STEM as a Learning Platform

How does the air an astronaut breathes on the International Space Station (ISS) compare to the air students inhale in a classroom? Grade 8 students find out for themselves as they learn to code and build an instrument that will monitor classroom temperature, humidity and CO2 levels. They’ll use what they build to compare their readings to those on the ISS by accessing the data website that posts information about what’s happening inside the Space Station. They’ll also monitor their classroom over time to determine how and when readings change. 

Students quickly discover a possible factor in their after-lunch lethargy when they find that CO2 levels in their classroom change throughout the day and are too high in the afternoon. One team decides they should monitor other classrooms to see if there’s a pattern in the building. Other teams develop strategies to improve conditions. Maybe opening the window will lower CO2 readings?  Or maybe bringing in some plants will help?  Maybe the school’s heating and ventilation system needs attention?  Over the following weeks, students try all kinds of things, including sharing their results with the principal.  

What might have been a straightforward coding exercise became a highly engaging, student-led inquiry that developed STEM knowledge and many skills including critical thinking and problem-solving, data management, inquiry design, teamwork, communication and advocacy. Students used the evidence they gathered to learn about the environment and make positive changes in their classroom and school. They were curious – and they felt empowered to use STEM inquiry to make a difference.  

This project, Living Space, is available at no cost to educators, and was developed by Let’s Talk Science in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency. It appeals to students, in part because it aligns technology with a meaningful context for improving people’s lives and understanding the environment. Research indicates that providing real-world contexts increases positive attitudes toward computing and engineering tasks compared with generic tasks. A recent literature review (Portillo-Blanco et al, 2024) cited numerous studies that demonstrated the positive influence of integrated STEM learning on students’ motivation, attitudes, and performance. While some students may be motivated by technical content alone, programs that embed coding or engineering design in health, ecology, or community problems (i.e. applying the technology) show larger gains in girls’ interest and persistence (Sáinz et al, 2022). An integrated project that is anchored on a real challenge – such as classroom air quality – is a meaningful way to build relevance for students.  

Based on enrolment data collected from provincial ministries of education, many students are not motivated by traditional science courses. More than half of all high school students disengage early and do not complete credits required to pursue postsecondary STEM studies. On average, fewer than 15% of students complete senior physics, which is required for engineering – effectively closing the door to that field for approximately five out of six students. College programs and apprenticeships have been reshaped by technology, yet many students who aspire to college also drop STEM too early, closing the door to many other pathways. 

It’s time to consider ways to improve engagement for all students, especially as STEM skills and science literacy are increasingly important for everyone. A perceived lack of relevance is a significant barrier for many youth, regardless of gender. When students struggle to answer the question “so what?”, they lose motivation to persist in STEM studies. Other reasons why students disengage from STEM include a lack of awareness about relevant postsecondary and career pathways, and a lack of role models. These barriers can be addressed using multi-disciplinary approaches that foster curiosity, creativity and problem solving, incorporate career information and build interest and confidence – along with technical knowledge. 

When I started Let’s Talk Science in the early 1990s, I was a doctoral student in physiology. It wasn’t until that stage of education that I truly experienced science as a verb – ways of examining and making sense of the world around us. For me, science suddenly became a problem-solving toolkit more than an encyclopedia. Subsequently, I had a remarkable experience working with 3- and 4-year-old children at an early years centre. I’d worked mainly with teenagers until that point so the little ones were a bit intimidating. But it was a game changer in transforming how I thought about the power of STEM as an integrated learning platform.  

A few days after I led a hands-on workshop playing with balloons to teach the children about static electricity, I received a call from the centre’s staff. Several parents had been asking ‘what are you doing with the kids?’ because many of them were sharing science stories at home. For example, one little boy got a small shock leaving the car one day and he exclaimed “Mom, the electrons got me!”.   

The children were asking for ‘more science’ and they were applying the scientific concepts we explored accurately in their daily lives. They were curious, asking questions and using science to explore the world. 

When STEM programming is taught in a way that is project-based, inquiry-led and connected to real life and real problems, it develops curiosity, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, problem solving, resiliency, empathy and motivation that transfer across subjects and into life and work (Kwon & Lee , 2025).  These skills and traits are developed through socially constructed learning where students co-create meaning through collaboration and shared problem solving. The initial problem or project framing plays an important role in shaping the learning journey. When it is relevant, complex enough for the age group, and creates a cognitive challenge, it can motivate students to learn (Portillo-Blanco  et al, 2024). 

Using STEM as a learning platform can also reduce barriers and build inclusion for all learners. Using equity-focused design with culturally responsive problems can help all youth, including those historically marginalized from STEM, build confidence and interest in science.  Research supports the positive impact of treating STEM as a ‘verb’ rather than as a set of facts to be memorized. Recognizing that science education needs to evolve, the OECD incorporated several significant changes on its PISA 2025 test, including: 

• a shift towards scientific literacy and the importance of ‘science identity’ (i.e. feeling like one is ‘a science person’); 
• the recognition that most students don’t become researchers and it’s more important for them to be able to assess the design of investigations; 
• the new competency of ‘research, evaluate and use scientific information for decision making and action’; and 
• a new focus on education for sustainability, environmental education and sense of personal agency to take action. 

