Developing Responsible Citizenship Through Integrated STEM Education Activities

In this chapter, I focus on how pre-service teachers used important societal issuesSocietal issues to engage school students in developing responsible citizenshipResponsible citizenship. Theoretical perspectives from critical mathematics educationCritical mathematics education are used to investigate the experience of a group of pre-service teachers during their practicum with seventh-grade students. These teachers used the refugee crisisRefugee crisis to raise the students’ awareness and enable them to be(come) critical, responsible citizens. Three situations from their practicum are used to discuss how responsible citizenshipResponsible citizenship developed within an integrated STEM curriculumIntegrated STEM curriculum approach. In the first situation, involving boat refugees, students estimated the number of refugees in a boat. In the second situation, involving refugees in Europe, students used technology to identify and process relevant information. In the third situation, involving refugees worldwide, students interpreted information in statistically empathetic ways to develop an informed understanding of the refugee crisisRefugee crisis as responsible citizens. The results from this study indicate integrated STEM curriculumIntegrated STEM curriculum approaches should include challenging societal issuesSocietal issues emphasising their ethical, social, and cultural aspects to foster responsible citizenshipResponsible citizenship.