STEM Robotics for Girls

STEM and Robotics are considered in the social imaginaries as difficult areas and mainly for men, additionally studies speak that the lack of motivation in these areas is due to the low preparation in methodologies and didactics to take this to the classrooms and motivate the children to learn these subjects. 

The solution proposes an experiential model for teachers where they develop training processes, allowing them to teach STEM areas in a different way with robotics and didactics to deal with gender issues, which allows the active involvement of students in the schools.

The source of social transformation of communities is centered in the schools, and if teachers have the knowledge and tools they can impact the generation of citizens who have the capacities and skills to solve the problems that we will have to assume as a society, in addition to transforming the gender gaps in the STEM areas.

In Colombia there´s a low level of appropriation, valuation and use of the Science, Technology and Innovation in kids and youth around the Country. This due to three main causes:

1. Disarticulation of actors that promote, manage and develop processes of Social Appropriation of Science, Technology and Innovation

2. Low participation of citizens in activities of science, tecnology and innovation.

3. The low capacities of teachers in the didactics in STEM areas and the lack of knowledge of strategies to close gender gaps in STEM areas.

We develop experiences for the teachers where they can learn and understand the role of women in science, and develop capacities and skills to bring the STEM areas to the classroom. We do this by developing training programs (120 hours) with the teachers and accompanying them in the classrooms to bring everything learned to the children. By giving the tools to the teachers, we ensure that the knowledge is trasmited to the students of upcoming years, instead of giving the kids the tools, which won´t have continuity after they end the school.

Teachers: It develops their skills and allows them to replicate strategies that improve the development of their students' abilities.

Children: Develops skills in STEM areas and problem solving abilities, in the future this will allow them to build a different life project.

Girls: Develop skills in STEM areas and problem solving skills, in the future this will allow them to build a different life project, also understanding that women can be part of a STEM life project, and continue in the school process.

Families: The better development of their children in the future may reduce the poverty level of families

Government: As kids are better prepared in sciences, they will perform better at national tests, which will improve the country results compared to other countries.

In Colombia the rural and poor population barely have access to science and technology, especially the women, which are traditionaly destined to do the labor chores, caring of children and elderly people. With the STEM Program, we are focused in bring together boys and girls into the classrooms and give the girls a main role which shows that they have potential and enough skills to perform and success in science and technology, also that these areas are not restricted especially for men.

The STEM Robotics MD program is a learning environment that seeks the formation of upright citizens, leaders, competent and innovative, capable of solving problems in an interdisciplinary way in mediations whose common thread is robotics. This environment is integrated into math, science and technology classes, and seeks to transform traditional education.

This program was adapted from iCarnegie (Carnegie Mellon University) in 2013, in which we trained 2000 kids and 15 students in the Department of Cundinamarca - Colombia

The model is developed by means of a program, which implements new learning methodologies that correlate the theoretical and practical simultaneously guaranteeing the break of transmission of traditional contents obtaining results of great educational impact. Through the program, children and young people achieve: 

- To understand and apply concepts of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the solution of challenges of the territorial context.
- Appropriate basic experimental protocols to identify problems and make decisions for the generation of solutions
- Assume different roles in teamwork with which it contributes to the collective solution of a challenge.
- Apply computer techniques, models and simulations to solve problems creatively
- Apply communication strategies for the generation of written reports and oral description of processes and procedures.

In addition, the STEM Robotics program involves teachers from their role, strengthening their skills through training that allows for the improvement of classroom teaching, seeking that these are appropriate for the articulation of mathematics, science and engineering hand in hand with global skills (communication, respect, teamwork, tolerance, leadership), implementing educational robotics as a tool and methodology that enriches the formulation, design and implementation of STEM programs.

The STEM Robotics program also focuses on contributing to the little application of knowledge of Science, Technology and Innovation in daily life and the perception of difficulty in learning Mathematics, Science and Technology, managing to develop skills in children and young people to actively participate in solving problems in their territory. 

As this is a program adapted from the Carnegie Mellon University, which was first implemented back in 2013, showing an increase of knowledge from 2000 kids in schools of Cundinamarca . We measure the inicial knowledge of the students before the program starts, and proceed to compare it after the program ends. 

This measures can also be done by looking at the performance in national tests in areas of math, physics and technology and compare them against the results from previous years, which have showed that the program increases their skills and capacities in these subjects.

