Create your SLE
This page is your complete guide to planning and implementing a STE(A)M Learning Ecology (SLE).
We’ve organized the material to help you move progressively from inspiration to implementation. In each section, you’ll find key resources to download, including templates, guides, and other helpful tools.
Before you start:
Identify an idea or a real-life problem that you want to address with your SLE.
Involving learners in the process is highly recommended, as their active participation enhances their engagement and enriches the design process. SLE Initiators can use a combination of existing curriculum, current events, local issues and the interest areas of learners to facilitate the identification of a suitable idea for the SLE.
You can find creative and innovative ideas for your SLE in the SLEs Final Portfolio
Initiators are responsible for securing the necessary permissions and approvals to implement their SLE. The initiators may have to secure permission from the following actors/stakeholders:
- Head of School and school council: The Initiator will describe the pilot and its objectives in a clear way to ensure that the Head of School and the school council (if needed) is well-informed of the activities planned and integrate it in the school educational planning. National Coordinators can help in framing this description and in providing more information on the SLEs project and its overall ambition.
- Parents: National Coordinators can guide the Initiators to prepare a letter in case parents’ consent is needed for students’ field trips / interactions with other stakeholders.
- Museums/Universities/other institutions: Initiators must ensure that they have written permission from Museums/Universities or other institutions for on-site visits. If Initiators are interested in taking photographs/videos at these locations, they must have prior permission from the institution
Initiators must ensure that their SLE is carefully integrated into the school’s curriculum in the following ways:
- Initiators must integrate the STE(A)M aspect of the SLEs. This entails including at least 2 STEM or 1 STEM and 1 non-STEM subject as integral parts of the pilot SLE.
- The SLE project idea should be aligned with the school/country established curriculum. To achieve this, the Initiator can communicate their idea with the Head of School and relevant teachers ensuring that the SLE pilot becomes a part of the curriculum planning or an additional project. Aligning the SLE pilot with the curriculum would benefit both the students and school, while ensuring parental support. This alignment enhances the school curriculum, while enriching the students’ learning experience.
To initiate an SLE, begin by identifying a problem or idea that inspires action—this could stem from personal needs, community issues, or broader societal challenges. Whether you’re an individual, a group of students, a teacher, or an organization, take the first step by clearly defining the challenge or concept at hand. If starting from a problem, analyse and research it thoroughly before seeking collaborators. If beginning with an idea, explore its relevance and refine it through discussion and feedback. In both cases, the next crucial step is to search for and engage potential partners who share your interest and can contribute to building a collaborative project. To guide this process, consider reflective questions such as: What problems do we face in daily life? What solutions are feasible? Has this been tried before, and how can it be improved? What does our community need most? Prioritize challenges that matter and are worth addressing through shared effort.
For detailed insights, refer to:
- Methodology (Chapter 1.2.1)
- Guidelines (Step 1)
Initiators can start by listing all possible stakeholders that relate to their SLE idea: for example, if the SLE is on food waste, the initiator can think about words related to the subject area (e.g., soil, worms, food waste) and then connect those with experts and/or companies that relate to them (e.g., composting, gardener, soil scientist).
SLE stakeholders should be identified not only for their relevance to the project but also for the learning resources they can contribute and the STE(A)M career guidance they can offer to students.
SLE initiators can use their immediate networks such as neighbors, students’ parents, local and school communities to find possible partners.
It is important to try and identify external stakeholders that will benefit students such as local government bodies, industry or relevant NGOs. Such stakeholders will help create a far-reaching SLE.
Initiators can use the Stakeholders Mapping Guidelines to map and evaluate prospective stakeholders.
Once a shortlist is made, initiators can get in touch with the selected stakeholders.
Send an email to potential stakeholders presenting your idea in a simple and effective way, explaining what the stakeholders might gain from this experience and how it will benefit students and the community. A template of such an email is provided at Annex 1 of the Guidelines.
To establish a strong and effective partnership for a STE(A)M Learning Ecology, begin by identifying and engaging diverse stakeholders from education, business, civil society, and beyond. The goal is to create a collaborative knowledge ecosystem where each participant has space, motivation, and opportunities to contribute meaningfully. Start by compiling a broad list of potential stakeholders and apply clear criteria to narrow it down. When reaching out, focus on informal engagement first—highlight the shared problem or idea and clarify how each partner can contribute to and benefit from the collaboration. Be aware that vague or underdeveloped ideas may hinder progress, so ensure your proposal is specific and relevant. Use guiding questions such as: Who is affected or interested? Who do we need or already know? What knowledge, experience, or resources are essential? Who has participated in similar initiatives? Clearly define each partner’s potential role and contribution to increase the chances of building a successful, committed partnership.
