EDUCATION AND THE COMMUNITY: STEM WORKSHOPS ENHANCE PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' LEARNING EXPERIENCE

The elements of play and experimentation created a unique educational experience for the school students during the workshop

In order to incite students’ enthusiasm and interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), UTAR Department of Soft Skills Competency (DSSC) of Sungai Long Campus organised STEM workshops at SJKC Kampung Baru Paroi and SJKC Kampung Baru Rahang on 24 August 2019.

The event was led by DSSC staff Lim Jia Jia and Leow Siew Yng together with UTAR students. They engaged with roughly two hundred primary school students in a line-up of activities and games such as magic balloon, invisible ink, non-Newtonian, rice vacuum, dancing marble, paper rocket, stable building, and running CD.

SJKC Kampung Baru Paroi students engaging in various STEM activities

The objectives of the event were to enhance the relationship between teachers and students and improve primary school students’ knowledge related to science. It also aimed to increase their interest in learning science. UTAR students utilised existing and everyday materials to make scientific exploration accessible for school students, allowing them to explore the scientific principles in a more interesting way.

SJKC Kampung Baru Rahang students trying their hands on STEM experiments

A Q&A session was also held at the end of the event. It aimed to test the scientific principles that the school students have learned during the event. The session was conducted with the purpose of promoting interaction between UTAR students and school students while enhancing their understanding of science. During the Q&A session, 36 science storybooks were given out to students as prizes.

SJKC Kampung Baru Rahang Principal Goh Choon Lan commented that the event provided students with real-time simulations and contextualised application of relevant science content. She believes that this would trigger their interest in science. She also hoped that UTAR would continue to promote more similar events in the future to stimulate students’ interest in learning.

The event had successfully created a meaningful and engaging experience for UTAR students while meeting the community needs. Through this community service, UTAR students were able to discover their connection with others and their potential for positive impact in the society. One of the UTAR students, Yew Wei Wen said that she was very happy to return to her alma mater—SJKC Kampung Baru Rahang. She said that the event offered a series of interesting activities that successfully attracted the school students, giving them opportunities to learn while having fun.