"It feels different when blindfolded": Developing social empathy through inclusive designs in STEM

Tang Wee Teo; Aik Ling Tan; Ban Heng Choy; Tang Wee Teo; Aik Ling Tan; Ban Heng Choy

doi:10.3934/steme.2024002

STEM Education

2024, Volume 4, Issue 1: 20-34. doi: 10.3934/steme.2024002

Previous Article Next Article

Research article

"It feels different when blindfolded": Developing social empathy through inclusive designs in STEM

1.
Natural Sciences & Science Education, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore; tangwee.teo@nie.edu.sg, aikling.tan@nie.edu.sg
2.
Mathematics and Mathematics Education, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore; banheng.choy@nie.edu.sg

Academic Editor: Wei Li

Received: 23 October 2023 Revised: 02 January 2024 Published: 23 January 2024

Narratives about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education are strongly connected with conversations about developing learners' humanistic knowledge and their ability to listen with understanding and empathy. This is challenging because learners need to find resonance through first-hand contextual experiences with the issues at hand. In this paper, we describe and discuss an activity that was enacted to actively engage 74 teachers from Thailand in constructing a prototype cutting device for the blind to prepare food themselves. This activity underscores important considerations for inclusive design and offers affordances for teachers to develop their learners' inclusive mindsets. Findings were generated from voice recordings of reflections and written reflections collected after the activity. We highlight the importance of creating opportunities for learning to listen and resonate with others' experiences and argue that such STEM activities can offer a platform for learners to develop humanistic qualities such as social empathy.
- humanism,
- social empathy,
- STEM,
- inclusive design,
- user-centric STEM
Citation: Tang Wee Teo, Aik Ling Tan, Ban Heng Choy. 'It feels different when blindfolded': Developing social empathy through inclusive designs in STEM[J]. STEM Education, 2024, 4(1): 20-34. doi: 10.3934/steme.2024002

Related Papers:

Abstract

Narratives about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education are strongly connected with conversations about developing learners' humanistic knowledge and their ability to listen with understanding and empathy. This is challenging because learners need to find resonance through first-hand contextual experiences with the issues at hand. In this paper, we describe and discuss an activity that was enacted to actively engage 74 teachers from Thailand in constructing a prototype cutting device for the blind to prepare food themselves. This activity underscores important considerations for inclusive design and offers affordances for teachers to develop their learners' inclusive mindsets. Findings were generated from voice recordings of reflections and written reflections collected after the activity. We highlight the importance of creating opportunities for learning to listen and resonate with others' experiences and argue that such STEM activities can offer a platform for learners to develop humanistic qualities such as social empathy.

References

[1]	Brown, T., Design thinking. Harvard Business Review, 2008, 86(6): 84–92. Available from: https://hbr.org/2008/06/design-thinking.
[2]	Bybee, R.W., The Case for STEM Education: Challenges and Opportunities, 2013, National Science Teachers Association Press.
[3]	Cobern, W.W., Worldview Theory and Science Education Research. In Everyday Thoughts about Nature: A Worldview Investigation of Important Concepts Students Use to Make Sense of Nature with Specific Attention of Science, 2000, 6–12. Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4171-0_2
[4]	Costa, A., Kallick, B. and Zmuda, A., Students: Habits of Mind Explanation. The Institute for Habits of Mind. 2023. Available from: https://www.habitsofmindinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Student-HOM-Explanation.pdf.
[5]	Dewey, J., Experience and Education, 1938, New York: Macmillan Company.
[6]	Glaser, B. G., The constant comparative method of qualitative analysis. Social Problems, 1965, 12(4): 436–445.
[7]	Morales, J., What is Inclusive Design? Principles and Examples. Adobe, 2021. Available from: https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/principles/design-systems/what-is-inclusive-design-principles-and-examples/.
[8]	Payling, J., Zein, A. and Zein, P., Disability unplugged, in Inclusive Design: Design for the Whole Population, J. Clarkson, S. Keates, R. Coleman, & C. Lebbon, Eds., 2003, 70–87. Springer London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0001-0_5
[9]	Saldana, J., The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, 2015, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
[10]	Teo, T.W., Tan, A.L., Ong, Y.S. and Choy, B.H., Centricities of STEM curriculum frameworks: Variations of the S-T-E-M Quartet. STEM Education, 2021, 1(3): 141–156. https://doi.org/10.3934/steme.2021011 doi: 10.3934/steme.2021011
[11]	The World Bank, Disability Inclusion. The World Bank, 2024. Available from: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disability.
[12]	Tommy Edison, What Are The Differences Between Born Blind & Becoming Blind? (Feat. Christine Ha). Tommy Edison, 2017. Available from: https://tommyedison.com/2017/04/05/what-are-the-differences-between-born-blind-becoming-blind-feat-christine-ha/.
[13]	United Nations, 10 Reduce inequality within and among countries. United Nations, 2024. Available from: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal10.

Author's biography Dr. Teo Tang Wee is an Associate Professor in the Natural Sciences and Science Education (Academic Group) in the National Institute of Education. She is also the Co-Head of the Multi-centric Education, Research and Industry STEM Centre in NIE. Her research interests include inclusivity in classrooms and gender issues in STEM education. She is an editorial board member of Asian Women and an Associate Editor of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Science Education, Journal of Curriculum Studies, and the Cultural Studies of Science Education. She is also the Founding Co-Editor-in-Chief of Research in Integrated STEM Education journal; Dr Tan Aik Ling is an Associate Professor of science education with the Natural Sciences and Science Education (Academic Group) at the National Institute of Education, and the Deputy Head for teaching and curriculum matters. She teaches biology education methods courses and courses related to integrated STEM curriculum. Her current research interests lie in the areas of students' ideas of science learning, science teacher professional development and STEM education; Dr Choy Ban Heng is an Assistant Professor in Mathematics Education at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is currently one of the co-Heads for Multi-centric Education, Research, and Industry STEM Centre in NIE. Dr. Choy's research focuses on developing mathematics teachers' expertise in noticing critical mathematical and instructional details during the planning, enactment, and review of lessons. More recently, he is involved in STEM education research and serves as an Associate Editor of Research in Integrated STEM Education journal published by Brill

Reader Comments

Your name:*

Email:*
© 2024 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)