01 Policy: "Canada 2067" Plan

In 2015, the Science, Technology and Innovation Council of Canada pointed out in its State of the Country report that the gap between Canada and the world's top 5 in key enterprise innovation performance indicators was constantly widening, which was threatening the country's global competitiveness. Therefore, Canada should focus on the role of educational institutions in expanding its talent advantage. The specific policy proposed by the committee is that educational institutions should cooperate more closely with the industrial sector to develop courses "in order to better integrate scientific and technological knowledge with a broader range of business, enterprise and commercialization skills, and cultivate students' creativity, ability to take risks wisely, and lofty aspirations" [1].

In October 2016, Let's Talk Science launched a landmark national engagement program, namely the "Canada 2067" program (Figure 1). This plan has sparked a national discussion on the current state of STEM learning and its future development direction. Its aim is to help Canadian teenagers master the key skills needed to navigate the 21st century and have equal opportunities to learn and pursue diverse career paths. "Canada 2067" provides a platform for different stakeholders to participate in formulating the national vision and goals for STEM education, consisting of three basic parts.

● Research. We have reviewed over 30 reports published since 2007, focusing on STEM education in primary and secondary schools in Western developed countries such as Europe, North America and Australia, and summarized international experiences and best practices related to education policies.

National Leadership Conference. The conference was held in Toronto on December 5-6, 2017, bringing together policymakers and government officials, teenagers, educators, industry leaders, community partners and other stakeholders to discuss the important educational issues defined by the six pillars of STEM learning in Canada from 2017 to 2067.

● Global Shapers Millennial communities. It is part of the World Economic Forum, a network of 378 city centers in 160 countries, where young people under the age of 30 come together to address local, regional and global challenges. From August to November 2017, Let's Talk Science invited six Canadian global shaper communities to hold a series of dialogue conferences in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto and Halifax. More than 200 participants from the millennial generation (aged 20 to 30) presented their unique insights into STEM learning in K-12 education.

In 2018, the Let's Talk Science organization combined the achievements of the above three parts and released the "Canada 2067" document. This document identified the skills and qualities required for talents in Canada in the 21st century (Figure 2), and formulated the "Canada 2067 Pillars" around them, which include six pillars: how to teach, how to learn, what to learn, who to participate, where education is headed, and equity and inclusion (Figure 3) [3].

▲ Figure 1 "Canada 2067" - 21st-century Skills and Qualities

▲ Figure 2 Canada's Pillar 2067

02 Concept

In 2016, Associate Professor DeCoito from the Faculty of Education at Western University summarized that the main concepts of science and technology education for teenagers in Canada include: ① Enhancing the skill levels of all students in STEM fields; ② Cultivate 21st-century learning skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving ability, creativity, collaboration ability, self-regulating learning ability, scientific literacy, environmental literacy and technical literacy, etc. ③ Courses containing indigenous content must be flexible enough to adapt to local knowledge and avoid forcibly incorporating indigenous knowledge into the Western scientific framework [4].

The "Canada 2067" plan released in 2018 summarized ten technology education concepts that teenagers aspire to [5] : ① Personalized learning; ② Student collaboration; ③ Integrate technology into the classroom; ④ Alter the educational curriculum to enable students to participate in STEM education as early as possible; ⑤ Experiential learning, connecting STEM learning with real-life problems; ⑥ The master-apprentice system enables students to seek out caring and trustworthy adults to establish meaningful relationships. ⑦ Cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving skills; ⑧ Enhance self-awareness and provide professional consultation; ⑨ Full of happiness, creating a supportive, encouraging and inspiring school culture for students, and providing a diverse and inclusive learning environment; ⑩ Provide a comfortable learning space, which must be safe, clean, bright and inspiring.

03 Form

● Cooperate with enterprises. For instance, in the past five years, major technology companies such as Google, Cisco and Microsoft have donated a large amount of funds to STEM projects in Canada [6].

● Cooperate with research institutes. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada plays a significant role in promoting STEM education in Canada. The committee has been encouraging the formulation and support of agendas for teachers' professional development and the enhancement of students' STEM skills and interests, and urging research institutions to take responsibility for promoting science and technology education for teenagers [7].

Integrate informal educational resources in museums. Museums across Canada provide expert and scientific research resource support for teenagers' technological innovation. The most renowned one is undoubtedly the Ontario Science Centre, whose classic programs include [8] : ① The 21st Century Learning Skills Leadership Program, which is the first science center-driven program certified by the Canadian Ministry of Education. It includes camping, innovative courses based on design thinking, and since 2018, it has offered credit-independent study courses. ② On-site research: This is a project in collaboration with university laboratories, inviting researchers to conduct real scientific research in museums. Teenagers can participate in scientific production or take part in scientific research related to children's development, culture, racial prejudice, memory loss, etc. ③ Youth Innovation Project: This is a reward program of the Ontario Science Centre to support youth innovation and is funded by many enterprises such as Cisco Group and STEAM Labs. Among them, the most influential one is the "Weston Young Innovators Award" established in 2008, which showcases the revolutionary ideas and research works of Canadian young innovators aged 14 to 18 in science and technology. The winner of 2017 invented the smartphone application iDentifi, which uses a mobile phone camera and an artificial intelligence program to help people with poor eyesight identify everyday items and provide audio recognition of objects, brands, colors, facial expressions, handwriting and text. The winner of 2018 (15 years old) invented the "Wireless Internet Non-invasive Triage System". The 2019 winner (18 years old) invented the "Medical probe for spinal Fusion Surgery" [9]. The winner of 2020 (14 years old) invented a noise-reducing hand dryer for public restrooms [10].