For detailed insights, refer to:
- Methodology (Chapter 1.2.2)
- Guidelines (Step 2)
Assess together with all the stakeholders involved the current way of doing things, and develop a vision of the ideal outcomes your SLEs should produce. Based on this vision, define what smaller steps are necessary to reach it.
Download the Participatory Scenario Development Guidelines
Download the Participatory Scenario Development Template
Read more about the Participatory Scenario Importance (Chapter 4.1)
Define the resources/materials you will need to implement the pathways and which stakeholders are able to make them available to the partnership.
As you design activities, take into consideration and plan for the learning artefacts that students will have to produce throughout their learning paths.
Download the Guidelines for Learning Artefacts
- Identify and incorporate activities to develop 21st century skills like problem solving, critical thinking and creativity
- Explore how STEM integration (STE(A)M) can be included in your SLE design and activities
- Explore how you can address with your SLE one of the following aspects:
- implementing research/industry innovations
- addressing gender disparities in science participation. Download the Empowering Women and Girls in STEM Toolkit
Based on the previous points, develop a comprehensive action plan with clear milestones, tasks, resources and timelines. SLE initiators and stakeholders should collaboratively create a comprehensive plan outlining the content, sequencing, activity locations and durations, scheduled dates, necessary resources and permissions, and other essential details. Moreover, they need to make sure that all the activities planned add up to a total of 30-40 hours including regular but also outside classroom hours. Please note that classroom hours should amount to minimum 10/15 hours of activities. During the pilot phase, other implementation details like the number of students/classes to be involved etc. are left to SLE initiators to decide upon.
Carry out the regularly planned co-created sessions to monitor and reflect on the development of the SLE, its major challenges, and how to address them. Report these reflections, gathering teachers/students’ feedback.
With a partnership in place, the next step in developing a SLE is to collaboratively cocreate and implement a project rooted in shared vision and mutual interest. Begin by involving all stakeholders early and meaningfully, ensuring they help define the problem, co-design the goals, and contribute to shaping the solution. Consider using a living lab co-creation approach or similar participatory processes to encourage experimentation, iteration, and learning. Develop an overall project plan that includes cycles of exploration (generating ideas and early prototypes), experimentation (testing in real-life conditions), and evaluation (analysing and refining based on feedback). Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and tasks based on each partner’s strengths and interests, and ensure alignment with available resources. Foster open communication, flexibility, and a willingness to adapt, recognizing that the development path may be non-linear. Use regular meetings to maintain momentum, monitor progress, and address challenges proactively. Above all, promote a culture of mutual respect, shared learning, and collective ownership to ensure long-term commitment and impact.
For detailed insights, refer to:
- Methodology (Chapter 1.2.3)
- Guidelines (Step 3)
The Learning Scenario is a summary of your SLE and includes the objectives, activities, artefacts, and opportunities developed by the SLE.
This is an integral and essential part of the whole process. It is an opportunity for all stakeholders involved to openly think about and discuss the accomplishments, articulate the findings from each participant’s own perspective through communicating them to others, and collectively reflect upon all or some of the stages of the process. Thinking or laying out a strategy about this point of “now-what-next” can actually be initiated in the reflection phase.
The final step in developing an SLE is dedicated to reflection and sharing of results—a crucial phase for learning, improvement, and sustaining impact. Rather than treating this step as a formal closure, use it as an opportunity for all stakeholders to openly evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and why. Encourage honest dialogue about key successes, challenges, and lessons learned— considering both the process and the outcomes. Reflect on whether the goals were met, how the solutions were received by end users, and whether adaptations are needed for future iterations. This phase also offers a chance to think ahead: How can the outcomes be sustained or scaled up? Equally important is sharing results with the broader community—through reports, events, digital platforms, publications, or outreach activities. This not only communicates achievements but inspires others to adopt similar collaborative approaches. Effective reflection strengthens a sense of ownership among partners and often sparks new ideas, making it a vital link back to the beginning of the co-creation cycle.
