By Assoc. Prof. Dr Suriati Paiman

BUKIT BERUNTUNG, April 23– A total of 78 students with special needs (MBK) and more than 1,600 low-performing mainstream students participated in hands-on activities in STREAM Carnival slot and Science Magic Show slot held at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Beruntung 2 (SKBB2).

The programme was a part of Special Needs Education Week Project Anak Istimewa Satu Anugerah (Special Needs Child: A Gift) in conjunction with Special Needs Education Month. Dr Samsilah Roslan was the pilot of the programme.

UPMSTEM and Faculty of Science organised the activities in collaboration with Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Putra Edu-Park and Putra Science Park (PSP).

Various exhibition and activities were held to provide exposure on Science Technology English Reading Arts Maths (STREAM) education to students with special education needs such as students with down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy and ADHD.

UPMSTEM has been working with SKBB2 since 2016, and together they had contributed many changes to 2019 hands-on activities which included Fun with Light, Computer Maze, augmented reality, virtual reality, Computer Happy Hour, Soil Adventure, Hydraulic Arm, Water Power and The Exploration of Zebrafish Embryo World.

The STREAM Module Director, Dr Hizmawati Madzin from FSKTM, said the students were happy to be able to learn a lot of new knowledge.

She said even a simple activity such as typing their names on the computer keyboard was enough to make the students with special needs happy, which might be an ordinary task for mainstream students.

Dr Izian Abd Karim said the modules Soil Adventure and Hydraulic Arm stimulated the children’s sensory skills by allowing them to explore different kinds of soil and rocks, and to operate simple machines such as the excavator, only by using recycled and reused items.

Dr Barirah, who had her first experience with the special needs students, was touched that the concept of light reflection and refraction in Fun with Light Module which was aided by a PUBG-inspired game could be grasped well by the children. 

During the evening session, low-performing mainstream students enjoyed the Magic Science Show performed by Professor Dr Sidek Aziz and Associate Prof Dr Yap Wing Fen from the Physics Department, Faculty of Science.

UPMSTEM Deputy Chairman, Associate Professor Dr Suriati Paiman, said the effort supported UPM’s goal of becoming a renowned university that contributed continuously towards sustainable development and people development, in utilising the field of STEM. - UPM

Date of Input: 06/05/2019 | Updated: 29/05/2019 | hairul_nizam