From STEM to STEMaker Education: A deliberation on the purpose and promise in Hong
Kong context
Kin-Kwok Wan, Alan, Ka-Lun Wong
Chapter Title (專章名稱): From stem to STEMaker education: A deliberation on the purpose and promise in Hong Kong context
Book Source (收錄專書 ): Creating Contexts for Learning in Technology Education: Proceedings of the 9th Biennial International Conference on Technology Education Research (TERC 2016)
Publishers (出版單位): Design & Technology Association of Australia
Exact Document Location (文章頁碼) :This specialized Hong Kong chapter is located on Page 260 to Page 268.
This paper discusses the qualities that a STEMaker should have and how schools can implement STEMaker Education by making reference to the “4D curriculum model”, and to plan “STEMaker Projects” to develop students to be active players in the “Small Innovative Enterprises (SIEs)”. While observing the instrumental concerns to contribute to HK’s economic growth, the HKTEA also advocates the “anthropocentric perspective” of STEMakers to state the importance of arousing students’ awareness in how to make changes in the made-world responsibly to uphold the well-being of the society and the environment.
In two consecutive Policy Addresses the Chief Executive of Hong Kong made STEM an imperative. (GHKSAR 2015 para.152 & 2016 para. 89). With the goal “to unleash students' potential and develop their capacity to innovate”, the Education Bureau of the HK Special Administrative Region Government (EDB) launched respective curriculum review consultation. Two approaches have been recommended by the EDB to implement STEM in Hong Kong
schools. The Hong Kong Technology Education Association (HKTEA) recognised the second of these, an integrated project based approach as more promising in realising the purpose of “unleashing students’ innovation”. The HKTEA advocated the notion of “STEMaker” to conceptualize the vision and the strategy to make STEM education happen in Hong Kong.
The HKTEA put forward the curriculum arrangement “STEM in Education” to reflect the gist of the EDB’s second approach, namely “Projects for students to integrate relevant learning
elements from different KLAs”. The HKTEA recommendation also makes reference to the “Maker culture/movement”, recognizing that students are involved in manipulating materials, resources & equipment to bring about changes in the made-world.