STEM Learning: How Science Can Be A Child’s Best Friend

In the hot sun of Northern Thailand, a group of school children get to work in the picturesque rice terraces of Baan Mae Salap in Mae Hong Son province. They dig deep into the soil, churning up earth as deep as 30 centimetres. But this is not an act of vandalism or even farming, but of learning.

“If we only sit and study in the classroom, we will never know how acidic or alkaline the soil truly is. But this scientific project allows us to learn more deeply,” says Jaruwan Kordoo, a 15-year-old boarding student at Chumchon Bahn Numdip School, an Educational Opportunity Expansion School in Mae Hong Son.

Jaruwan and her 4 friends - Rinlada Mahanapat, Nichamon Chuenprasob, Sidapond Preedipa and Patchara Chevitprasert – worked under the supervision of teacher Narunat Wattawong, as part of a new generation of students benefiting from UNICEF’s work in Thailand on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education.  

UNICEF is working with partners to improve STEM learning outcomes with a particular emphasis on equity (focusing on expanding STEM education into rural and small schools) and gender (girls are less likely to pursue STEM careers than boys, even though it is a key skill for the 21st century). One crucial partner is the Institute of the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST), a government agency with a mission to integrate STEM subjects into wider education and improve teaching and curriculum. Within three years, this initiative aims to benefit 25,000 children and 500 teachers directly, with many more teachers supported through online training. 

Rinlada Mahanapat, 15, is one of the most confident girls in the group. Although initially reluctant to join the project, she eventually took the lead in choosing the terraced rice fields in Mae Salap Village, her hometown, to be the research site. Teacher Narunat observes that the students never previously paid much attention to how much rice their parents harvested, but researching the soil helped them understand that the decrease in the rice yield has to do with quality of the soil or the weather.  

“I really enjoyed our participation in this project. I have seen other countries’ projects and seen the difference made, such as Sweden replacing plastic with seaweed. It's useful for me to see other countries do projects for the environment like this. Together with my friends, I'm proud to be able to share the knowledge gained from our soil quality research with the farmers in my home,” says Rinlada.  

Her research results will help her to promote the importance of the environment in her village. Step farming is a good option for agricultural work in this area because it reduces the amount of soil washed away. In addition, her village’s approach to letting livestock such as cows and buffalos eat grass in the rice fields - instead of burning it - can help preserve the ecosystem, while animal manure adds valuable minerals and nutrients to the soil.

Nurturing love for science is best started in childhood. A good example is Teacher Narunat herself. She was inspired to become a teacher by the positive impression made by a female science teacher when she was young. That teacher encouraged her to learn through questioning and observing her surroundings. These are primary scientific methods and put her on the path to becoming a science teacher at Ban Namdip School for 27 years.

She says that although STEM projects often take up a lot of time, children have fun and learn along the way. “STEM projects obviously stimulate children's interests. Some students used to pay little attention to science or mathematics but when we get them involved and working with other talented children, we can see that they greatly develop. If these kids invent something, they are ahead of their peers because they have more ideas and experience. These children discover ways of solving problems that we never expected.”

“Doing a science project made me open up to the world of science more,” says Sidapond Preedipa, 15, another girl in the same research group. “From having never done it before, I got to try it and see new things. When we were studying in classrooms, I didn't fully understand. But when I came to do a science project, it made me like science more. I am proud of myself for being able to do it. Getting to that point was stressful, but I got through it all with support from friends, teachers and parents. Everyone is proud of the project.”

For all its benefits, promoting STEM learning in remote areas faces multiple challenges, such as a lack of trained teachers. Teacher Narunat will retire next year, resulting in the school having one less science teacher, and it is not yet known whether the substitute teacher will have science teaching skills or not.

“The biggest challenge for STEM education in remote schools is the level of teaching knowledge”, confirms Kankamol Koonnarat, Baan Namdip School Director. “We may have science teachers, math teachers and computer teachers but if they do not have knowledge and understanding of the content or cannot design the learning content properly, STEM teaching won’t be fully developed.”  

Teacher Narunat hopes that by sharing her passion, some children may become tomorrow’s teachers - but her primary goal is to help them learn to love science and apply it whatever their future holds. “I want children to use scientific knowledge to practice solving problems in a step-by-step, in systematic way. I want them to practice solving problems through observations. Let them use these skills throughout their own lives and work life, no matter what area they work in.”

As with so much of UNICEF's work, partnership is crucial to STEM-based learning initiatives like the one described here. Both Pandora and BMW Group stepped up to support this initiative, and we are grateful for their forward-thinking approach and generosity.