Approaches to Teaching STEM

When it comes to the teaching of STEM, the literature often refers to inquiry-, discovery-, problem-, project-, design-based learning and or teaching. However, it largely mentions it in a fairly haphazard and messy way without contextualising it within a sound theoretical framework. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to relate the abovementioned constructs to relevant learning theories, congruent teaching approaches and strategies of particular relevance to technology education. These constructs are generally linked to constructivism as a learning theory and approach to learning. This chapter provides a brief overview of cognitive, radical and social constructivism as three perspectives on constructivism. The Piagetian view, which focuses on the experiential world of the student, is related to cognitive and radical constructivism, while the Vygotskian view, which focuses on the social and cultural domain, is classified as social constructivism. According to cognitive and radical constructivism students are constantly engaged in the process of adaptation of knowledge which is based on the individual’s unique experience. Social constructivists see learning as a process of “enculturisation”, whereby students are inducted into the cultural practices of the societies they live in, learning from various sources of information. Subsequently, the chapter distinguishes between cooperative, inquiry- and discovery-based learning as some sub-approaches to constructivism by relating them to cognitive, radical and social constructivism. It also succinctly addresses the relationship between cooperative, inquiry- and discovery-based learning. Based on these sub-approaches, it then discusses problem-, project- and design-based teaching approaches or strategies from a technology education perspective. Lastly, it discusses the affordances of these perspectives, approaches, sub-approaches and related teaching strategies for the application of STEM education from a technology education perspective.