<p style="text-align: justify;">Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education is regarded as one of the formulas to embracing many of our imminent challenges. STEM education benefits the learners by encouraging interest in STEM disciplines. This daunting task needs everyone’s concerted efforts in creating and innovating mathematics teachers’ classroom practices Therefore, a systematic review was conducted to identify best practices for STEM education following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) by Moher et al. (2015). The reviewed articles were published from 2016 to 2020 and accessed using the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases. Three themes for best practices were identified namely (a) core competencies encompassing 21st-century teaching skills; (b) instructional designs; and (c) requisite STEM execution. Results of PRISMA determined the dominant STEM practices were critical thinking, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, research-based pedagogy, problem-based learning and project-based learning, technological integration, accessibility, professional development and learning support, evidence of effectiveness, access to materials and practitioner support, and scalability. Mathematics teachers should determine the best STEM practices to employ even though there is a lack of studies on integrated STEM domains. When more students are interested in venturing and exploring into the field of STEM, the high demand for STEM related careers could be met by the younger generation.</p>

The challenge of the industrial revolution 4.0 (4IR) demands that future generations have high knowledge, skills, and capabilities in technology. A country’s competitiveness depends on STEM human capital as 4IR develops. Therefore, more organized and holistic actions need to be taken to ensure that the STEM level of mastery is enhanced among students. High demand for STEM human capital is a challenge to most developed countries in the world. Teachers are a crucial medium in the implementation of STEM education in schools. Mastering the knowledge of teachers in STEM education will provide positive input to students’ interest in learning. The purpose of this study was to identify the mathematics teacher’s knowledge of STEM-based education. A quantitative study was conducted on 66 teachers - who teach STEM subjects in high school. Twenty-three of them are math teachers. The findings show that these teachers know STEM education at a moderate level. The implications of this study indicate that the mastery of teachers ‘knowledge of STEM education will stimulate students’ interest in STEM education. Future studies can explore, the factors that influence teachers’ knowledge of STEM education in terms of teacher preparation and in-service teacher professional development programs.

Preparing students with knowledge and expertise in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is vital in meeting the demand for digital age career opportunities. Nevertheless, there is sparse research on teachers' views of student preparedness and teachers' knowledge of STEM in classroom instruction. The present study examines secondary school teachers' perceptions of STEM pedagogical content knowledge (STEMPCK). An online survey was administered to 66 Malaysian secondary school teachers through Google Forms to determine their perspectives of STEMPCK. Data were collected and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 20.0. The descriptive analysis showed that the selected teachers highly agreed on the pedagogical knowledge and knowledge of 21st century skill components of STEMPCK. However, the non-parametric analysis showed no significant mean differences in STEMPCK scores based on gender, educational qualification, and teaching experience. The study's implications suggest that teachers in these fields should be equipped with the necessary knowledge to be more confident in implementing STEM teaching in their respective schools.

Objective Surgical training programmes are evolving from time-based to competency-based schedules, which define expected learning outcomes in surgical knowledge, clinical and technical skills according to training levels. This article aims to review current models in surgical skills acquisition and to propose an integrative process-driven, outcomes-based model for surgical skills acquisition and mastery. Design A literature review was conducted on the theories of motor skills acquisition using PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar from 2010 to February 2020. The review was limited to theories and models on surgical skills acquisition and mastery. Four models of surgical skills acquisition were included: Fitts and Posner’s three-stage model of motor skills acquisition, Bandura’s social learning theory, Ericsson’s deliberate practice model and Jeannerod’s motor simulation theory. These models are deficient in that there is no universally accessible opportunity to practise the surgical procedure outside of the operating theatre and without access to physical simulators. Results We propose an innovative model that allows deliberate practice of the procedure without the need for expensive physical simulators, and provides an on-demand, self-directed practice by the trainees to achieve the level of mastery. This new model, which incorporates motor imagery and mental practice, augmented by deliberate practice, will provide an alternative training path for expert performance in surgical procedures. Conclusions The innovative model provides a solution to the reduced opportunity for practice by surgical trainees to achieve mastery in surgical motor skills.