STUDENTS from two independent schools teamed up to tackle challenges relating to STEM subjects including maths, computing, chemistry and biology.
Downe House and Radley College came together for the STEM Symposium, encouraging collaboration and collective problem-solving among students from years 10 to 12.
Challenges were designed so teams had to work together on tasks such as identifying patterns in prime numbers, natural cures for scurvy, identification of ions and decoding encrypted messages.
For each task, one member of each team was provided with advance reading to ensure each student had the opportunity to lead the team and make an impact on everyone’s success.
Charlie Littledale, head of STEM at Downe House, said: “Students from both schools really immersed themselves in the tasks and understood the importance of teamwork to ensure success.
“The range of talent was impressive, and the students showed themselves to be incredibly adept at applying new knowledge in order to solve the problems posed.
“Increasingly, feedback from industry is that students, while knowledgeable in their fields, are lacking in some of those fundamental soft skills such as communication, critical thinking and problem-solving.
“Events like the STEM symposium provide students with further opportunities to develop these skills to ensure that their education is not just about achieving excellent grades, but also about continuing their success and making an impact once they leave school,” added Mr Littledale.
The students said they found the new areas of STEM inspiring, and the event gave them a taste of what further studies in each of the fields might be like, beyond secondary education.
Rebecca, a Year 12 Downe House student, said, “Participating in the STEM Symposium was an enriching experience that offered a blend of collaborative problem-solving and hands-on experiments.
“Working with my team to tackle math problems centred around prime numbers, sparked engaging discussions and encouraged us to explore various strategies to arrive at solutions.”
And fellow Year 12 pupil Janice said: “I thoroughly enjoyed participating, however, I found the most exciting aspect to be encountering unfamiliar and challenging problems and working with my team to develop solutions.
“This experience has tested my critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, and by collaborating with others, I have improved my communication skills when it comes to presenting my ideas effectively. I believe these skills will be invaluable in the future, particularly during university interviews.”