This project helps to ensure that girls and adolescents who graduate from school have the interest and skills necessary to train and perform in the professions of the future, through the following theory of change:

If girls and adolescents strengthen their competencies in the areas of math, science and technology through STEM learning environments, then girls and adolescents will be able to solve problems in their context using science, math and technology.

If teachers have the pedagogical and leadership skills to integrate the needs of the real context into the classroom and participate in spaces of dialogue and knowledge management for the improvement of their pedagogical practice, then teachers appropriate and manage adequately, from their pedagogical knowledge, the STEM learning environments for the teaching of girls and adolescents.

If the institution's leadership understands what a STEM learning environment is and its importance to the development of competencies in the areas of mathematics, science and technology, and the institution has the necessary infrastructure (equipment, rooms and resources) to implement STEM learning environments, then educational institutions implement and monitor the development of STEM learning environments.

If parents know the benefits of STEM skills in their children's professional future, particularly for girls, then they will be able to support and motivate their daughters to continue their education after they graduate from school.

Current: 7440 people (200 teachers, 7240 children)

One Year: 10.000 people in áreas where UNIMINUTO have not developed the program

Five Years: 100.000 people in Colombia, proposing the STEM Robotics MD Program as a National Policy that is mandatory in every school in Colombia.

Next Year: Reach 10.000 students with the program, especifically in the regions where UNIMINUTO have not developed the program. Also improve the skills of 500 teachers that replicate the STEM Robotics metodology in public and provate schools around the country.

Five years: Stablish the STEM Robotics MD program as a national policy that allow us to reproduce this program as mandatory in public and private schools in Colombia.

The main barriers for the upcoming years are:

* Not enough funds to expand the program to other regions in the country.

* The government does not have STEM programs as priority for national education in schools

* The lack of sciences and technology knowlodge in teachers and kids from rural and poor areas of the country requires to teach them basic stuff before the program.

* Looking for national and international funds that allow us to continue and expand the program.

* Generate alliances with the Government and the Ministry of Education in order to promote the STEM Program as a requirement for every school based on previous results

3 people full time. Currently beacuse the program is developed online due to the COVID-19. However, the team can be up to 20 people operating a big project.

UNIMINUTO is one of the biggest universities in Colombia. We have more than 15 years of experience in teacher training.

We have worked with communities, schools, teachers and children and have been able to identify one of the central problems of the gender gap problem

Our Main Partner is FIRST Lego League, as UNIMINUTO is the official partner in Colombia for their competition. They help us with grants in order to allow kids from low income populations and schools to participate in the competences.

Carnegie Mellon University were the institution that gave us the methodology back in 2013

We have partnered with a few Majors in many cities and towns in Colombia with the objective of develop the program and convince them that STEM is important for kids, especially girls.

UNIMINUTO is a non-profit university in Colombia, focused since 1992 in bringing quality high education for the people in Colombia who don´t have the chance or the oppotunity to pay for universities in the main cities of the country. For this reason, our businnes model seeks to impact with education and social projects that empower them to solve the problematics that people face in their territories.

With our mission we seek to reach people in need around the country and help them to reach their potential, training integral professionals capable of improve their life quality and encouraging them to create solutions that build capacities in territory. One of these projects is the STEM program, which was created to increase the skills and capacities of kids and teachers in public and private schools in Colombia, this with help from national and international funds and alliances with education entitities such as the Ministry of Education, the Secretariat of Education and many private institutions that works in increase the capacities of schools and kids in Colombia and looks for closing the gender gap that exist between men and women participating in science and technology processes and careers.

Sustainability will be assured by means of getting more funds by national and international entities that support STEM programs to schools in every department in Colombia, especially those that have been severely affected by conflict and violence due to the internal conflict that have been present for more that 60 years.

Because this is a great oportunity to show what we are doing and getting a chance to be able to expand our work and impact more girls in Colombia with this program.

Is necesary to create more aliances so there ir a bigger oportunity to make the project and the program grow. 

For us is very important to measure and evaluate how good is the program for the kids and teachers that take part in it.

MIT ould be huge to make a bigger impact inside the program

The program seeks to improved the skills of girls related to STEM, and show that this is not only for men, but also women can understand, apply and create innovative solutiuons based on science and technology.