Introduction

In the present day there are numerous challenges faced by humanity and that will require the future generation be well versed in problem solving using a multi-disciplinary approach. Therefore the future generation must be adept at critical thinking and be able to develop sustainable solutions. In order to develop sustainable solutions to global issues, the future generation must be comfortable with developing a model for their proposed solution and be able to demonstrate or simulate how their solution works best. To be able to develop a model a complex problem, often the problem must be broken into smaller fragments that are easy to solve and understand by others as to address global issues it is very likely a team effort will be necessary. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects will form the very core of these solutions.

Studies indicate that a majority of students struggle with problem-solving in the STEM fields in a purely lecture based environment as it is challenging for students to mentally break down individual steps of an abstract concept or problem. Instead, an example-driven, hands-on approach is shown to have better results in helping students develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills. An excellent example of this approach is to write a series of small steps necessary to solve the problem, a process called writing an algorithm. It is even more exciting to be able to see if the algorithm works if one learns computer programming. Writing a computer program encourages a student to explicitly write out individual steps necessary to solve a given problem which allows the student to engage in deep thinking and understanding of individual steps required to solve a given problem.

There are numerous programming languages being taught at a variety of levels in the secondary, higher secondary and university curriculum but none focus on how to apply the programming to a subject/topic the students of science are pursuing. Our course use examples from their Science and Mathematics course.

Science with Python Course for Secondary and Higher Secondary Level:

Science with Python for Secondary and Higher Secondary Level is a python programming course designed for individual grade/class year starting from grade/class 8 and up to grade/class 12. The purpose of this program is to develop applied programming skills from an early level by utilizing science and math problems the students encounter during their academic year. We are confident that this approach will make the content interesting and exciting to students and will benefit them to develop problem solving skills and critical thinking skills to succeed in future exams. Below we present broad course content for each year. The duration of the course will be decided based on discussion with individual institutions.