Implementing a whole-school approach to STEM education
There are 3 interlinking resources to support planning for STEM:
- STEM Connections web page (ACARA)
- STEM Connections workbook (planning tool) and STEM practices critiquing checklists (ACARA)
- National STEM education resources toolkit (Australian Government Department of Education).
The STEM Connections resource shows educators where STEM education can be addressed across the curriculum through the key aspects of STEM. In a STEM unit, students:
- develop STEM practices (STEM ways of thinking, knowing, doing and being) and dispositions to develop solutions for a range of contexts
- develop a deep understanding of the concepts and processes of Science, Technologies and Mathematics and their relationship to Engineering. These concepts and processes contribute to a holistic understanding of STEM. They are reliant on each other and provide the language for a conversation about STEM in the Australian Curriculum
- use their knowledge, understanding and skills in response to identified needs, opportunities or problems from their communities (local, national or global)
- apply the general capabilities, particularly Critical and Creative Thinking, Digital Literacy, Ethical Understanding, Literacy and Numeracy to make informed decisions and choices when creating solutions for complex needs, opportunities or problems.
The STEM Connections workbook was developed to support teachers to create engaging STEM units. The workbook is a practical guide for schools to use when designing a Science, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) unit of work. It has been produced in workbook format to allow information to be recorded as a team moves through the modelled process. It includes:
- a process for school teams to follow
- activities to be completed at each step
- sample project ideas
- suggested approaches to assessment
- resources.
STEM Connections workbook (DOCX 696KB)
The process begins with determining the school identified purpose. It then moves onto choosing a connecting idea, such as an authentic need, opportunity or problem. This provides the focus for developing a STEM unit and a common student task. The development of a common task may involve input from multiple teachers. Science understanding, Technologies knowledge and understanding, and Mathematical concepts (ways of knowing) provide a useful starting point for identifying connecting ideas that can then be applied to authentic contexts. For example, the Design and Technologies context of Engineering principles and systems connects to the Science sub-stand Physical sciences and Measurement in Mathematics.
Figure 2: Representation of the elements of a STEM Connections unit
The following questions help teachers to choose a connecting idea for a STEM unit:
- Why does this learning matter?
- What concept, theme or idea will link the different subjects together? Focus on addressing authentic problems and opportunities.
- What significant events are occurring in my local community?
- Are there any First Nations community members you could connect with or any First Nations resources that could be used to support an authentic learning opportunity?
- What knowledge and skills do you want the students to be left with once the unit has been completed?
- Does the learning connect to the students’ world?
- Does it form a basis for future learning?
- Why teach this connecting idea?
- Why does it matter for students to gain a deep understanding of this concept?
- How will this connect with learning that students are exploring in other learning areas?
For more tips on how to develop a STEM unit, use the STEM connections workbook (DOCX 696KB).
STEM practices critiquing checklists
The STEM practices critiquing checklists focus on STEM ways of thinking, knowing, doing and being. Use the questions in the checklists to critique and strengthen a STEM unit. STEM practices critiquing checklists (DOCX 884KB)
The National STEM education resources toolkit is an online resource to help teachers, school leaders, industry partners and others deliver high quality STEM initiatives in schools. It was developed by the Australian Government Department of Education.
A STEM unit should authentically connect to content from at least 2 learning areas in some depth but preferably 3. However, addressing more than 3 subjects from these learning areas may lead to a lack of focus in teaching, learning and assessment. Purposeful connections are key; sometimes one learning area may have a supporting role.
The output of a STEM unit should primarily be evidence of their inquiry. It should clearly communicate and potentially demonstrate the function of the proposed product, service or environment rather than just an elaborated idea. Such outputs increase the opportunity for students to seek feedback from an audience and potentially to develop enterprise skills. Start small when starting on the STEM journey and build up after some success.
The STEM Connections workbook starts with identifying connecting ideas and authentic needs, opportunities or problems. STEM Connections workbook
The STEM practices critiquing checklist is useful when reflecting on a unit of work or task to check it is addressing STEM ways of knowing. STEM practices critiquing checklists
STEM can also be addressed as an extra-curricular activity that may not reflect the Australian Curriculum but does support STEM learning through a competition or student interest.
Below are some examples of authentic needs, opportunities or problems and contexts.
- Authentic needs, opportunities or problems: Identify an authentic need, opportunity or problem to create an innovative or impactful solution locally or globally. Then consider how STEM knowledge and skills might be used together to solve that problem or create a solution.
- For example, redesign an area of the community to grow healthy food (Design and Technologies). This would require researching and testing soils (Science), and understanding and applying measurement and space knowledge and skills to accurately plan and cost the new design (Mathematics).
- Context-based: Plan STEM learning to apply knowledge and skills from the STEM learning areas or from another learning area. Plan STEM learning to reflect a business or professional context that provides models and experiences of transdisciplinary teamwork.
- For example, create a designed solution for a specific type of sporting athlete that measures, tracks and projects improvements to performance (HPE learning area context). Wearable devices or e-textiles as clothing could be used to collect data or monitor live data such as heart rate. This example could involve knowledge and skills from Science (Biological sciences), Mathematics, Design and Technologies, and Digital Technologies.
Planning for STEM learning
Select from the following section buttons for more information and resources to support a deeper understanding of STEM in the Australian Curriculum, STEM unit or whole school curriculum planning.