These changes align with findings from two youth engagement projects we conducted. The first, Canada 2067, took place in 2017. This project engaged more than 1000 Grade 9 and 10 students to envision the future of STEM education. The themes identified in 2017 are just as relevant today, which raises the question of how do we get better at incorporating their insights into practice? 

Canada 2067 highlights include: 

• Students emphasized the need for personalization and customization in learning. Students want help from their teachers to understand their own learning style. They want to explore their passions at school, and cite having trouble feeling motivated by the curriculum, wishing their interests could be used more often to drive their learning journeys. One student said, “Netflix knows me better than my teacher.”   One approach is to invite students to identify a problem of personal interest. Forming groups of three, one student assumes the role of client and shares the problem. The other students are consultants who ask probing questions to learn more. Structured peer dialogue then continues to identify various solutions. 
• Collaboration and technology integration were highlighted as essential for learning. Students imagined the future of STEM as integrally connected to the arts and humanities. They want to approach subjects in a multidisciplinary way, using real problems to learn concepts. And they want access to real world experts. This would allow students to deepen their understanding of foundational theories by applying them to real world problems. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) offer powerful and real-life anchors to kick off projects. Help students identify and organize complex ideas related to the project using brainstorming  with each idea on a separate sticky note. Similar ideas can be clustered with synthesizing statements developed.  

Sustainability offers a particularly promising focus to support youth engagement in STEM; connecting STEM to environmental stewardship (conservation, species protection, pollution solutions) taps youth interest and links it to technical practices (OECD, 2021).  In 2022, Let’s Talk Science supported a youth-led research project, Climate Action Lab, focusing on youth engagement to identify barriers and opportunities for effective sustainability programming. One of the most important youth insights from the project was that the way sustainability education is often presented can feel to teens as if society is asking them to fix things by themselves through self-discipline. Instead, students want engagement to be a positive experience, one that is social, connected, experiential, nature-based, hopeful and aligned with their life goals. Their recommendations included:  

• humanizing climate action by positioning it as supporting people and connecting it to real-life solutions; 
• creating positive experiences and engaging students by focusing on solutions that are feasible for youth;  
• including Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and local knowledge as focal points; and  
• engaging students in multidisciplinary learning opportunities. 

These recommendations can be brought to life in many ways that are relevant based on student demographics, community, culture or geography. For example, imagine the impact of kicking off a project by taking a nature walk with a local Indigenous Knowledge Holder or a community partner, during which students learn about edible plants or forest management, which may include controlled fires.  

Projects that anchor STEM-based explorations using topics over which teens have some personal control, such as clothing choices, are empowering and build critical, transferable skills. In one project, students explore the impact of fashion on the environment by exploring the science of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions related to the global transportation of clothing, microplastics and more. Youth-led culminating events include organizing school-wide clothing swaps or turning worn clothing into reusable bags.  

Regardless of the grade and course, engaging students in integrated learning that is anchored in STEM is a powerful way to prepare them for the future. It builds relevant knowledge, foundational skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving and characteristics including resilience, courage, and curiosity.  

The future will belong to those who can turn curiosity into solutions that help others. When STEM learning connects to real problems, such as protecting ecosystems, improving health, feeding people, or designing safe communities, every student can see themselves as a problem-solver. Purpose is the pathway to participation. 

[Please visit Letstalkscience.ca for more information about programming described in the article. We thank Groundswell Projects for its partnership in both Canada 2067 youth summits and the Climate Action Lab research project.] 

Reflection Questions: 

1. What would it look like if a real-world problem (like clean water, sustainable energy or food security) became the common thread across multiple subjects in my classroom or school? 
2. In what ways could I reframe an existing science unit to highlight its human, social or environmental impact? 
3. What support or professional learning would help me feel more confident teaching STEM as an integrated platform for inquiry and impact? 

References 

Kwon, H. & Lee, Y. (2025). A meta-analysis of STEM project-based learning on creativity[J]. STEM Education, 2025, 5(2): 275-290. doi: 10.3934/steme.2025014   

OECD. (2021, May 21). Gender and the Environment: Building Evidence and Policies to Achieve the SDGs. OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/3d32ca39-en. 

Portillo-Blanco, A., Deprez, H., De Cock, M.; Guisasola, J., Zuza, K. (2024). A Systematic Literature Review of Integrated STEM Education: Uncovering Consensus and Diversity in Principles and Characteristics. Educ. 

Sci. 14, 1028. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14091028  

Sáinz, M., Fàbregues, S., Romano, M. J., & López, B.-S. (2022). Interventions to increase young people’s interest in STEM: A scoping review. ​ Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 954996. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.954996 ​ 

Meet the Expert(s)

Dr. Bonnie Schmidt

President & Founder, Let's Talk Science

Dr. Bonnie Schmidt is the president and founder of Let’s Talk Science, a national education charity that she started in 1991 while completing a PhD in Physiology. Let’s Talk Science helps children and youth fulfill their potential and prepare for future careers and citizenship roles by supporting their learning through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) engagement.

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