The secrets of mindful STEM teaching and learning

The pressure upon a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematcs (STEM) educators has increased as the demand for workers with stem capabilities develops while worldwide the number of students electing to specialise in stem areas is declining. In 2018, the Indonesian Ministry of Industry (KPRI) released a document titled 'Making Indonesia 4.0', stating stem teachers will be expected to produce students who have several "careers" during their working lives and have the skills needed which includes technical capabilities, creativity and innovative problem-solving. This will occur in a context where the future of work remains human and so while the new technologies have the capacity to automate many tasks, they also create as many jobs as they replace. As well as these governmental expectations, stem educators are being continually confronted with an avalanche of advice on the best ways of teaching and learning their subject. This advice comes from across the spectrum of expertise that includes parents, outstanding teacher heroes, commercial interests, and dubious 'experts' who have no pedagogical knowledge or experience. This paper will attempt to cut through this avalanche and dig down to the bedrock of successful and sustainable stem teaching and learning. While this paper is written for all stem educators, it will tend to favour examples from the mathematics and brain research disciplines.