By; AYO OJEDOKUN, Lagos
A 3-day capacity building for 60 newly employed STEM Teachers in Lagos State Education District VI has ended at the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) Pavilion, Alausa, Ikeja on Thursday.
The aim of the event was successfully achieved following giant strides recorded during the exercise.
Mrs. Adeola Akinsulure, Convener of the event lauded participants having stayed committed to the exercise through out the 3 days.
” The Training has been an eye open to help teachers of District VI become more informed and better at what they do, as the students will be the major beneficiary ” she added.
She expressed her gratitude to the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for the sponsorship via funding by the U.S. Government, administered by IREX.
Participants described the event as timely, vowing to replicate the gesture while impacting lives.
They unanimously affirm that training gave an insight into how to access free educational resources online and leverage technology to stimulate students’ interest and participation in STEM innovations and inventions.
Mrs. Akinsulure reiterated the relevance of education in national development which cannot be over emphasized.
Participants were urged to develop a Science Class Improvement Plan (SCIP) for their respective schools, bringing all their expertise to bear.
For group presentation, Team Chemistry came 1st, mathematics came 2nd and Physics came 3rd.
Reiterating her commitment towards this laudable achievement, Mrs. Adeola Akinsulure affirmed that
there will be a launch of Professional community called the STEM COLLABORATORS which will be saddled with the responsibility of creating mentorship, providing networking opportunities for all participants and free online Webinars to help improve theirs skill going forward.
Recommendations at the end of the program by participants included ;Teachers should equip themselves and be ready for the new world of STEM. The inclusion of indigenous language in STEM curriculum and translation for faster and quicker adoption.
STEM industries are continually growing and changing, so teachers of STEM subjects need to take a creative and adaptable approach to their teaching styles to get the most out of their students.
A stronger emphasis should be placed on applying scientific skills, learning technology, production skills, and design thinking.
Teachers should bridge the gap between the classroom and real life, which is what STEM stands for.
Schools should create educational programs or clubs for underrepresented groups in STEM.
Management should connect Students with STEM mentors.
The government should endeavor to equip the various schools in our Education Districts with technological gadgets.
Science textbooks especially mathematics needs to be reviewed subsequently by authors in line with trending STEM innovatives.
Some Personalities at the event were Mr.Austin Oduloye, father of the convener, Mrs. Ayo Vaughan of the Learning & Development Unit of Education District VI.
Others were Engineer Jide and Engineer Dare Olayemi of Project + Potential, Mrs. Folake Kuti, Gender Advocate and Rights Activist, Comrade Gbagba of NUT Ikeja Zone and Mrs. Akande G.A, retired Principal among others.
As participants look forward to a robust exercise in the coming days, one can be sure that Schools in Lagos State will continue to produce future leaders whose names will grace the pages of history books.
