Promoting Innovation and Critical Thinking through STEM focused TVET

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Promoting Innovation and Critical Thinking
through STEM focused TVET

• The Application of STEM for Economic Development

• Authors Owen Wilson , Shereen Davy-Stubbs
  Conrad Valentine April 15, 2015

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Overview of TVET

• TVET is the acquisition of practical skills,
  attitudes and knowledge relating to workplace
  competence.
• TVET is understood to be
• (a) an integral part of general education
• (b) a means of preparing for occupational fields
  and for
• effective participation in the world of
  work
• (c) an aspect of lifelong learning and a
  preparation for
• responsible citizenship
• (d) an instrument for promoting sustainable
• development
• (e) a method of facilitating poverty alleviation.
• UNESCO Definition

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Background

• One of the most intractable problems facing
  Jamaica is youth unemployment
• The number of unemployed persons in Jamaica stood
  at 179,400 persons in July 2014.The number of
  unemployed youths is 34.1 per cent for July 2014.
• Currently in the Jamaican economy, there are more
  people willing to work than the number of jobs
  available. If the economic conditions continue
  to decline, cyclical unemployment will continue
  to increase.
• 
  Statistical Institute of Jamaica
  2013

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Context

• Engineering and other STEM fields are areas of
  great concern and great demand for employers. It
  needs support from the GOJ, particularly the
  Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and
  Mining and the Ministry of Education working in
  tandem to empower High School leavers to pursue
  Engineering related fields.
• Improving our skilled pool of Contextual
  Engineers and Technicians will make Jamaica
  attractive to Foreign Direct Investors (FDI)
  looking to set up without the added cost of
  having to find multi-lingual trainers to train
  Jamaicans technicians and engineers, as they
  would already be here in abundance.
  
• Ministry of Labour and Social Security Social
  research Data

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Introduction

• Globally education is acknowledged as a means of
  transforming and empowering citizens within a
  country with requisite skills, knowledge and,
  attitudes to enable them to become productive
  members of the society.
• Innovations and advances in STEM are end products
  of critical thinking and problem solving.

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Review of Literature

• Primary role of education is its contribution to
  longer-run economic growth (Töffler 1995)
• It has a big role to play in the success of
  Jamaicas 2030 Developmental Plan in terms of the
  quality of jobs and productivity growth
• We should not allow the austerity to put at risk
  this function of education therefore, we need to
  Promote Innovation and Critical thinking through
  STEM focused TVET.

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Critical Thinking

• Whenever we are dealing with human life, we are
  almost always dealing with thinking.
• Thinking is the way that the mind makes sense of
  the world.
• There is no way to understand anything except
  through thinking.
• Innovation and creativity are end products of
  critical thinkers.
  
  
• (Wood 2002)

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Study without reflection is a waste of time
reflection without study is dangerous." --
Confucius

• Critical thinking is a self-directed process by
  which we take deliberate steps to think at the
  highest level
• Critical thinking therefore requires a conscious
  level of processing, analysis, creation and
  evaluation of possible outcomes and reflection.

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Why Is Critical Thinking Important?

• It . . .
• underlies reading, writing, listening and
  speaking. These are basic elements of
  communication. They play an important part in
  social change.
• plays a major role in technological advances
• blazes a path to freedom from half-truths and
  deceptions
• Institutions in any society such as courts,
  governments, schools, businesses are products of
  critical thinking.
• (Esterle Clurman 1993)

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Importance Contd

• The ideal critical thinker is habitually
  inquisitive, well-informed, trustful of reason,
  open-minded, flexible, fair-minded in evaluation,
  honest in facing personal biases, prudent in
  making judgments, willing to reconsider, clear
  about issues, orderly in complex matters,
  diligent in seeking relevant solutions.

