Building Out Our STEM Teachers – A well-needed boost for the education sector

CATEGORY: Special Award: Education

The need to advance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in high schools across Jamaica gave birth to the Building Out Our STEM Teachers (BOOST) Fellowship Programme.

STEM is a curriculum-based methodology that educates students in four areas – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – in an interdisciplinary and applied approach.

BOOST is an innovative programme that was conceptualised at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, at the Faculty of Science and Technology in 2021. The programme’s main purpose is to assist with recognising and placing STEM teachers in high schools.

“With the BOOST programme, good science students who are willing to serve up to one, two or three years teaching a STEM subject in a high school, especially a non-traditional high school, will be given a scholarship at the end of each year,” said Professor Michael Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at The UWI.

Another method that is being used to motivate BOOST fellows is a performance-based incentive. “If a BOOST fellow is found to be an excellent teacher, he or she will be given an additional $500,000 at the end of each year of teaching,” said Dr Andre Coy, Associate Dean for External Affairs in the Faculty of Science and Technology.

Overall, the BOOST programme aims to address the deficiency in STEM teachers that exists in Jamaica’s education system, both in quantity and quality. According to Professor Taylor, there is a need for new and innovative ways to address these issues.

BOOST is slated to provide its fellows with employment upon graduating from high school or university, and will supply the education sector with a steady stream of new STEM teachers each year.

“Through the BOOST programme and the introduction of these excellent science teachers into the classroom, we are giving the students the opportunity to express themselves using STEM. Once we educate the students, they will take it to their homes and communities, and we will start to build up the STEM ecosystem within the country,” Dr Coy said.

He noted that the idea of empowering communities through STEM is one that the BOOST programme sought to encourage by getting high-school students, especially non-traditional ones, to know the STEM methodology.

“For our country, we think of the 2030 Vision and the things needed to achieve these goals. What is really needed is STEM competencies. You need new innovation and technology to be seamlessly integrated into the entire workforce and the whole development plan,” Professor Taylor said.

Through STEM education, the BOOST programme hopes to transition students into the workforce and provide a higher-level, competent skill set which is needed for Vision 2030 to be realised.

Despite still being in its infancy, the BOOST programme has seen an improvement of STEM teachers since its implementation.

For its role in addressing the quantity and quality of science and mathematics teachers in local high schools by developing a cadre of quality educators in STEM, BOOST has earned a special RJRGLEANER Honour Awards for 202 1in the field of education.

“The programme is very young; however, we currently have 15 BOOST fellows in 11 schools across seven parishes and that, I think, is an excellent start. We have just completed interviews for our second cohort and are looking to increase the number of fellows and schools. We want to make this a national programme,” Dr Coy said.

The long-term objective for the BOOST programme is that it meets the challenges and fill the void in the availability of STEM teachers. “We wish to see BOOST become fully integrated into our education system, so that we become a natural feeder into the system of talented, bright, energetic, young STEM teachers,” Dr Coy added.

Professor Taylor hopes that as the programme continues to grow, there will be an improvement in the quantity of STEM teachers.

“BOOST is a unique and innovative model that can tackle areas of need within our country by integrating it into the education system. One of the good things about BOOST is that it is a partnership between academia, the private sector and the public sector. BOOST can do a lot more, and one of the ways to do so would be for additional partners to come on broad,” Professor Taylor said.

INTERESTING FACTS

• The Building Out Our STEM Teachers (BOOST) Fellowship Programme is the first of its kind in Jamaica.

• It is an innovative programme that gives students the opportunity to work straight out of high school and university, and provide them with scholarships and mentorships.

• Participants with a student loan will still receive a scholarship; however, it will go towards paying the loan.

• The BOOST programme started with one partner and within a short period, attracted six more.

• BOOST fellows are required to do a specially designed course that furnishes them with some of the fundamentals of science teachings, thus equipping them for the classroom.

• BOOST fellows are provided with additional mentorship through the Jamaica Teaching Council, which contributes to their overall development.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS

• The tremendous growth of partners over the short time the BOOST programme has been in operation.

• In its infancy, BOOST had a fellow placed at the Donald Quarrie High School, stimulating a passion for geography in the classroom through her style of teaching. Ms Gabrielle Gayle also motivated her student Jodian Reid to enter the JIS Day Competition, where she placed second.

BUCKET LIST

• To have the Building Out Our STEM Teachers (BOOST) Fellowship Programme integrated into the education system.

• To attract more partners and have a fellow in each underserved high school in Jamaica.

• An exponential growth of STEM teachers, whether through additional partners or the Government.

• To wipe out the deficit of STEM teachers, so that the BOOST programme can move on to address other areas of deficiencies in the country.

• That every major scholarship awardee gets the opportunity to become a BOOST fellow. Therefore, after completing a degree scholarship, awardee will be able to pay it forward.