The way science is taught in schools is failing to inspire, engage, or reflect the full potential of our young learners, especially those from under-represented backgrounds.

However, a new initiative led by Dr Somayeh Mohammady at TU Dublin and funded by Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland, offers a transformative new approach that proves what’s possible when we reimagine education from the ground up.

'Disconnected from creativity or identity'

“In traditional classrooms, science is often taught as rigid, abstract, and disconnected from creativity or identity,” said Dr Mohammady, of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at TU Dublin. “We’re failing to show children, especially girls and students from under-represented backgrounds, that science is something they can see themselves in.”

Dr Somayeh Mohammady.

TU Dublin recently hosted a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) workshop that welcomed primary school children into a world where circuits spark imagination, art meets electronics, and every child is treated as a future innovator. Every family who attended TU Dublin’s recent STEAM workshop gave it positive feedback, a rare and powerful endorsement that speaks volumes about the kind of science education children are hungry for.

The workshop also addressed gender bias through the live testing of an Erasmus student’s app designed to challenge career stereotypes, and redefined who 'belongs' in STEAM through a multicultural team of 18 instructors who served as visible, relatable role models.

 

From pink tools to culturally resonant projects like an 'Eid Mubarak' light display, every element was carefully designed to be welcoming, empowering, and inclusive. TU Dublin’s approach shows what science education in Ireland should look like: creative, equitable, and grounded in the real world. 

“Children lit up, literally and figuratively, when given the chance to engage with science in a way that was hands-on, creative, and welcoming,” said Dr Mohammady. “That kind of excitement doesn’t come from textbooks or rote learning. It comes from feeling seen, included, and empowered.”

If science education in Ireland is to truly serve all children, it must move beyond outdated, one-size-fits-all teaching and embrace models that reflect the diversity, creativity, and complexity of the world in which students live.

TU Dublin’s STEAM workshop, created in partnership with Research Ireland’s CONNECT Centre, offers a compelling blueprint for that future.