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Classroom Example Apply Level Implementing

• In-class instruction
• Students learn about Newtons three laws
• Assessment
• Students are asked to list Newtons three laws of
  motion

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Classroom Example Apply Level Implementing

• In-class instruction
• Students learn about Newtons three laws
• Assessment
• Students are asked to examine the information
  about a car crash and determine which if any of
  Newtowns laws apply to the situation

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Critical Thinking IsHigher Order Thinking
That UnifiesCurriculum, Instruction, and
Learning
 
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The fundamental problems in schooling today at
all levels are fragmentation and the promotion of
lower order learning

• there is too little connection and depth.
• methodology adopted by the Education system
  stifles creativity and critical thinking.
• fragmented lists dominate curricula and lack of
  rigor
• fragmented teaching dominates instruction
• fragmented lower order skills dominate learning
• inadequacy in the preparation of students for
  higher learning and the world of work
• (Stobaugh 2013)

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• All too often we focus on a narrow collection of
  well-defined tasks and train students to execute
  those tasks in a routine, if not algorithmic
  fashion.
• Then we test the students on tasks that are very
  close to the ones they have been taught. If they
  are successful with the given tasks, we
  congratulate each other on the fact that they
  have learned .
• 
  
  (Foundation for critical thinking n.d.)
• 
  

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• The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2011)
  advocates merging the 3Rs (core academic content
  mastery) and the 4Cs (critical thinking,
  collaboration, communication, and creativity)
• (Stobaugh 2013)

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Paradigm Shift

1. We must make a paradigm shift from a didactic to
   a critical model of education to make higher
   order thinking a classroom reality.
2. Establish a strong STEM ecosystem to ensure that
   students are equipped with technical and
   professional skills.
3. Incentivise Innovation and Creativity
4. Develop systems to foster an inspire a STEM
   Culture K -12
5. Conversion/merging of underutilized spaces to
   Technical Training, National Polytechnics and
   Colleges

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 Let us now consider some of the basic changes
that must be made to effect this shift.
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Reconceive and Redesign the Curriculum 

• Curricula play a significant role in school
  life. Instruction arises from goals and
  objectives stated in them.
• The shift from a lecture-drill-recall paradigm
  to one focused upon engaged deep-processing

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CSEC Data Maths Science
Performance of Public Schools by Subjects, 2013 - 2014 Performance of Public Schools by Subjects, 2013 - 2014 Performance of Public Schools by Subjects, 2013 - 2014 Performance of Public Schools by Subjects, 2013 - 2014 Performance of Public Schools by Subjects, 2013 - 2014 Performance of Public Schools by Subjects, 2013 - 2014 Performance of Public Schools by Subjects, 2013 - 2014 Performance of Public Schools by Subjects, 2013 - 2014 Performance of Public Schools by Subjects, 2013 - 2014 Performance of Public Schools by Subjects, 2013 - 2014
SUBJECT TOTAL ENTRIES 2014 TOTAL SITTINGS 2014 PASSES 2014 PERCENT PASSES 2014   TOTAL ENTRIES 2013 TOTAL SITTINGS 2013 PASSES 2013 PERCENT PASSES 2013 Increase/-
ADDITIONAL MATHEMATICS 972 930 681 73.2   583 572 381 66.6 6.6
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE DOUBLE AWARD 523 507 399 78.7   466 452 431 95.4 -17
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE SINGLE AWARD 2996 2851 2318 81.3   3003 2865 2673 93.3 -12.0
BIOLOGY 5943 5805 4546 78.3   5621 5510 4249 77.1 1.2
CHEMISTRY 5350 5220 3862 74.0   5338 5198 3469 66.7 7.2
HUMAN AND SOCIAL BIOLOGY 10217 9887 6444 65.2   10169 9867 6625 67.1 -2.0
INTEGRATED SCIENCE 6945 6555 4714 71.9   7386 6992 5180 74.1 -2.2
MATHEMATICS 23839 23351 12963 55.5   23354 22874 9659 42.2 13.3
PHYSICS 5139 4948 3860 78.0   4883 4714 3239 68.7 9.3
Total 61924 60054 39787 72.9   60803 59044 35906 72.4 4.9
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Building Mathematics Science Skills
Jamaica must create a scientific and
technological culture where technology is not
only consumed but created
There should be strong links among research
bodies, tertiary institutions and industry to
stimulate innovation and boost economic
development
Identify a challenge facing our schools, and
using STEM in alliance with TVET, develop
effective, innovative and sustainable solutions
to the challenge identified.
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Building a strong STEM ecosystem

