Working with children with special needs using STEM kits has brought greater delighted as it helped to enhance their learning abilities in the difficult subjects like Science, Mathematics, and Robotics.

Enhancing children interest in learning significantly depends on teachers with the right skills and knowledge on STEM kits. Therefore, teachers should be encouraged to improve the quality of teaching, inspire more students to continue studies with subjects they think is challenging. Teachers should be given the opportunity to refresh their knowledge and skills during their career.

Under the Muskan program supported by Rolls Royce, Caritas India imparted training to eight selected teachers at Turbhe school New Mumbai on January 22, 2018, to guide and enhance their knowledge on STEM kits and share Caritas India role in implementing the programme.

It is imperative that children should be aware of the Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as an important part of education in a competitive global marketplace said Ms. Jyotsna Patil, Principle of the Turbhegaon School.

Melvin Pangya, State Officer of Maharashtra shared about the Caritas India and her work in the development sector. He also explained about various programs carrying out in Maharashtra and Mumbai along with Muskaan project with the school teachers.

Trainer for the Muskan program, Pravin Sarang explained the Mathematics kit with the teachers through an interactive session on topics like angles, points, shape using STEM kit. The trainer explained about the fraction as part of a whole or, more generally, any number of equal parts. It is a part of a certain size, for example, one-half, eight-fifths, three-quarters.

Sharing about science, the trainer asked teachers to make it interesting for children to learn.  He further explained the use of electricity, circuit, motor, connect circuits & conduct power. Through experiments, he demonstrated motor, speaker & microwave to make sound system.

Introducing small and large groups to magnetism concepts through hands-on science labs, he took specific magnetism topic for a science project with a hands-on investigation of key scientific principles. He further explained about the magnet, electromagnet, copper wire & magnetic compass for children to learn the subjects with fun.

The Robotic kit session demonstrated the use of the kit to made robotic car and teachers did hand on experience to practice the robotic kit.