DESIGNING A SCIENCE CURRICULUM MODEL BASED ON STEM WITH AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE FOR 9TH GRADE
TALENTED STUDENTS
Dawood A. AL-Hidabi1*, Mohammed F. Abu Owda2
1 Kulliyyah of Education, IIUM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2 Faculty of Education, IUG, Gaza, Palestine.
*Corresponding Author: [email protected]
Accepted: 1 August 2019 | Published: 1 September 2019
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Abstract: The digital age besides the local and global economic changes are challenging the designers, developers, and implementers of the curriculum, as they are the basis for providing students with knowledge, skills and thinking skills to be involved in the society effectively and positively. Consequently, this has led to changes in the philosophy, objectives and teaching methods. STEM is one of the most important approaches of teaching, which attracted the attention of many researchers. Within the framework of this global and regional attention, this paper attempts to provide a model of Science curriculum based on STEM and integrating it with Islamic perspective, in accordance with the Islamic perspective. More particularly, this paper focuses on integrating relevant Qur’anic miracles to STEM curriculum. In this context, the paper presents a developed model for the science curriculum that is based on STEM and Islamic perspective in general for 9th graders.
Keywords: Science curriculum, STEM approach, Islamic perspective, Talented students, 9th Grade
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1. Introduction
Nowadays, the world is experiencing unprecedented acceleration, a huge explosion of knowledge and an extraordinary accumulation of knowledge. This poses great challenges to different areas of life and to education in particular. These challenges include adapting the curriculum to the needs of students on the one hand and rapid changes in education on the other.
As part of these challenges, the researchers seek to adapt the science curricula by providing models for building projects that provide scientific knowledge in an integrated manner in the light of scientific miracles in the Islamic revelation, which contribute to the transformation of scientific knowledge into an actual product capable of meeting the needs and interests of learners, problems and solutions. The objectives of teaching science can't succeed unless being designed according to recognizing acceleration data.
In this regard, STEM approach is one of the most promising approaches of science and technology education, which integrates science, engineering, technology and mathematics (Ganem, 2013).
According to Harrison (2011), STEM is one of the most important approaches aiming at achieving the quality of the outputs of the educational system. Thus, if the quality of the outputs of education is achieved, it ensures the development of the economy and the upgrading of the fields of industry by preparing the students themselves for effective interaction with their reality (Ghanem, 2012). William & Dugger (2013) emphasize that the use STEM addresses the weakness of separated teaching outcomes for the four areas of skills, particularly 21st century skills, that goes with the recommendations of the Summit on Innovation in Education Conference (WISE, 2013).
STEM is defined as an educational approach in which natural, engineering and mathematics interact through experiential learning tools and experiences through which students design products in the form of projects that employ and develop science concepts through involving the higher mental skills (Al Dowoud, 2017).
In the light of the integration of STEM, the researchers have developed this approach by linking it to the Quranic miracles. This is because it is important to link the cosmic sciences with the Faithful Truths which is one of the most important goals that it seeks to achieve (IWL 2002, 3).
The curriculum of science is one of the most widely increase scientific miracles. The curriculum deals with the human body, nature, the universe, planets and other scientific subjects. Therefore, it is preferable to use scientific miracles in the Quran and Sunnah in the teaching of science, since the Quranic verses and the Noble Prophetic Traditions affect the souls and form the human personality in terms of behavior, ethics, scientific and practical excellence. Also, because the Quran is miraculous in its words, style, statement, and its legislations and provisions aimed at forming a human and realistic society. Additionally, it is miraculous in its content i.e. sciences and knowledge that never been collected in a book before or after, and verified by the discoveries of scientists in some of the later times of the fixed facts (Al Mosleh, Al Sawy, 2008, 14)
The scientific miracle is a position of challenge that seeks to prove that the Quran contains the realities of this universe, which could not be known only a few decades ago. (Al Najjar 2003, 36). Scientific miracle is also seen in the content of the science curriculum, a view that moves the emotions of the students and their sense of the greatness of the Creator as well as the mental outlook (Nahlawi, 1987, 38). Therefore, the researchers believe that it is necessary to use the approach of scientific miracles in presenting science in order to consolidate the Islamic faith in the students' minds.
