Date/Time: November 5, 2026 | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Room: YAKIMA 1

Abstract: Today’s students thrive in environments that encourage exploration, collaboration, and hands-on discovery. Traditional classrooms often limit these experiences, but purposefully designed STEM learning ecosystems can transform how students engage with complex concepts and envision future careers.

This session explores how thoughtfully designed learning environments—combining flexible space design, purpose-built furniture, hands-on tools, and real-world curriculum—create powerful ecosystems that support inquiry-driven STEM learning. Participants will examine how physical space, instructional design, and technology work together to enable collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving.

Attendees will experience a mini interactive “STEM museum” activity modeled after a real classroom project. Using QR codes and mobile devices, participants will explore different stations around the room to uncover pieces of a virtual exhibit. This hands-on experience demonstrates how spatial design and instructional strategy can transform a classroom into an immersive learning environment.

Participants will leave with practical strategies for designing learning environments that support active exploration, adaptable learning pathways, and authentic STEM experiences that foster student agency and long-term STEM identity. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify key design principles that support effective STEM learning environments, including spatial layout, flexibility, and student-centered collaboration.
2. Explain how an ecosystem approach—integrating space design, instructional framework, hands-on tools, and purposeful furniture—supports deeper engagement and improved STEM learning outcomes.
3. Experience an immersive, station-based learning activity that demonstrates how flexible spaces and digital tools can transform classrooms into exploratory learning environments.
4. Apply strategies for designing or adapting learning spaces that foster curiosity, problem-solving, and student ownership of learning.