Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 March 2022
270. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education the progress that has been made under her Department’s STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026, including the planned initiatives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13491/22]
View answerThe Department of Education’s STEM Education Policy Statement 2017–2026, published in November 2017, set out the ambitious goals and actions required to achieve and improve the STEM education experience and outcomes for all learners from early years to post-primary school.
The STEM implementation plan 2017-2019 built on a range of reforms and initiatives already underway in STEM, in areas such as curriculum and assessment reform, teacher professional development, embedding digital learning and advances in initial teacher education. The areas of policy development and action in relation to STEM education span 4 pillars as follows:
- Nurture Learner engagement and participation;
- Enhance early years practitioner and teacher capacity;
- Support STEM Education Practice; and
- Use Evidence to support STEM education.
A number of subgroups to the STEM Education Implementation Advisory Group were established in order to give a particular focus to a number of key areas identified for progression, these groups include the Gender Balance in STEM Advisory the STEM and the Arts Advisory Group and the Business/Industry working group.
Notwithstanding the delays in the implementation of a number of actions due to Covid-19, the following includes some of the achievements made to date:
- STEM related curricular reform, including; Primary Mathematics development ongoing, Junior Cycle Mathematics (September 2018), Leaving Certificate Applied Mathematics (September 2021), Leaving Certificate Art (September 2020) and Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science (September 2019), Leaving Certificate Computer Science (nationally from September 2020)
- Teachers are provided with opportunities to develop STEM learning throughout the school year by the Department’s support services - Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) and PDST. A continuing professional development (CPD) Framework which supports the cross-sectoral design and delivery of STEM CPD has been developed and informs all of the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) STEM professional development design.
- Ongoing support by the Department of informal STEM education such BTYSTE, ESB Science Blast, and Scifest
- Under the three year School Excellence Fund, some thirty Digital and ten STEM clusters, have been established. The clusters work together on innovative projects in teaching and learning using digital technologies.
- Development of STEM resources for the Aistear/Síolta practice guide to support STEM practices within early years settings
- A dedicated section has been created within Scoilnet (the central repository for teaching resources) covering STEM, there are currently over 4,000 Post-Primary and over 4,000 Primary STEM resources here, all tagged to specifics of the curriculum.
- ‘A Review of Literature to Identify a Set of Effective Interventions for Addressing Gender Balance in STEM in Early Years, Primary and Post-Primary Education Settings’ was published in November 2020. The report set out what is known about critical barriers to girls’ participation in STEM education and STEM learning, while also highlighting effective interventions to increase participation of girls in STEM.
- Development and publication of a set of recommendations informed by the gender balance literature review and the the Gender Balance in STEM Advisory Group, in order to guide national actions that will ensure STEM education in Ireland is world class in improving gender balance, equity and inclusion effectively for our young people.
- A literature review, commissioned by the STEM and the Arts Advisory group commissioned which looked at effective interventions that address key barriers to and build critical assets and skills in relation STEAM learning is being finalised and it is intended that it will inform the direction of STEAM education in Ireland.
- Guidelines in relation to forming business/industry . These provide the basis for schools to form quality, inclusive and relevant linkages with business and Industry.
- STEM awareness campaigns in conjunction with Science Foundation Ireland, such as #IGetPaidToDoThis and ‘This is STEM’
- The Department has engaged in a partnership with SFI’s Discover Programme to support effective interventions from early years to post-primary education and public engagement projects in STEM across the country. The Department will contribute up to €500,000 towards successful projects under the call.
- Assessment of Transversal Skills in STEM (ATS STEM) is an Erasmus+ funded project being conducted across 8 EU countries and involving a partner network of 12 educational institutions. ATS STEM aims to provide teachers and students with necessary and efficient digital assessment approaches in development of students’ transversal skills in STEM education. The Department of Education is the strategic lead on the project with DCU the project co-ordinator for Ireland
After being delayed due to Covid19 the development of the second implementation plan 2022-2026 is underway with public consultation from 13 December 2021 to 26 January 2022. Further consultation with key stakeholders to include pupils/students, schools, early years settings, higher and further education institutions, teachers, early years practitioners, parents, business and industry, education partners, STEM related organisations/associations and out-of-school STEM providers is underway. The implementation plan will also be informed by the Gender balance in STEM recommendations (published 8 March 2022) and STEM and the Arts recommendations that are being developed at present.