Therefore, the researchers combined scientific, mathematical, engineering and technological knowledge according to the Islamic perspective. Accordingly, this paper presents the content of the Palestinian science curriculum of the 9th grade students in accordance with the STEM approach, which teaches the scientific topics in complementary contexts between the branches of knowledge, application and miracles in order to enhance teaching outputs.
2. Literature Review
STEM is defined as an integrative approach to the three major science curriculum (science, engineering, and mathematics), using technological applications, and relying on its design on focusing on concepts, athletic abilities, and employing it. )Shammari ,2018). In the same regard, Teaching Council in Maryland State (STEM Maryland,2012) defines it as an entrance to teaching and learning , which includes integrating the content and the skills of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, through a set of connected standards with
integrated activities of STEM approach to achieve certain goals, to reach students' creativity in the four branches of study. Whereas, Gerlach (2015) defines it as a several specializations, integrated scientific concepts with natural phenomena, to enable students to apply science, technology, mathematics and engineering in meaningful contexts.
The two researchers define integrative STEM from the Islamic perspective as an approach that integrates the content and skills of science, mathematics, technology, engineering with Qur’anic miracles aspects through a set of integrated activities to achieve learning objectives in enhancing the Creator's greatness. In students’ hearts and minds.
(Honey, Pearson, & Schweingruber, 2014) states that the specializations of integrative STEM approach are Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In this study Qur’anic miracles were adopted to be integrated to STEM. The following representation shows the adopted integration model
Fig. 1: STERM stand for
Science (S): is the study of natural science, including facts, concepts, laws, scientific theories and associated intersections. Science is associated with a set of knowledge that has accumulated over time, and it is managed through a conscious process of scientific research that produces new knowledge.
Technology (T): means responding to the digital era requirements by adapting them to produce something new that facilities some tasks to the students. The approach focuses here in technical practices and technology employment skills.
Engineering (E): is the application of science, or the employment of conceptual knowledge in producing the product (From think to thing), and it is associated with the skills of planning stage, designing skills, designing thinking and modeling.
Math (M): which can be defined in patterns and relationships between quantities and numbers study, math's and algebra skills, functions, engineering and statistics, and the possibility that use mathematics in science, engineering and technology, and it can be employed in different life contexts.
Qur’anic Miracles (R): can be defined as the verses mentioned in the Qur'an which are used to reveal special scientific facts of science curriculum content, and present them as a basis to present scientific knowledge in order to help students to appreciate the Creator’s greatness and help to shape their personality in terms of behavior, ethics, scientific and practical excellence.
The integration shapes in STERM approach from an Islamic perspective
STEM approach from an Islamic perspective carries an integrative aspect as it's not important in the application of the approach one form of the integration between the different aspects of the application. The application of the approach allows flexibility in the application, according to the idea, subject, method and philosophy of application. Al-Jalal (2017) detailed the forms of integration in approach application, as it's shown in the following figure:
Fig. 2: Integration shapes in applying STREM approach
The philosophy of integrative STEM approach from a Islamic perspective on blending, integrating, connecting, complementing and mixing between the five specializations, as there are some principles that must be taken into account in designing curricula according to integrative STEM approach from an Islamic perspective, Shammari (2018) stated a number of it, summarized in the following figure:
Fig. 3: Design principles of STEM approach from Islamic perspective
Education is considered according to integrative STEM approach from an Islamic perspective (student-centered) where students build their own experiences and knowledge through the use of scientific methodology, inquiry and discovery. In the same regard, the teacher's role here is to present scientific miracles aspects to the scientific concepts, then the student is free to make inquiry and scientific discovery through making set of experiments and projects, In addition to facilitate, direct and organize learning process, and here the student has the most important role. Therefore, Learning product becomes as learner performance.
