Simple objects make STEM easy

By Raynald C Rivera

DOHA: Using simple objects that can be manipulated has proven effective in making teaching and learning of complex topics fun and easy, according to an American expert in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.

STEM education innovator and multi-awarded educator Thomas C Altman uses simple items and toys such as magic spring, glow in the dark and rainbow glasses, to teach simple and complex topics in physics and maths from elementary to university levels.

The use of ordinary objects as teaching tools fascinates learners, acts as an excellent motivation for them to ask questions and promotes creativity.

'It is very important to teach them to be fascinated with the world around them. I don";t teach science. I teach amazement,” said Altman, who is in Doha for a week-long summer camp at Qatar Scientific Club where he is organising activities for children.

Altman";s visit is part of the US Embassy";s year-round educational and cultural exchange programme in which experts from the US are invited to Qatar to deliver lectures to students in various fields.

Altman, who specialises in nuclear physics, turned down employment offers from big companies to focus on his passion in teaching which lasted over 35 years.

He has featured in many conferences around the world and lectured students from various cultures.

'Children all over the world are the same. They are all curious and get amazed by certain objects. They want to learn in a fun way. When they are amazed about something, they ask more questions.”

Education is becoming so regimental that it impedes creativity among teachers, he said.

'You want everybody to pass the test and you cannot afford to do the other way, but learning doesn";t stop with teaching concepts and tests.

'People have decided what must be done that teachers don";t have a choice anymore.” He believes learners must be encouraged to ask questions, be creative and think out of the box in the educative process.

'We have all of man";s knowledge but kids don";t"; know what to do with them. They don";t know how to ask questions because they don";t think about the world.

'Kids today just know how to take the test because they have to pass it, but there are lots they don";t know and they don";t ask why.”

Altman advocates the use of manipulatives which are objects which can be manipulated by hands in teaching.

'It";s better for kids to work on something that can be manipulated by the hands because it hits a different part of the brain, rather than just look at the computer screen,” he said.

With the decline in the number of students interested to pursue STEM- related careers in some countries, Altman believes STEM should be given priority in the design of curricula as it is crucial in other fields.

'It is connected to other fields because it";s about innovation. They always want new methods on how to better solve problems from economics to government,” he said.

To reach out to more audiences, Altman has a YouTube channel containing over 300 videos which have generated more than 3.5 million views.

The Peninsula