DIY helping students learn maths, science concepts

Naina mishra

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 12

The best way to start learning is essentially by doing it yourself (DIY), and that is exactly what young students of as many as 13 schools in Ludhiana are heading towards.

The DIY learning aims to break away with the dominance of textbooks and rote learning in schools and lays emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education.

Yash, a Class VI student of BCM Arya School said, “Through robotics training, I have learnt many things. I have also made a remote control car at home by ordering parts from an online firm.”

Abhinav Kumar, who teaches STEM education to over 3,000 students in Ludhiana, says, “The conventional teaching methodology has been undergoing a remarkable change where student today understand different concepts by DIY style. And, this is where STEM education comes into the picture. Math drilling by way of memorising facts and practicing worksheets is not enough. One needs to learn where all the concepts are used in real life.”

The STEM education starts from second grade through the way of learning by doing, and the level of complexity takes multiple folds as the student reaches higher classes. Abhinav added, “For say, a student of grade II will learn multiplication through practical knowledge like how is the multiplication used in cycling or fan.”

STEM education is also an initiative of NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Ayog, Government of India. Under NITI Ayog, Atal Tinkering Laboratories are set up across India which contains equipment on – science, electronics, robotics, open source microcontroller boards, sensors and 3D printers and computers.

There are 13 schools in Ludhiana which have enrolled with STEM education including BCM Arya, DAV BRS Nagar, Bal Bharti School, and Sacred Heart Convent School to name a few. Some of the environment-friendly projects made by students include water conservation model and a model car which functions under poor visibility caused by fog.