The Integration of leanring in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics leads to opportunities for learners to solve complex, transdisciplinary problems. We call this challenge-first learning.
The construction of the product or service in challenge-first learning affords genuine reasons for learners to consolidate and extend their discipline knowledges and skills, and opportunities for educators to design scaffolding activities to guide this learning. In addition, challenge-first learning provides authentic opportunities to develop learners’ language skills as they communicate with one-another and as they interpret and construct informational texts, and their skills in collaboration and self-mangagement as they plan and enact their response to the challenge. The result is holistic learning that is evident in both the product or service created and in the creative process that the learners participated in.
Connected Curriculum supports challenge-first learning by:
– creating curriculum resources and programs to use with school-aged learners; and
– collaborating with educators to support their professional learning in the knowedge and skills needed to enact challenge-first learning in STEM education.