▲ Figure 3 shows teenagers participating in on-site research

04

Resources

Canada has implemented a series of expansion projects for STEM education. These expansion projects have had a positive impact on teenagers' STEM learning, enhancing their interest in STEM learning activities and enabling them to effectively engage in them. They also emphasize the goals of STEM and its learning activities, develop their understanding of the scientific world, and consider future STEM careers [11]. There are the following typical resources.

● Hibernia project. More than 10 million US dollars have been invested in STEM projects in Newfoundland and Labrador. In Newfoundland, 5 million US dollars is allocated to support two projects - the STEM Key Teacher Education Program and the K-6 Teacher Professional Development Program.

● WISE Atlantic Project of Nova Scotia. This project is dedicated to encouraging teenagers, especially girls, to pursue STEM careers through science seminars and science camps, and supporting women in STEM careers through professional development opportunities.

● Ontario. Through the 2009 Canadian Economic Action Plan, the federal government provided funds for activities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics for teenagers. The aim was to strengthen southern Ontario's position in the knowledge economy and encourage teenagers to engage in STEM education or choose careers in STEM fields. For instance, through collaboration with the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary, the Imperial Oil Foundation donated 2.5 million US dollars over a period of five years (2011-2016) to support STEM research and assist K-12 schools in establishing STEM learning programs, thereby enhancing the learning and teaching of STEM in early schools.

● Outreach projects. STEM programs are offered across Canada in the form of camping, clubs, workshops and community outreach activities. These projects aim to cultivate the scientific literacy and self-confidence of teenagers and create a dynamic, competitive and diverse workforce, helping Canada become a global leader in scientific literacy and innovation.

▲ Figure 4 Teenagers participating in the WISE Atlantic project

05

Revelation

Based on the relevant policies, concepts, forms and resources of science and technology education for teenagers in Canada, the following inspirations can be brought to the development of science and technology education for teenagers in China.

First, enhance interaction and integration among all sectors. The connections between primary and secondary schools in Canada and various sectors of society such as enterprises and research institutions are relatively close. Enterprises and research institutions provide financial and technical support to schools, while schools cultivate suitable talents for enterprises and research institutions. These institutions complement and promote each other.

Second, strengthen the research on relevant policy theories and guide practical teaching with concepts and policies. Canada has compiled the "Canada 2067" document by integrating suggestions from various stakeholders regarding STEM learning in K-12 education, which clearly defines the future development direction and talent cultivation goals of STEM education in Canada.

Thirdly, educational content should not only integrate advanced educational concepts but also be deeply rooted in the cultural soil of the country. In the process of science and technology education, attention should be paid to the influence of China's local culture to avoid cultural maladaptation caused by forcibly absorbing the Western scientific framework. In the process of science and technology education, it is necessary to combine practical problems to help teenagers improve their problem-solving abilities in the process of facing real problems, thereby achieving the cultivation of scientific literacy.

Fourth, enrich course resources and diversify course forms. Canada has developed a series of off-campus expansion programs for STEM education, and many of its museums have also integrated informal resources. In an informal setting, let teenagers cultivate their scientific literacy and self-confidence through scientific inquiry and experiments, develop their understanding of the scientific world, and increase the possibility of them engaging in science and technology education-related work in the future.

▲ Figure 5: Teenagers participating in outreach project activities

References

[1] Science,  Technology and Innovation Council. 2015. State of the nation 2014. Canada’s innovation challenges and opportunities.  Ottawa, ON, Canada. // DeCoito, I. 2016. STEM education in Canada:  A knowledge synthesis. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 16(2), 114-128.

[2] https://canada2067.letstalkscience.ca/en/articles/12-questions-for-50-years-insights-from-the-canada-2067-national-leade rship-conference/

[3] Let’s Talk Science. 2018. Canada 2067. Youth Insight:  Imagining the Future of STEM Education. Retrieved from  https://canada2067.ca/app/uploads/2018/09/EN_Canada2067_YouthPublication.pdf.

[4] DeCoito. 2016. I. STEM education in Canada:  A knowledge synthesis. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education 16(2), 114-128.

[5] https://canada2067.ca/en/

[7] Bagshaw, E. 2015. STEM crisis: NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli to focus on STEM’s image problem.

[8] https://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/Uploads/AboutUs/documents/2018-2019_Ontario-Science-Centre_Annual-Report_EN.pdf

[9] http://owlconnected.com/archives/canadian-teens-2019-weston-youth-innovation-awards

[10] https://www.cbe.ab.ca/news-centre/Pages/2020-weston-youth-innovation-award-winner.aspx

[11] DeCoito. 2014. I. Focusing on science, technology, engineering,  and mathematics (STEM) in the 21st century. Ontario Professional Surveyor, 57(1), 34-36.