How We Designed a Strategy for High-Quality STEM Learning using Roger Martin's Approach
- David Lee
- Jan 13
- 2 min read
Change is formidable, especially in schools with deep heritage. Last year, I had the privilege of leading the Technology, Computer Science, and Robotics (TCR) curriculum review. Our goal? To move from our current state to an "ideal state" of high-quality STEM learning.
To guide this process, I looked to IDEO for their design thinking approach and strategy advisor Roger Martin, who defines strategy as “a set of choices that you can make today, in the face of uncertainty, in order to increase the likelihood that you will win now, and into the future.”
Here is the journey our team took to design strategies with intention, rigor, and creativity.
1. Defining the Ideal State We started by asking: What does it mean to "win" in our context? Through literature reviews and team brainstorming, two key themes emerged: Authentic Application and Interdisciplinary Learning. This pointed us directly to a STEM approach—integrating science, technology, engineering, and math to solve real-world problems. We researched Project-Based Learning (PBL) as the primary teaching method to drive this rigorous work.
2. Analyzing the Current Reality You can't build a bridge if you don't know where you are standing. We surveyed faculty, students, and parents to capture our current reality. By analyzing this data against our STEM framework, we identified the specific gaps we needed to close.
3. Moonshot Thinking (Divergent Phase) This was the fun part. We used a "Moonshot Thinking" activity to push past obvious solutions. I asked the team: If you had all the resources in the world, what would you do? This divergent thinking phase allowed us to brainstorm ambitious, future-focused strategies without constraints.
4. Filtering for Viability (Convergent Phase) We then switched gears to convergent thinking. We filtered our moonshots through three lenses: Desirability (do stakeholders want it?), Feasibility (can we do it?), and Viability (will it last?). This helped us refine our big ideas into actionable, sustainable strategies.
5. Implementation & Feedback Strategy is useless without a plan. We mapped out action steps, deadlines, and responsible parties for each strategy. Crucially, we built in multiple feedback loops with the senior executive team and the core team to refine our work before the final board presentation.
The Takeaway Leading this review taught me that strategy isn't just a document; it's a living process. It requires clear organization, transparent communication, and the humility to iterate based on feedback.
We are now ready to implement these choices, keeping a mindful eye on them to ensure they truly serve our students. Huge thanks to the core team and leadership for their guidance.
IDEO and Roger Martin
Videos used:
“Reinventing AP Courses With Rigorous Project-Based Learning” by @edutopia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxc5_j93Y4w
Photos used:
Moonshot Thinking Activity by Minkowski.org
Comments