Using ‘off the shelf ideas’ to plan and design a unit of work in STEM
Primary and Early Years settings have had insufficient access to resources and professional development to integrate STEM education as part of a curriculum program.
The aim of this case study was to explore the understanding and transformation required to modify a commercial STEM resource into a curriculum plan that addressed real-world issues grounded in the Sustainable Development Goals.
This small-scale action research used interviews, document analysis, questionnaires and group discussions to examine the subject knowledge required across the disciplines to plan and teach a STEM- focused curriculum. Lee Shulman’s ‘Model of Pedagogical Reasoning and Action was used as a theoretical framework’ to reflect on the curriculum plan. My findings show that a commercially prepared plan provided a valuable scaffold enabling practitioners to consider the content and pedagogical knowledge required for a STEM-focused curriculum.
The contribution of subject specialists during the planning process enabled the interdisciplinary approach to create a STEM plan.