The two researchers used the content of curriculum analysis and development to design a science content model based on STEM integration approach from Islamic perspective. All elements of the curriculum were applied on the content of science curriculum to 9th grade students in Palestine according to the ADDIE model
Fig. 4: ADDIE Model
Analysis: This step begins by analyzing the scientific content of the Palestinian science curriculum, according to the, five dimensions of STERM: scientific knowledge, mathematical knowledge, engineering applications and technology employing, scientific miracles.
Design: After analyzing the content of science, the two researchers designed integrated and educational activities (scientific knowledge, scientific skills, engineering skills, employing technology, and scientific miracles aspects)
Development: The content of science courses has been adjusted in terms of the relevance of the objectives, activities and procedures for the purposes of learning and the time required for the implementation of the lessons. In addition, following teaching strategies and evaluation mechanisms through presenting the activities to a group of science teaching, curricula and teaching methods specialists.
Implementation: After implementing objectives, activities and procedures appropriate for learning, the lessons were implemented according to STERM integrative approach, either integrally among a group of science, math, technology and religion teachers, by taking the feedback from specialists and students in order to develop the design.
Evaluation: In this step, the objectives were evaluated, and the activities, strategies and following evaluation mechanisms were re-implemented and improved in the light of the feedback from the field of implementation and the participants in the experiment, in addition to the students themselves in terms of whether students understand the scientific content in the desired way ,or not.
3. Integrative STEM Approach from an Islamic perspective
STEM integrative approach from an Islamic perspective was chosen to present science content (palestinian curriculum) to 9th Grade according to the following elements:
Fig. 5: Integrative STEM approach from an Islamic perspective
Math & Science (M & S):
Employing appropriate pH measurements for enzymes to determine the relationship between pH and enzyme activity.
Employing the concepts of the respiratory system in calculating the number of breathing times to a sample of students and writing the equation breathing in a balanced manner.
Employing of nutrient and digestive concepts in discovering the presence of oils and fats in nutrients using different measuring tools.
Employing all the above in the formulation of the project plan and the interpretation of different concepts related to human body devices.
Applying scientific concepts in the implementation of the first and the final model of the project
Technology (T):
Employing modern techniques in research, collecting and presenting data.
Employing different computerized presentations that help to understand scientific concepts.
Designing models to represent scientific concepts and explain the mechanisms of their work.
Evaluating information sources and judging their validity and reliability.
Using design thinking principles in the implementation of the project (challenge) through applying design thinking stages and its skills.
Engineering (E):
Designing the plan and determining the implementation procedures accurately.
Evaluating the plan and the first model.
Using feedback to re-evaluate the model.
Employing mathematical and scientific knowledge in implementing the project.
Qur’anic miracles (P):
Explain the conclusion of deep scientific research in the field of nutrition and its relationship to human health with what the sauna said that the wasteful in eating and drinking is a corrupt, and the correct approach is to leave wasteful.
The miracle in chest tightness and difficulty breathing, when a person increased up in the atmosphere. This is because of the lack of oxygen and air pressure drop. As well as, the state of embarrassment that precedes death suffocation when it exceeds the height of thirty thousand feet of atmosphere because of the drop in extreme atmospheric pressure and acute shortage of oxygen necessary for life until the oxygen inside the lungs, the human death and destruction.
The miracle that the heart is the center of emotion, thinking, mind and memory.
The miracle that listening to the Quran qualifies the immune system to resist all diseases.
4. Discussion and Conclusion
This paper has resulted to the design of science-based content model according to STEM integrative approach from Islamic perspective. The two researchers combined science content with other content in technology, engineering and mathematics in the light of Qur’anic miracles. Also, the paper followed ADDIE model in learning. Which consists of five steps (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) to present science content in STERM integrative approach. Thus, any teaching content can be adapted according to the integrated approach and its experience to research its impact in different contexts.
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