Celebrating the National Education Day of Indonesia, SEAQiM held a series of activities, including the STEM Camp from 8 to 12 May 2023. The event was held face-to-face at Aula Ki Hadjar Dewantara, BBGP DIY, with twenty-nine (29) primary school teachers from Yogyakarta and nearby. This event is the first offline activity after the pandemic that brought experts to Indonesia. On this occasion, Dr Kristof Fenyvesi, an expert in STEAM from the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, and Dr Alongkot Maiduang, an expert from the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST), Thailand, were the two experts that SEAQiM could present to equip STEM-implemented primary schools teaching and learning in Indonesia.
Over the five days of camp, teachers participated in many hands-on activities focused on designing 4D Frame, designing buildings, robotics, exploring outdoor mathematics, and other engineering activities. They also had the opportunity to network with other educators and STEM professionals, sharing ideas and strategies for integrating STEM education into their classrooms. On the first day meet, participants are introduced to 21st-century skills by Dr Sumardyono from SEAQiM. Then, they had sharing session about valuable experiences in Finland education from Dr Kristof Fenyvesi. The participants showed interest and curiosity about how exciting and advanced education in Finland is. On the 2nd day, participants experienced designing a roller coaster using cardboard and straw. Dr Alongkot named the activity “Roller Coaster Go Slow!”. The activity was designed to improve the participants’ understanding of engineering design and problem-solving in STEM education. Afterwards, the participants were carried to another hands-on activity called “Let Clay Stay Afloat”. Dr Alongkot led the participants to design a stay-afloat clay boat when given a marble load. The largest number of marbles that can be accommodated is the best design.
The following day, the participants were encouraged to think creatively about designing unique-congruent shapes using square-sliced bread named “Too Pretty to Eat” sandwich. These activities carried out by Dr Alongkot are to improve the problem-solving skill of the participants. He wishes that all the hands-on activities give more understanding of implementing STEM in the participants’ classroom. The session continued with Dr Kristof Fenyvesi, who brought an excellent activity called Designing Warka Water Tower using 4D Frame. The tower was inspired by a project developed in Ethiopia to collect and harvest potable and drinkable water from the atmosphere through condensation. It was created to solve water scarcity in rural areas of Ethiopia where access to clean water is limited. Dr Kristof let the participants explore the various shapes of the tower to express their creativity.
Ms Uki Rahmawati and Mr Yoga Utama from SEAQiM also carried out a robotics activity in the camp. They led participants to design Delivery Robot using programming and Artec Robo coding. Participants were encouraged to think about the commands for the robot to move. From this activity, participants were equipped with an understanding of computational thinking and programming. The last day’s session was filled with exploring outdoor mathematics activity with Math City Map. Dr. rer. nat. Adi Nur Cahyono is the last facilitator of the camp from Universitas Negeri Semarang. He brought an interactive activity using the application Math City Map, which let the participants explore and experience the real-world applications of Mathematics. This activity is a great way to help participants explore the practical applications of math in their local community and to develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills in a fun and engaging way.
Besides presenting many kinds of hands-on STEM-related activities, SEAQiM wishes this STEM Camp could grow need for STEM education in primary schools, equip teachers with the tools and knowledge, and create a more engaging and exciting learning environment for their students. Furthermore, by providing the participants with the experiences and resources they need, we can help create a brighter future for our students’ education, especially in mathematics and improve education in Indonesia. As the result, STEM Camp for Primary School Teachers was a success, with many teachers leaving feeling inspired and empowered to bring STEM education to their classrooms.
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