SIP Hualin Kindergarten, a public kindergarten directly under SIP Education Bureau, has exemplified a series of good practices in offering STEM education which is based on the idea of teaching students science, technology, engineering and mathematics in interdisciplinary and applied approaches.

As one of the first pilot kindergartens designated by the government of East China’s Jiangsu province to practice STEM concepts, the kindergarten has been endeavoring to improve its STEM teaching results.

 

The kindergarten offers various training opportunities for its teachers to acquire better STEM teaching skills and encourages them to innovate on their class design to pique students’ zest in exploring the STEM fields. It also invites some of the students’ parents to join in the teaching to help the students broaden their horizons. 

On the other hand, the kindergarten boasts lots of well-designed facilities and tools for STEM education. For example, there are workshops for the students to try their hands on cooking and mechanical engineering, and a plantation for them to experience farming. The activities can not only help the students learn new knowledge, but also inspire their creativity and enhance their abilities to solve problems in real world.

 

Moreover, the kindergarten embraces game-based teaching approaches which enable students to acquire comprehensive knowledge and skills. For instance, a game where the participating children are required to make a New Year tree using cardboards and other materials has proved to be an effective way of teaching students teamwork spirit, geometry and aesthetics.

 

The kindergarten said it is trying to incorporate more STEM courses into its curricula.