Bringing the Digital Future in the Growth of STEM Education

Rabieh Jamal Hafza, Director of Stem and Innovative Practice at Henry County Schools

Rabieh Jamal Hafza is the Director of STEM and Innovative Practice at Henry County Schools. Prior to this role, he was a science coordinator for 6-12 grades at Atlanta Public School, a curriculum writer and editor for Captain Planet Foundation and a science content specialist for grades k-8. He earned his Ph. D. in Curriculum and Instruction, MAT in Science Education, and a bachelor’s degree in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry. His teaching experience in diverse fields has led to developing STEM education in Henry County Schools.

Please share your journey over the years in the industry and mention your current key roles and responsibilities.

I have been engaged in the education field for the last 24 years. In 2015, I became a science teacher for a year, and eventually, I was hired as a science content specialist and science coordinator in Atlanta Public School. This is how I embarked on the journey of becoming a teacher. In 2021, I became the STEM Coordinator at Henry County Schools. I was promoted to the Director of Stem and Innovative Practice. Over the years, I indulged myself in writing curriculum content and developing teaching lessons, implementing robotics and instructional technology, and integrating it into standard-based lessons.

As STEM Coordinator in Henry County Schools, I have leveraged a two-part approach to integrating instructional resources into STEM education. Firstly, I not only provided the teachers with resources like robotics equipment and probeware software for wide use but also aligned them with Georgia Standards. This helped enhance the curriculum and make the resources more relevant.

Secondly, I implemented a robotics equipment adoption program in Henry County across k-12 and invested significantly in robotics equipment. Moreover, I developed scripted lessons to integrate robotics into this curriculum. All the changes and instructions were monitored and operated by 29 elementary STEM lab schools in elementary schools.

I have successfully leveraged a proactive approach to integrating STEM resources into the curriculum to facilitate students' learning experiences.

What are some of the challenges that the STEM program director faces today?

One of the major challenges we face in STEM education is budget constraints, regardless of the fact that I have not encountered the issue in my current position. However, when I was working as a science coordinator and content specialist, I faced the challenge that was an obstruction in leveraging innovative practices. In the current scenario, time and space are the limitations in providing professional development, including instructional technology, resources, and robotics, as teachers get indulged in their individualized teaching practices, which pose a significant challenge in STEM education. Simply acquiring the resources is not enough; rather, integrating them into students' academic development is equally important.

“Henry County Schools is a step ahead in progressing STEM education. We have leveraged instructional resources and embraced the utility of AI in our learning programs, enabling our students to explore new opportunities and excel in STEM education for better career paths.”

What are some of the opportunities for implementing the STEM program?

The most important opportunity traced in implementing the STEM program is student engagement, which ushers motivation, sparks interest among students and leads to mastery. Although the challenge lies in proper alignment of the instructional resources, ensuring budget, time and space to develop and build capacity gives the opportunity for seamless operation of the resources that are effective for students.

For instance, we have seen this development between the 29 elementary school teachers and students, where STEM became their favorite class, and they were involved with engineering design projects facilitated by using probeware and robotics equipment. This advanced level of teaching is vastly different from the traditional way of learning when students used to be passive in the classroom, following whatever their instructor teaches. Now, it is more of an interactive session where students have the scope to discuss, analyze and explore new possibilities. So, this is a huge achievement in the teaching space where students are engaged with technological skills, situating knowledge in their own beliefs.

Is there any project initiative that you have been involved in recently, and what were the outcomes of implementing the program?

I have implemented two major initiatives- leveraging the robotics program in kindergarten to eighth grade and developing a specialized STEM high school focused on fields like AI, biotechnology, aerospace engineering, renewable energy and sustainability. During the development phase of the robotics program, I initially selected robotics equipment, aligned it with our curriculum, and integrated it into the instructional framework. This program aims to enhance students' learning experience in robotics and engineering, preparing students for advanced STEM courses.

The specialized STEM school is engaged in the process of designing the curriculum, selecting equipment, and planning the school's infrastructure. My aim in building this school is to offer students a comprehensive STEM education where they can select their fields of interest and make their future career paths effective.

I have also ensured that these two respective initiatives are aligned, offering students a seamless transition from elementary to high school. Students can develop their foundational skills to excel in the advanced learning programs offered at the STEM high school. Moreover, I have collaborated with numerous universities, consultants, and experts to facilitate the designing process of innovative STEM programs and open up new opportunities for students to progress in STEM education.

Considering every potential disruption and transformation, how do you envision the future of STEM education?

Envisioning the coming years, I feel AI will take the education sector by storm, especially for STEM education, as traditional learning is becoming obsolete. In traditional learning practices, STEM education has involved specific programming languages to allow students to become proficient in these languages in computer science and coding. This was the conventional way of teaching, but with the technological proliferation of AI, there is an emphasis on the importance of teaching students by asking insightful questions. It is important for students to effectively utilize AI and know its implications while learning coding and programming tasks, where an interactive session of asking questions leads to more efficient solutions.

There is still a reluctance to embrace AI in the education sector, but there is a need to leverage AI for STEM programs to increase the capacity of both students and teachers. Therefore, integrating AI tools and technologies into the educational system is important to enhance learning skills in STEM fields.

Technology is advancing rapidly, and educational systems must be adaptable at the same pace to accommodate the changes needed to develop the educational curriculum. Educational institutions should also design research-based instructional practices to adapt to technological advancements driven by AI.

Is there some advice or a suggestion for your fellow peers and upcoming professionals in this field?

I would advise my peers and upcoming professionals to never give up on learning; it’s a life-long skill that must be incorporated at every stage of our lives. Popular personalities never stop learning, which helps them evolve in their respective fields. No matter how successful we become, we are always on the journey of learning and developing new skills, which is helpful in both personal and professional lives. This is how I embarked on my personal journey, always up for learning and incorporating new skills, from science content to robotics, computer science, and engineering.

Robotics

Aerospace

Renewable Energy