Teachers are Innovators in STEM Education – Expert

By Tosin Clegg

Nigerian science education researcher Sharon Ndubuisi has harped that teachers are not just instructors but innovators driving creativity and problem-solving in STEM education.

She made this assertion in a media statement recently, stating that effective STEM education must move beyond rote learning to engage students in questioning, experimenting, and creating real-world solutions.

According to her, every classroom should be seen as a laboratory and every lesson as a chance to design something new.

Ndubuisi stressed that science education must inspire curiosity rather than encourage memorization.

“Science is not about repeating definitions,” she said. “It is about sparking curiosity and giving students the tools to figure things out for themselves.”

Her statement further noted that her approach to curriculum design focuses on resourcefulness, especially in environments with limited teaching materials.

Ndubuisi develops lessons that turn everyday objects—such as bottles, wires, local plants, and household items—into tools for learning physics, biology, and engineering.

The aim, she said, is to ensure that no student is excluded from discovery because of a lack of equipment.

Teachers who have implemented her lesson designs have observed noticeable changes in their classrooms.

Rather than sitting quietly and copying notes, students are now debating, testing ideas, and working together to solve problems relevant to their daily lives.

“When children realize they can build, test, and explain something themselves, the subject comes alive,” Ndubuisi explained.

She also highlighted the importance of making STEM education culturally relevant.

Her statement further said that lessons should draw from students’ local environments—linking energy concepts to electricity challenges in their communities or using agriculture and food examples to teach biology.

This, she noted, makes STEM learning both accessible and meaningful.

Ndubuisi believes teachers are central to this transformation. She said that just as scientists need laboratories and funding, teachers also need spaces to collaborate, reflect, and share ideas.

“Teaching is experimental work,” she noted. “We try, we adapt, and we improve. That is how breakthroughs happen.”

She further added that as global attention on STEM education continues to grow, teachers must see themselves as innovators and creators of change.

“Teachers are scientists in their own right,” she said. “Every lesson is an experiment, every classroom a lab. And just like in research, it is through trial, reflection, and persistence that breakthroughs come.”

Ndubuisi currently serves as a teacher and science education researcher, where she channels her passion for creativity and innovation into helping educators design hands-on, transformative STEM learning experiences.

She expressed hope that her work will inspire more educators to see themselves not only as instructors but as creators of opportunities capable of shaping the next generation of scientists and engineers.