Educational Alternatives, Volume 16, 2018

Abstract: The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is widely recognized as crucial to societal development in the context of increasing economic, scientific, and technological globalization. STEM education emphasizes that STEM curricula and teaching must (a) incorporate concepts and methods from across the STEM disciplines, (b) be inquiry-, problem-, and activity-based, and (c) incorporate digital literacies. The paper reflects on STEM practices and development in Hong Kong and explicates frameworks for Curriculum and Learning Design and technologies with potential for adoption in school education, such as 3D printing, design kits, CNC machining, robotics, and coding tools. However, it is argued that, the focus on STEM education alone might be limited option for education today. It might be better to consider it as STEM± education, or even as an idea of transdisciplinary education, more broadly. In this paper, the author explore STEM as a form of Transdisciplinary Activity, without limiting it to the four core disciplines. This is processed through a theoretical lens known as the Activity Theory, in order to articulate a learning design framework.