HeadStart STEM
Latest Updates
HeadStart STEM: Community Engagement
30th April 2019
Awareness was created about the importance of girl child education among 450+ members from across project communities, through an engaging short play held in school premises and communities. The play focused on issues faced by girl children, such as gender discrimination, access to school, parental pressure and expectations etc.
HeadStart STEM: Monthly Newsletters
30th April 2019
STEM HeadStarters is a monthly newsletter that serves as a platform for students to share interesting facts and information about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning. At the end of every month, children submit entries, which are then shortlisted and featured in the newsletter. The newsletter is then circulated among and displayed in 15 project schools. The newsletter fosters a spirit of competition and peer-learning with over 450 entries in Hindi, English and Marathi being submitted till date by students across project schools.
HeadStart STEM: Vacation Camps
26th April 2019
Over 300 children from Grades 4 to 10, across project schools, were part of vacation camps organised by United Way Mumbai under the HeadStart STEM programme. At the camps, children participated in creating Community Newspapers by exploring the format of a newspaper and writing articles relevant to their neighbourhood. Through the activity, they understood the profession of a journalist and experienced the role by expressing their views on the issues and events around them. The children also made their own picture books after going through various examples of the same and observing different kinds of illustrations and stories. They came up with original characters and incorporated them, along with colourful illustrations in their own storybooks.
HeadStart STEM: Career Fair
25th April 2019
A Career Fair was organized for 300+ children promoted to Grade 10, from across HeadStart STEM project schools. The aim of the Fair was to make children
understand the importance of career planning; identify their areas of interest
and gather information about the careers they wish to pursue. The children
participated in a session on career mapping, created career posters and
explored different career options at the exhibition area. These activities
helped them brainstorm and reflect on their interests and dream jobs.
HeadStart STEM: Career Counselling
30th March 2019
As part of Career Counselling under United Way Mumbai's HeadStart STEM initiative, a workshop on goal setting, time management and career mapping was conducted for over 300 girls from the 9th and 10th grades, across project schools. They were also part of psychometric testing, wherein 3 different tests were conducted to help children identify their aptitude, intelligence and interests. Following the psychometric tests, individual reports were shared with children and potential careers and pathways were explained to them.
HeadStart STEM: Career Exposure Visit
18th March 2019
"Never give up; failure may come but never stop trying; think long and hard and consult an expert before choosing a career.” – these were three things that Zoya had to say about what she learnt during her visit to the Qualcomm office. Zoya was one of 23 girls from HeadStart STEM schools, who visited the Qualcomm office to interact with employees from diverse professions. It was an enriching experience for the girls as they learnt the importance of hard work, focus and determination in pursuing a career. The visit was part of United Way Mumbai's HeadStart STEM initiative to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics based learning among children from low-income private schools and municipal schools.
Anvesha - A STEM Carnival
6th February 2019
Activities are well underway at UWM's STEM Carnival,
Anvesha. The carnival aims to promote curiosity regarding science and scientific learning among children and includes events like a science exhibition, where children will display their science related models and exhibits; Science Gallery Walks and a Nitrogen Show.
The event will see participation from 1000+ children from 30+ schools and aims to promote scientific curiosity and a love for scientific learning. The children belong to low income municipal, aided and private schools.
Anvesha: A STEM Carnival
6th February 2019
United Way Mumbai's STEM Carnival "Anvesha – Igniting Young Minds” was held on 6th February at Nehru Science Centre. The event was part of the HeadStart STEM campaign to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based learning and was a grand success, with an aggregation of over 1050 children and 50 teachers from more than 15 schools. The carnival intended to promote experiential learning for STEM amongst children from low income private, aided & municipal schools. Mamta Rao, Deputy Education Officer, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) inaugurated the exhibition and graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.
Anvesha STEM Carnival: 6 Feb 2019
28th January 2019
As part of UWM’s HeadStart STEM project, we are gearing up for Anvesha- Igniting Young Minds, a STEM Carnival on 6th February, 2019.This will be our annual carnival to inculcate scientific temper among children through innovative and fun activities.
Anvesha aims to promote experiential learning for Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths (STEM) amongst children from low income private & municipal schools. Anvesha means "quest” or "curiosity”. United Way Mumbai’s HeadStart STEM initiative is working with 5000+ children to foster STEM knowledge and skills. Details of Anvesha are as per the following:
Day and Date:Wednesday, 6th Feb 2019
Time:10 am to 3:30 pm
Venue:Nehru Science Centre, Dr. E. Moses Road, Worli, Mumbai - 400 018
We cordially invite you to be part of the carnival which promises to be wonderful opportunity for children to learn STEM the fun way.
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HeadStart STEM: Robotics Workshop
25th January 2019
Over 100 children were part of robotics workshops, organised by United Way Mumbai, under the HeadStart STEM programme, aiming to promote STEM learning among children from marginalised communities. At the workshop, the children used the basics of robotics to build innovative models. It was a great opportunity for children to ideate, be creative and work in groups as they brainstormed over solutions for everyday problems and created prototypes.
