Reimagining STEM and Human Rights

In the aftermath of World War II and the atrocities that took place, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also known as the UDHR (United Nations General Assembly, 1948). Within the UDHR there are 30 Articles, and three pillars, namely freedom, equality and dignity, which can be understood as rules of human behavior. In 1948, 48 countries voted in favor of the UDHR. Currently, there are 193 signatories to the UDHR worldwide including Australia.

The United Nations has also ratified several other frameworks, one of which is the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, 2015). In recognition of the 17 SDGs both conferences focused on sustainability as an underlying theme. For example, during the Next Library conference one presentation slide read, “Sustainability is not just something to learn. It’s something to live” (Albrecht, slide, 2023). Interestingly, in Australia the 2024 theme for the National Science Week was set as “Species survival – more than just sustainability” (Ministry for Industry and Science, 2024).

At both conferences, a strong link between STEM and the 17 SDGs was emphasised, highlighting the potential for learning opportunities for both educators and students. This connection is reinforced by the assertion that “STEM education aims to develop and offer innovative solutions to global issues” (Kalkan, 2021, p. 12). Interestingly, in schools these opportunities are limited to class periods, whereas, in libraries, they are only constrained by opening hours. Nevertheless, I learned at both conferences that some European schools are actively incorporating the 17 SDGs into their curriculum, leveraging STEM as a platform to teach students how to tackle and devise solutions for everyday sustainability challenges that matter to them.

An interesting workshop I attended at the Educating the Educators STEM conference led by Dr. Klaus Himpsl-Gutermann from the University of Klagenfurt raised the question, “Who is a STEM educator?” (Himpsl-Gutermann, slide, 2023). Although the discussion did not lead to a concise definition, the discussion got participants thinking. During the discussion, it became clear to me that subject teachers relating to STEM could be likened to working in subject silos. Yet, silos need to come down so that subject teachers can work cooperatively with each other in relation to STEM. On the basis
there is a worldwide shortage of STEM teachers, Australia included (Feder, 2022), the problem might involve a redesign of teacher subject roles utilising a core subject grid and new ways of working with the curriculum.

At the Educating the Educators STEM conference, STEM camps for girls was another interesting theme and a discussion on this topic was led by Farrugia (2023). These camps are run by organisations such as the International Center for STEM Education (2023). The idea behind these girls’ only camps is that girls develop STEM skills and knowledge better when they are separated from boys. The girls are also given more time to complete their STEM projects on these camps.

I attended another interesting workshop at the Educating the Educators Conference led by Professor Katherine Richardson that addressed the theme of outdoor education. The key message from this presenter was that outdoor education can be an excellent way of teaching STEM (Richardson, 2023). One of the presenter’s slogans read, “Kids won’t remember their best day on YouTube. We believe that nature makes kids healthier, happier, and smarter. More green less screen” (Richardson, 2023).

In Australia, Speldewinde is researching and teaching STEM in nature. He says, “Immersing young children in nature gives them awareness of their world and skills they will carry through life” (Speldewinde, 2023, p.1). This workshop left me with the idea that more schooling should take place in nature with less screen time. Perhaps classrooms in the future could be redesigned to incorporate more of nature?

An informal theme I picked up throughout multiple informal conversations with fellow attendees at both conferences related to information overload and its impact on social and student wellbeing. In one informal discussion in which I was involved, it was argued that students are overloaded with information but starved for wisdom. It was also argued that there was too much focus on individuals in an economic model as the only model of importance.

This notion is supported by Ismail’s study (2022) which found that academic overload, particularly information overload, negatively impacts students’ mental and physical well-being. Ismail’s research suggests that reducing unnecessary information can significantly improve students’ quality of life and reduce academic stress.

In relation to information overload associated with mobile phones, many schools in Australia and around the world are prohibiting their use during school hours with initial outcomes suggesting higher academic performance and less stress (Beland, 2021). Based on what I learned at both conferences, it seems that students need help discerning quality information from spam, and more time in nature disconnected from technology.

When I presented my paper about human rights education at the Next Library conference, I was tackling the issue of how to help children and teens learn right from wrong in a rapidly changing world where mores, customs, ethics, and values are learnt from non-traditional sources often with materialistic and prejudice underpinnings. When I asked the audience the question, “Where are children and teens learning right from wrong?”, many pointed to social media which remains largely unregulated. I made the point that society functions better with fair and reasonable rules.

One of those sets of rules, which is secular, that address human behavior is the United Nations 30 Articles underpinned by the three pillars being freedom, equality and dignity. However, I argued that the Articles remain under-utilised. I shared with the audience that through my work with Human Rights Educators, a not-for-profit organisation in the USA, I discovered that school based antisocial behaviour (a polite term for some abhorrent behaviors) has become a major issue for teachers and the students who fall victim to antisocial behavior.

In Australia, the press often reports on a similar theme. I shared with the audience that I have been addressing this anomaly with human rights leadership forums. When Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner, Lorraine Finlay, is available she presents with me utilising the Human Rights Game (Kingsley & Chorney, 2019), which was developed with in kind support of the United Nations in New York, so it has impeccable credentials. Through my work with Commissioner Finlay during human rights leadership forums in schools, I have learned that most students fear bullying and racism, and that they want rules in place to protect them.