Women in STEM

A group comprising teacher educators, subject and pedagogical (university) specialists and teachers from possibilities of solving some problems and encouraging students to act.

The school teachers’ role is to keep us focussed on classroom realities and the age group the book is meant for. Everyone writes and comments; it’s an ‘equal’ process.

In Finland, we collaborate with language planners (those who check if the language is correctly written). Often, we also ask Special Needs education experts to comment on the drafts so that the texts are easy to read and understand.

Visuals are important because many children/students have difficulty in reading very long texts; younger children can learn from pictures. The content of pictures is also planned carefully. Choosing pictures for a textbook has to be done responsibly. For example, if you have space for only one picture of Europe, Finland or India, what kind of picture would you choose?

It is good to split the text into smaller chapters and to use meaningful subtitles. For example, compare these: a. Muscles b. Muscles make us move. The latter includes the chapter’s main point. It gives the slower learners an idea about the chapter. But the first does not convey anything.

In addition, it is good to have an abstract in a chapter as well as main/key points. Also, we have thinking questions and small ideas for student activities in every chapter. So, the textbook, in a way, is also an exercise book for students.

Progress has opened applications for the 2024 Progress Software Akanksha Scholarship for Women in STEM in India.

Eligibility: Women residing in India and in the first year of a UG programme in Computer Science Engineering (CSE), Computer Science Information Technology (CSIT) or related course.

Last date: April 12. https://bitly.ws/3fd5m