Interviewing the Editors of Future-Proofing STEAME Education in South Africa

AOSIS recently had the privilege of interviewing the four volume editors of the open-access book Future-proofing STEAME Education in South Africa – Rajendran Govender, Josef de Beer, Rouaan Maarman, and Rajendra Chetty. Supported by funding from Standard Bank, South Africa, this book offers innovative perspectives on integrating science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, and entrepreneurship into education. The interview dives into the motivations behind writing the book, addresses the challenges of implementing STEAME in classrooms, and explores how its insights could transform science education in South Africa.

What was the reason behind writing this book?

In order to provide epistemological access to curriculum themes to all South African learners, we need to rethink science education. A STEAME (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics and Entrepreneurship) approach is a departure from the classic STEM approach, where the role of the arts, and fostering entrepreneurial mind-sets in learners, are emphasized. This of course asks for more engaging pedagogies in the science classroom, as well as changes to how we approach science teacher professional development. Although a STEAM focus (infusing arts into the teaching and learning of science) has been argued for since 2006, very little progress has been made over the past two decades in terms of contributing to a robust body of research in this field. It is hoped that this book will address the gap in the literature and stimulate a debate among scholars.

So why has little progress been made in introducing arts and entrepreneurial thinking in the school science classroom?

Most science educators focus on tenets of science such as its empirical and inferential nature, forgetting that science is also creative, and that it is a human endeavour affected by a social and cultural milieu. Authors such as Fulton and Simpson Steele (2016) show the alignment in the processes of science and arts, in that both require discovery, observation, experimentation, description, interpretation, analysis, and evaluation. Fostering an entrepreneurial mindset in learners is essential in a country with very high unemployment rates. However, teachers were not adequately prepared in scaffolding such an entrepreneurial mindset during their pre-service teacher education. Another problem is the strong focus on summative assessment, and a bureaucratic education system that often does not foster creativity and self-directed learning.

What can readers expect in this book?

The book provides possible solutions to many of the perennial problems facing science education in South Africa.

Chapter 1 provides a holistic perspective on science education in South Africa, also focusing on the TVET sector.

The school curriculum calls for the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in curriculum themes, but research shows that lip-service is paid to this curriculum imperative. Chapter 2 focuses on the affordances of the epistemological border-crossing with indigenous knowledge in the science classroom, and how it could enhance learning among culturally diverse learners.

Chapter 3 focuses on the lack of reformed teaching practices that often follow in the post-intervention classroom, and how Change Laboratories could address this problem, and pave the way for more effective teacher professional development.

In Chapter 4 the spotlight is on the facilitation of meaningful learning, and the role of cognitive disequilibrium for supporting conceptual change.

We often spend large sums of money on improving science education in the FET level, neglecting the Foundation Phase. We can use the metaphor of fixing a house’s leaking roof, while the foundation is crumbling. In Chapter 5 the focus is on foundation phase teaching and learning, and the role of coding and robotics in fostering computational thinking among young learners.

Language greatly influences epistemological access to science, and in Chapter 6 language and pedagogical translanguaging are discussed.

In the 21st Century, we need to enhance self-directed learning, as this will better equip learners to survive the complexities they will face. Chapter 7 focuses on engaging pedagogies that could foster self-directed learning, such as problem-based learning.

The theme of problem-based learning is further explored in Chapter 8, with a specific focus on the intrinsic unity of critical thinking, problem-based learning and mathematical modelling.

The focus of Chapter 9 is inclusion in the STEAME classroom, and addressing inequality in the classroom, particularly in disadvantaged and low-resourced schools.

In Chapter 10 the authors focus on teacher wellness, as this has a major impact on the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom.

Chapter 11 explores the opportunities and challenges of infusing the arts and entrepreneurial thinking in the STEM classroom. The chapter illustrates the affordances of innovative STEAME approaches through four case studies.

Chapter 12 sheds light on the role of information communication technologies in the STEAME classroom.

Chapter 13 provides an argument for reasoning backwards with the aid of visual diagrams to solve a calculus problem.

Although slightly eclectic in nature, the 13 chapters make a case for rethinking science education in South Africa, and fostering self-directed learning in learners.

What is special about this book?

This book is the result of a collaborative writing project in the Faculty of Education at the University of the Western Cape, and marks the first volume in the UWC Education Book Series. However, researchers from other HEI’s (North-West University, Akademia and the University of Stellenbosch), and the Western Cape Education Department, also co-authored chapters with UWC staff. It was a unique and rewarding journey where colleagues from the different disciplines and with a wide repertoire of skills and knowledges worked together to address an interesting range of themes within the area of STEAME education. Each chapter is a noteworthy contribution to teaching and learning in a more multi-disciplinary way that combines science, technology, engineering, the arts, mathematics and entrepreneurship to guide new pedagogical approaches to student inquiry, discussion, problem-solving, self-directed learning, indigenous knowledge systems, etc.

The book emerges three decades after the democratic dispensation of 1994 that heralded transformation in education. While we continue to grapple with legacies of the past, this book project has provided us an opportunity to review our scholarly engagement and embrace opportunities for the future. This is a practical demonstration of UWC’s motto, “Respice, Prospice”- looking back, in order to look forward.

The learning environment which fosters self-directed learning should promote practices where learners take responsibility for their own learning, critical thinking and give students the chance to assess concepts, make defensible arguments, pose questions, and imagine and explain phenomena. All mathematical or science or technology students who engage in self-directed learning are required to think critically about their learning objectives, learner characteristics, curriculum and learning, teaching, and evaluation processes from an entirely new angle. By experimenting with different approaches to solve mathematical or science or technology issues, students who engage in self-directed learning develop their creativity and sharpen their critical thinking abilities – crucial in a complex 21st century.

Who should read this book?

This is a book written by scholars for scholars, and the target audience includes academics and researchers in the field of science education, and scholars engaged with innovative teaching pedagogies.

Explore the transformative potential of Future-proofing STEAME Education in South Africa. This open-access publication serves as an essential resource for academics, researchers, and educators dedicated to advancing innovative pedagogies and the STEAME approach. Offering practical insights to reimagine science education, this book is freely accessible. Engage with its perspectives and contribute to meaningful educational change—access it today.