and the general public that has been running since 2022. We plan to share our experiences of and lessons from the problems encountered when developing and operating. Participants will have the opportunity to explore appropriate topics and methods of STEM education programs that start from the context of their own local community and connect to global STEM issues.

 

Choy Ban Heng

Assistant Professor in Mathematics Education
National Institute of Education,
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Dr. Choy Ban Heng is an Assistant Professor in Mathematics Education at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. As a recipient of the NIE Overseas Graduate Scholarship, Dr. Choy received his PhD from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, in 2015. He is currently one of the co-Heads for meriSTEM@NIE, a Multi-centric Education, Research, and Industry STEM centre in NIE. As a mathematics educator, Dr. Choy's research focuses on developing mathematics teachers' expertise in noticing critical mathematical and instructional details during the planning, enactment, and review of lessons. His other research interests include teacher professional learning, mathematics instructional practices, mathematics task design, and more recently STEM education. He currently serves as an Associate Editor of a new STEM education journal published by Brill. Besides being the principal and co-principal investigators of several research projects, Dr. Choy was also the leader for a STEM teacher development project in Thailand funded by Temasek Foundation.

 

  • Noticing Affordances for Developing Integrated STEM Mindsets through "Day-to-Day Classroom" Mathematics Tasks

    There have been calls for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) educators to design learning experiences around authentic integrated STEM tasks—those that involve two or more disciplines—to empower our learners to develop productive mindsets or habits of mind necessary for navigating through a highly complex and uncertain world. Much of our efforts revolves around designing integrated STEM tasks that centre around solving a complex persistent problem, developing and enhancing existing solutions, or designing for specific users in different contexts. Designing and implementing such integrated STEM tasks poses several challenges for teachers and such approaches often engender a polarising discourse between integrated STEM tasks and "day-to-day classroom" tasks. This gap between integrated STEM tasks and "day-to-day classroom" tasks is even more evident in mathematics classrooms. With the aim of developing productive integrated STEM mindsets, I wonder if we can challenge this limiting thinking and re-envision how affordances of "day-to-day classroom" mathematics tasks can be harnessed differently. In this presentation, I will add to this ongoing conversation by considering and illustrating how these "day-to-day classroom" mathematics tasks can complement integrated STEM tasks to make STEM learning an integral part of everyday mathematics learning experiences.

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