Challenge and context: system-wide ambition, uneven spatial support

Across schools, enthusiasm for STEM was high, but the environments in which learning took place varied widely. Some spaces enabled experimentation and collaboration, while others constrained practice through rigid layouts and limited flexibility. Teachers often lacked confidence to adapt spaces for inquiry-based learning, and without clear spatial intent, investment risked producing rooms rather than meaningful learning environments.

The challenge was to create an approach that worked across diverse schools, budgets and contexts.

Insight and approach: designing environments teachers can use

We focused on how teachers and students actually engage with STEM learning on a day-to-day basis, paying close attention to confidence, behaviour and flow. This revealed that successful STEM environments are defined less by specialist equipment and more by how space supports pedagogy.

• Teachers are more likely to innovate when spaces feel flexible and forgiving
• STEM learning thrives where collaboration and visibility are encouraged
• Simple spatial cues can support inquiry without increasing complexity
• Environments must be adaptable to different ages, subjects and school types

These insights shaped a practical framework that prioritised usability, clarity and pedagogical alignment over one-off design statements.

By anchoring the work in classroom reality, the approach supported genuine change rather than symbolic investment.

Co-design and engagement: building confidence across the system

Architects, educators and officials co-designed spatial prototypes and tested assumptions about how STEM areas should function.This process highlighted the value of simplicity, purpose and shared design language.

Outcomes and impact: a scalable model for STEM environments

The project resulted in a clear, system-ready approach to STEM learning environments that supports consistency without uniformity. This enabled:

• Greater teacher confidence in using space to support inquiry-based STEM learning
• Clear principles for designing or adapting environments across schools
• Better alignment between curriculum goals and physical settings
• More effective use of existing spaces and future investment

South Australian schools now have a shared framework that helps translate STEM policy into everyday learning practice, ensuring environments actively support curiosity, collaboration and problem solving.