Preparing learners to face the unknown in STEM subjects.

Building curiosity, interest and confidence in learners about STEM from what they know, to what they need to know. 

The major challenge educators face in the world, especially in developing countries, is breaking down the contents of what they are teaching to the level that the learners can relate it to their reality, environment, culture, social status and their aspirations in life. Interest in learning by learners often diminishes when they notice that the space between the contents of what they are learning and where they are is vast. Bridging this gap will lead to a dramatic turn around in the way that learners perceive learning in STEM subjects.

The vagueness in STEM subjects often perceived by learners can be eliminated by dividing the contents of the STEM subjects and other instructional materials into two. The first part is to be localized to the environment of the learners in such a way that it can answer questions on things happening around them, have direct link to things they see and relate with and provide solutions to some of their immediate problems. This first stage is for early child education. It sole aim is to ignite the interest of the learners in STEM, expose their hidden potentials/creativity, build sense of responsibility in them at that early stage of their lives, open doors for specialization and entrepreneurship, and to also arouse the desire of breaking boundaries by thier desire to know and do more from where they have started. When the learners have successfully passed through this stage, they will then be ripe for the transition to the second stage and set of the instructional materials. The contents, method of instruction and all the materials to be used at this stage will be the standardized and globally recognized ones. Because of the build up from the first stage, learners at this stage will be ready to chew stones in order to satisfy their curiosity, be open minded to the unknown  and  also be ready to achieve thier goals and ambitions. With this, educators will have less stress facilitating learning in STEM subjects. This stage comes immediately after the early childhood education. 

With the contents of instructional materials in STEM subjects divided and reorganized into these two parts, educators all over the world will have less worries communicating complex concepts to learners, technology will be seen by the learners as a tool for advancement in all sphere of life thereby embracing it for good, learners will become problem solvers while still learning, innate abilities will be discovered at early stage of learning and then the solutions to most of the global challenges will be within our reach. 

My solution is a process for solving the challenge. Learners are often puzzled when they can't relate with the content of what they are learning. Exposing learners to contents that directly relate to them before the wider concept will make them to have a logical understanding of complex ideas and concepts. Preparing separate learning materials that relate with the locality of the learners and their realities will  ignite curiosity to desire for more  before those that are globally acceptable will be presented. With this, most of the challenges educators are facing with learners will be erased.  

My solution will first of all expose the learners to the early stages of technology and through all the advancements made. This will make them to first, appreciate and accept technology after having a good understanding of how life has been made easier over time with every new advancement. They will not only accept and use technology in problem solving but will desire to make inputs that can advance it further out of the curiosity that has been build in them from the initial stage. 

My solution's goals over the next 12months is for the solution to gain approval from the state, federal and private education bodies in my country , to successfully separate the contents of the national curriculum into the two categories with professional help, to start the production of the learning materials and awareness campaign about the new innovation to educators, parents and learners as well and then to pilot test in some selected public and private schools. 

My vision over the next five years is to have all the state in Nigeria adopting my innovation and the private educational sectors as well. I also hope to see other sub-saharan African countries considering the innovation as the impact will be evident by that time. Learners will be interested in learning as learning will become more applied and real than theoretical. Children at early stages of their education will have a clearer view of what they would want to achieve with what they are learning. Educators will have less or no stress facilitating the curious minds in the classrooms.

The solution will be made available to federal, state, local government and private education authorities who will then utilize it within their jurisdiction. Through the existing partnership between the organization we are working with and some state and private sectors, implementing the solution within the government and private learning institutions  will be easy as the methods we are using to bring about changes in the educational system starting from the classrooms are mostly innovative. 

The pupils in our classrooms put together are about 500+. They are the ones we are currently serving with our solution. Our schools are in underserved low income communities with pupils facing a lot of challenges. These has made most of them to show less interest in learning because there is less from their communities to motivate them about the benefits of education especially STEM. We based their learning process by practically engaging them in learning soft skills that they are interested in and relating all the process of the learning with contents of the STEM subjects.

We are young leaders with innovative minds, critical thinking abilities, experienced in bridging the gap in education between kids in low and high income communities by equipping them with the 21st century skills and preparing them for leadership roles in their future chosen careers, have vast knowledge in local community stake holders engagement.