Taking an Ecosystem Approach to STEM Learning: The Synergies Project as Case Study

The nature of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning is changing as individuals have unprecedented, 24/7 access to science-related information and experiences from cradle to grave. Today’s science-education opportunities include not only traditional schooling, but also libraries, museums, zoos, aquaria, science centers, and parks and preserves; diverse broadcast media such as television, podcasts, and film; organized youth programs such as 4-H, after-school or summer camps, and special-interest clubs and hobby groups; and an ever-increasing array of digital media such as personal games, the internet, and social media. Collectively, these formal and informal resources are referred to as the STEM learning ecosystem. The concept of an ecosystem has also been expanded to include not only material resources such as institutions and organizations, but also social ones: social networks, peers, educators (in school and out of school), friends, and family. In total, the ecosystem is “the dynamic interaction among individual learners, diverse settings where learning occurs, and the community and culture in which they are embedded” (NRC 2015, pp. 1–2). These various organizations and tools enable a growing number of individuals to customize and take charge of their own STEM learning.