HeadStart STEM: Skills Development Training for Teachers
23rd January 2019
A training session on Skill Development was conducted for around 80 primary and secondary teachers, under United Way Mumbai's HeadStart STEM initiative. The session focused on building mindfulness and self-awareness. The teachers were also made aware of various teaching techniques to make their lessons more engaging. Tips and tricks included use of voice modulation, clarity of speech, etc., while speaking. The training also involved a hands-on demonstration of the use of digital education support provided in each school.
HeadStart STEM: Digital Learning Support
15th January 2019
Digital content along with a portable LED TV screen has been set up in all the 15 project schools for Grades 1 to 5, under the HeadStart STEM initiative. The content covers video lessons mapped to the students' Science, Maths and English curriculum and is available in English and Marathi, depending on the medium of instruction of the school.
HeadStart STEM: Remedial Education Support for Mathematics
20th December 2018
The remedial Maths classes organised under United Way Mumbai's HeadStart STEM initiative are
fun and interactive, with the aim to improve the Maths learning levels of students. Through these engaging sessions, the students learn Maths in unconventional ways, which makes the subject more interesting and easy to grasp, allowing them to eagerly
participate and learn in class.
HeadStart STEM Vacation Camps
30th November 2018
Under the HeadStart STEM initiative, UWM organised STEM camps for children of Grades 7-9 across project schools to encourage innovation and teamwork. At the camps, the children learnt how to use easily available materials to build models, under the mentorship of professional facilitators.
HeadStart STEM: Capacity Building of Teachers in STEM Pedagogy
28th November 2018
A session focused on incorporating activities in Physics, Technology and Biology classes to enhance learning, was conducted for 18 Science and Math teachers from project schools at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education. The training was a part of United Way Mumbai's HeadStart STEM initiative. The session was designed to be experiential and interactive and
also served as a space for Science and Maths teachers from different schools to
connect with each other.
HeadStart STEM Exposure Visit to Nehru Science Centre
31st October 2018
More than 1000 children from across project schools were part of STEM exposure visits to the Nehru Science Centre, aimed at promoting learning through observations and experiences. The visits were conducted by United Way Mumbai under the HeadStart STEM programme, which focuses on promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based learning among children from marginalised sections of the community. The activities at the exposure visit included
science shows, exploration of science galleries and understanding the relevance of science in everyday activities.
HeadStart STEM: Vachan Prerna Diwas
15th October 2018
The birthday of former Indian President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is celebrated in schools as Vachan Prerna Diwas, a day to encourage reading. United
Way Mumbai commemorated the day by gifting mini-library bags with over
100 STEM books to project schools. The project team also assisted the children
in reading STEM storybooks.
HeadStart STEM: International Day of the Girl Child
11th October 2018
As part of HeadStart STEM activities, United Way Mumbai commemorated International
Day of the Girl Child at S.S.M. M.C.M. Girls’ School with a
session for parents on the importance of education for girls. The session also focused on the need for
women in STEM careers. Around 35 parents and their children participated in the
session.
HeadStart STEM: Exposure Visit to Virar
6th October 2018
As part of United Way Mumbai's HeadStart STEM activities, students from U.M. Thevar High School spent a day at the
Navneet Book Factory and Vivek Agro Tourism Centre at Virar. They observed the
entire process of paper-making and book-binding at the Navneet Factory and learnt about Warli paintings, organic farming and agriculture at
Vivek Agro Tourism Centre.
HeadStart STEM: Capacity Building of Teachers in STEM Pedagogy
30th September 2018
United Way Mumbai conducted capacity building sessions for 52
teachers from across 10 project schools. The sessions focused on the correct use of the Mini-Science Centre tabletop models to make lessons
interesting and relevant for children. Based on experiential learning, the
sessions were interactive and discussion-based, with teachers trying the models
and exchanging ideas on teaching-related concepts while making real-world
connections.
HeadStart STEM: International Literacy Day
11th September 2018
In
commemoration of International Literacy Day, United Way Mumbai gifted each of the project schools a mini-library bag comprising Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related books. These books are beautifully illustrated; culturally relevant; cover a wide range of STEM concepts and are
available in English, Hindi and Marathi for children with varying
reading abilities. At the activity, the schoolchildren also created their own STEM-themed stories
using picture cue cards.
HeadStart STEM: Meeting with School Management Committee
27th August 2018
United Way Mumbai conducted meetings
with School Management Committee members at Karmaveer Bhuarao
Patil Vidyalaya, Dr D.B. Kulkarni Vidyalaya and M.P. Bhuta School. The meetings were aimed at orienting the schools about UWM's project HeadStart STEM and seek their support in activities.
Parents of the schoolchildren also visited the Mini Science Centre and explored the
various STEM models as the trainer guided them.
HeadStart STEM: Installation of Mini Science Centres
10th August 2018
Under the HeadStart STEM programme, United Way Mumbai has set up Mini Science Centres in 10 schools. The Mini
Science Centre is an interactive space with 65 curriculum-mapped, table-top
working models that provide students from Grades 5 to 10 a hands-on experience
of learning Science and Mathematics. In addition to the models, there are 33 backdrops with a brief description of each model and an in-depth manual
available in regional languages to ensure their easy use.