Developing Human
Character through
STEM Planning andDesign Learning(PaDL) Framework
Dominador D. Mangao,
Suhaidah Tahir
Mariam Othman

Abigail Adams(1744-1818)

What does character mean?
Øgenerally a distinctive mark by which one thing isdistinguished from others . . .
Øthe assemblage of qualities that distinguish one individualfrom another (Homiak, 2007)ØPeople of good character are individuals who know thegood, love the good and do the good ( K.Ryan and K. Bohlin,1999).

What does character mean . . .
ØKnow the good – can understand good and evil; develop theability to sum up a situation, deliberate, choose the right thing to
do and then do itØLove the good – develop a full range of moral feelings andemotions ( love for good and a contempt for evil, capacity toempathise with others
ØDo the good – the will to act after thoughtful consideration if all
the circumstances and relevant facts

Why the Need for Character education. . .

is to help students develop good character,which includes knowing, caring about andacting upon core ethical values such as
respect, responsibility, honesty, fairness andcompassion

SEAMEO Education Agenda (2015-2035)
SEA-BES project is re-aligned into Priority Area #7“Adopting a 21st Century Curriculum “ . . .
to pursue a radical reform through systematic analysis ofknowledge, skills, and values needed to effectively respond tochanging global contexts, particularly to the ever-increasing
complexity of the Southeast Asian economic, socio-cultural andpolitical environment, developing teacher imbued with ASEAN ideals
in building ASEAN Community within 20 years.”AIM: “to provide world-class learning standards in Science andMathematics, including 21st century skills that can be used as
benchmarks in SEAMEO Member Countries to ensure all students
have access to fundamental knowledge, skills and values in order
to be socially responsible, globally competitive andsustainable.”

Human Character as an important componentof the framework for CCRLS in Mathematics andCCRLS in Science are reflected as “Mathematicalvalues, attitudes and habits for humancharacter” and “Values, and attitudes

Aims of Mathematics in CCRLS are to:qdevelop mathematical values, attitudes and habits of mind forhuman character;qdevelop mathematical thinking and enable to produce appropriate
process; andqacquire proficiency in mathematics content and apply mathematics
in appropriate situations.

Eventually, the aims would lead to the development of basic
human characters, creative human capital, and well qualified
citizens in Southeast Asia for a harmonious society throughmathematics (Mangao, D.D., Ahmad, N.J. & Isoda, M. , 2017)

Mathematical Values, Attitudes and Habits for Human Character

Mathematical Values:
Seeking Ø Generality and expandability
Ø Reasonableness and harmony
Ø Usefulness and efficiency
Ø Simpler and easierØ Beautifulness

Mathematical Attitude
Attempting to Ø See and think mathematicallyØ Pose questions and develop explanations
Ø Generalize and extend
Ø Appreciate others’ ideas and change
representations for meaningful elaborations
Mathematical Thinking and Processes

Mathematical Ideas:
Set, Unit, Comparison, Operation,
Algorithm,Fundamental principles, Permanenceof form, various representations andTranslations.

Mathematical Habits of Mind
For living Ø Reasonably and critically while respecting andappreciating others
Ø Autonomously and sociallyØ Creatively, innovatively and harmoniously to develop
citizenshipØ Judiciously in using various tools
Ø With empowerment in predicting the future throughlifelong learning

Mathematical Thinking:Generalisation and specialization
Extension and integration
Inductive, analogical and deductive reasoning
Abstracting, concretizing and embodiment
Objectifying by representation and symbolising
Relational and functional thinking
Thinking forward and backward

Mathematical Activities:
Ø Problem solving
Ø Exploration and inquiry
Ø Mathematical modelingØ Conjecturing, justifying and proving
Ø Conceptualisation andproceduralisation
Ø Representation and sharing

Contents

Key Stage 1Ø Numbers & Operations
Ø Quantity & Measurement
Ø Shapes, Figures and SolidsØ Pattern & Data Representations

Key Stage 2
Ø Extension of Numbers and Operations
Ø Measurement & Relations
Ø Plane Figures & Space Solids
Ø Data Handling & Graphs

Key Stage 3
Ø Numbers & AlgebraØ Relations & Functions
Ø Space & Geometry
Ø Statistics & Probability

Empathy as an important human character. . .
• “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears ofanother and feeling with the heart of another.” – Alfred Adler• empathy means “ … the ability to share someone
else's feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in thatperson's situation”( Cambridge Dictionary, 2020)• "understanding and sharing the feelings of another“(New Oxford American
Dictionary Online 2011)• By understanding others’ feelings, one can respond aptly to the situation.
This human character value is important in determining the decisions madebased on many aspects of life situations.

Why is empathy important for STEM education?
• Engaging students in empathy can make STEM learning moremeaningful because students can see the impact of STEM in theirlives and the lives of others.
• By making STEM content relevant, students will be able to seethemselves as potential contributing members of the STEMcommunity.
• Taking a more interpersonal and empathy-based approach toSTEM learning can also broaden our visions of what it means to bea "STEM person."Empathy is the first of the five phases in Design
Thinking model proposed by Hasso-Plattner Instituteof Design at Stanford, which is also known as d.school.

By engaging empathy, students willlearn the process of solving issues
through observing and listening.

Planning and Design
Learning (PaDL)” Framework

The Design LearningProcess for Students

RECSAM’s Planning and Design Learning (PaDL)
Framework• The Planning model for teachers is comprised of the following steps or cycle:(a)creating enthusiasm, a real-world problem or issue for students,
connection to the curriculum,(b) plannning the sequence of learning activities, scaffolding, resources, andassessment.
(c) Reflection• Through the Design learning process (empathising, …, proposing solution).
Get students to consider issues like ethical use of knowledge, implications andconsequences of solutions, how to work cooperatively in groups, how to conduct
inquiry and develop other 21st Century Skills.

Developing empathy• The empathy stage puts other people at the start and heart ofany planning activity or research project.
• This human-centred approach ensures that the design andproposed solution is anchored in the real-world.
• It will help the students make the right decisions and avoid
design failure when solving problems. Do not guess what otherpeople need without first listening to them. A lack of empathy
will contribute to design failure. Without empathy, there is nosolution.

Developing empathy• Humans and communities have various degrees of willingness to adopt
particular solutions to problems, which can act as potential designconstraints.
• Engaging in empathy encourages students to examine these constraints frommultiple perspectives and to ask questions to refine ideas and solutions tobetter address these constraints.
• Insights gained from engaging in empathy can also support students tobetter identify and define a problem statement that addresses the needs ofparticular communities.