EdTech startup Ethafa, in collaboration of Fablab Bahrain and Fablab SUPSI Lugano, launched a special collaborative project to train teachers on STEAM subjects through distance learning during the COVID19 lockdown.
Dubbed STrEAMing, the new program was originally designed to test a framework to empower educators and help them improve their grip on STEAM education content. It also focuses on helping teachers develop the skill set to efficiently teach in online settings.
Most importantly, the STrEAMing program addresses the fundamental questions associated with STEAM teaching such as how they can take the core concepts of STEAM subjects and mold them in accordance to the ever-evolving classroom of the 21st century. With the lockdown rendering physical interaction and hands-on demonstrations unfeasible, the program also helps teachers find ways to teach STEAM content using alternative methods.
The STrEAMing program uses accessible and easy-to-understand tools for maximum efficiency. These include:
- Google Hangout for the sessions.
- DIY STrEAMing Kit, a physical structure to transform a smartphone in a top view camera
- The Ethafa Eolim Kit that includes: one potentiometer, RGB LEDs, one LDR sensor, breadboard, Arduino Nano Every, 9V battery (and battery clip) and the Steammian box.
- Google slides for the theoretical lectures.
- Tinkercad for the circuit making.
- Arduino IDE.
The pilot edition of the program involved five primary school teachers who underwent a two-day online workshop help almost completely in Arabic. However, since then, the program has undergone several modifications to accommodate a diverse group of teachers from different backgrounds.