Design, Make, Play: Growing the Next Generation of STEM Innovators

Design, Make, Play: Growing the Next Generation of STEM Innovatorsis a resource for practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and program developers that illuminates creative, cutting edge ways to inspire and motivate young people about science and technology learning. Extensive case studies explore real world examples of innovative programs that take place in a variety of settings, including schools, museums, community centers, and virtual spaces. Design, Make & Play are presented as learning methodologies that have the power to rekindle children's intrinsic motivation and innate curiousity about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Design, Make, Playclearly demonstrates the gains in learning observed in each featured program, the assessment process used to document gains, how gains were distributed across gender, age, grade level, etc, and how those gains can be reproduced in other settings. To ensure that the book is complimentary with the most forward-thinking research on STEM education, all the featured practices and projects are aligned with the National Research Council's new Framework for Science Education, which includes an explicit focus on engineering and design content, as well as an integration across disciplines. A digital companion app showcases video footage and other rich multimedia that bring the stories and successes of each program-and the students who learn there-to life.