• A strong STEM ecosystem depends on an
  interdisciplinary
• education system that is closely aligned with
  workforce needs. No longer can the education
  system be defined just as schools and
  universities a students education must be
• reframed to include time both inside and outside
• of school, intergenerational learning within the
• family and community, and experiences students
• have interacting with real world problems

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Pillars to build STEM Ecosystem

• Align educational curricula and skill
  development with local employer needs.
• Foster robust vocational and technical training
  career pathways across skill levels.
• Build a system of internship, apprenticeship,
  and mentoring opportunities.
• Offer untraditional education opportunities to
  reinforce in-school curricula.
• Increase access to technology that can deliver
  innovative education programs

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FOSTERING AN INSPIRINGSTEM CULTURE

• An inspiring STEM culture places value on the
  importance of STEM and what it brings to the
  community families and individuals appreciate
  how essential all STEM pathways are to the field,
  and the general public has a basic understanding
  of STEM and the value of a diverse STEM workforce.

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Pillars for Fostering an Inspiring STEM Culture

• Promote STEM heroes and elevate the importance of
  STEM professionals at home, in school, and in the
  media.
• Support the development of and engagement in fun,
  interactive recreational STEM activities.
• Develop public education initiatives that
  breakdown stereotypes about technical and
  vocational training.
• Invest in STEM teaching so it becomes a more
  attractive method of student/teacher engagement.
• Attract diverse demographics into STEM through
  mentorship and redefining STEM in the workplace.

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Incentivising Innovation and creativity

• Governments must pursue a comprehensive
• STEM policy agenda that incentivizes companies to
  invest in research and innovation. Such an agenda
  can create new job opportunities for STEM
  graduates, grow the economy, and accelerate
  scientific progress.

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Pillars to Incentivising Innovation and Creativity

• Identify and invest in priority STEM industries
  most relevant to national competitive advantage.
• Offer tax breaks and incentives to firms for
  ingenuity and Research and Development
• Develop a robust STEM strategy with policies
  that support priority industries through grant
  funding, intellectual property protection, and
  research.
• Evaluate and refine the STEM strategy and
  approach in line with evolving national and
  regional needs.
• Connect with the global community to identify,
  share, and strengthen promising practices.

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Quality of schooling and economic growth

• Education increases the human capital inherent in
  the labor force, which increase productivity and
  thus transitional growth towards a higher
  equilibrium level of output.
• Education may increase the innovative capacity of
  the economy and the new knowledge on new
  technologies, products and processes promotes
  growth.
• Education may facilitate the diffusion and
  transmissions of knowledge needed to understand
  and process new information and to successfully
  implement new technologies devised by others,
  which again promotes economic growth.

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Connection between education and economic growth?

• Education fires up technological progress
• Formal education is an important source of human
  capital
• Human capital stimulates productivity growth
  directly or indirectly
• Human capital is a vehicle for technical progress
• investment in education builds the foundation of
  sustained economic growth and ensures a long-term
  regional competitive advantage.

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Thank You

• Too often we give children answers to remember
  rather than problems to solve. 
  Roger Lewin
• "If a man empties his wallet into his head, no
  one can take it from him. The true concept of
  life long learning Therefore, if we are in the
  wrong hole Let stop digging
• (Unknown)

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References

• Edman, Laird R. O. (2002). Teaching Thinking The
  state of the art handout. Mercer University.
• Esterle, E. Clurman, D. (Eds.) (1993). Critical
  thinking development . San Francisco, CA
  Whitman Institute.
• Foundation for critical thinking. Retrieved from
  www.criticalthinking.org
• Goscik, K. (2002). Teaching Critical Thinking
  Elements of Critical Thinking. Composition
  Center. 1997. Dartmouth College. Retrieved
  from http//www.dartmouth.edu/7Ecompose/faculty/p
  edagogies/thinking.html.
• Performance of public schools by subject 2013 -
  2014. (2014). Caribbean Examination Council
• Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN)
• Stobaugh, R. (2013). Assessing critical thinking
  in middle and high schools Meeting the common
  core. New York Routledge.