SHILLONG, Sep 15: More than 80 students of Ri Bhoi Presbyterian Higher Secondary School, Nongpoh, participated in a two-day bootcamp aimed at nurturing critical thinking and problem-solving mindsets. The sessions were designed to help build students’ appreciation for Science and the solutions that it offers for social problems.
As an initiative under the Avenues Personal Excellence (APEX) Programmes, the two-day bootcamp on ‘STEM and Entrepreneurship Thinking’ was conducted for Class 9 students by a team from AVENUES, Shillong, on September 12 and 13 on the school premises.
In one of the STEM sessions, the participants were given the opportunity to carefully observe the model of a solar heater before building it themselves. They were encouraged to surmise and question its functions through their own understanding and group discussions with their peers. This approach helped them to solve the problem before understanding the Science and Maths behind it. The objective was to not only teach specific content but to also encourage them to think, question and learn critically.
One of the students, Ilaweiphyrnai Diengdoh, shared her experience building the solar heater: “We built it with the help of a silver sheet which reflects sunlight onto the pipe. When the pipe gets heated, the water that passes through it also gets heated.”
Sharing her thoughts on consumption of electricity, she said, “Building this model helped me realise how science can help us solve problems like depending on electricity.”
She went to say that the sessions helped her gained more courage to learn Science and Maths and she hopes that students in other schools would also benefit from programmes like these. On the other hand, the Entrepreneurial Thinking sessions were curated to help students learn to see problems in communities as business opportunities, encouraging them to view entrepreneurship as a viable livelihood. The activities were facilitated to equip participants with problem-solving mindsets, creative thinking and prototyping techniques. These interventions are a direct outcome of the knowledge exchange in entrepreneurship education between Avenues and Young Change Agents, Australia, which was held in February-March in Shillong, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two youth-focussed organisations in Melbourne earlier this year.
Speaking about her experience, another student, Banriïng Khyndeit shared: “To present our prototype, our group used a chart paper to introduce our company and its employees, explain how we operate and what our business solution is. This programme has helped me realise the prospects in setting up my own business, not just for me but for the community through job opportunities for the local youth.”
Assistant Teacher, Ri Bhoi HSS, Ibaitynnadshisha Khongjoh, too, shared her thoughts about the programme. “I was able to see through some of the activities that the students participated in that their communication skills have improved. They have moved out of their comfort zones and even the shy students actively participated in the group discussions. I could also see how the sessions help build their critical thinking and decision making.”
She further said that the programme have also nurtured in the students the ability to be more self-reliant and resourceful. “The STEM sessions have shown the students and us that Science and Maths can help solve everyday problems and I hope that the students are now less afraid of these subjects,” Khongjoh added.
The ‘STEM and Entrepreneurial Thinking Bootcamps’ are a growing initiative of AVENUES, Shillong, to impart high-impact, experiential bootcamps that instil critical thinking, problem-solving and entrepreneurial mindsets.
These interventions will expand to schools across the districts in the months ahead.
