📙論文名稱：
A Study on Curriculum Framework of Integrated STEAM Education for Sustainable Development with LEGO
📙刊登處：2026 IFKAD國際學術研討會
📙作者姓名： Min-Ren Yan, Chien-Chien Wu
論文摘要：
In response to global climate change and sustainability challenges, education for sustainable development (ESD) has become a critical focus in contemporary education. Developing students’ sustainability literacy—particularly their systems thinking and interdisciplinary problem-solving abilities—is widely recognized as essential for addressing complex environmental and societal issues. However, sustainability-related concepts are often abstract and complex, making them difficult for young learners to comprehend. In Taiwan, the development of ESD curricula at the preschool and elementary levels remains relatively underdeveloped compared to secondary education, creating significant challenges for teachers in terms of interdisciplinary integration and curriculum design.
To address these challenges, this study aims to integrate the theoretical foundations of STEAM education, ESD, and systems thinking to develop an innovative and practical curriculum framework. Drawing on the principles of Sustainable System Development (SSD), this research proposes the “SSD STEAM PLAY” curriculum model, which emphasizes the transformation of knowledge into action through experiential and context-based learning. The curriculum is designed to support young learners in understanding complex sustainability issues by engaging them in hands-on, inquiry-based, and interdisciplinary learning processes.
A key feature of the SSD STEAM PLAY curriculum is the incorporation of LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) as a pedagogical tool. Through model construction and guided dialogue, LSP enables students to externalize their thinking, represent abstract concepts in tangible forms, and explore relationships among different system components. This approach facilitates deeper understanding of cause-and-effect relationships, feedback mechanisms, and dynamic interactions within sustainability issues. By integrating LSP into STEAM-based activities, the curriculum fosters students’ abilities to analyze problems, construct conceptual models, and propose feasible solutions within real-world contexts.
This study adopts a case study approach, with the research conducted in an experimental elementary school in Taipei and its surrounding community. The participants are elementary-level students who engaged in a series of structured learning activities designed based on the SSD STEAM PLAY framework. The curriculum implementation involved staged instruction, including exploration of local sustainability issues, collaborative model building, group discussions, and action-oriented learning tasks. Multiple assessment methods were employed, including classroom observations, student artifacts, and semi-structured interviews, to examine students’ learning processes and outcomes.
The findings indicate that the SSD STEAM PLAY curriculum effectively enhances students’ systems thinking abilities. Students’ understanding progressed from recognizing simple connections between elements to comprehending dynamic behaviors, identifying feedback loops, and further developing higher-order thinking skills such as distinguishing between stocks and flows, constructing conceptual models, and testing potential interventions or policies. These results suggest that even younger students are capable of developing advanced systems thinking skills when supported by concrete, hands-on learning experiences.
In terms of interdisciplinary sustainability literacy, the results from semi-structured interviews reveal that students were able to integrate knowledge across scientific, artistic, and community dimensions. They demonstrated the ability to connect classroom learning with real-life contexts, extending their understanding into practical actions such as environmental awareness, community engagement, and collaborative problem-solving. This progression reflects a shift from knowledge acquisition to action-oriented learning, highlighting the effectiveness of the curriculum in promoting meaningful and applied learning experiences.
The SSD STEAM PLAY curriculum demonstrates a promising approach for advancing sustainability education in early childhood and elementary settings. By integrating systems thinking, interdisciplinary learning, and hands-on pedagogies, the curriculum not only enhances students’ cognitive understanding of sustainability but also supports the development of action competencies. The findings of this study offer valuable implications for curriculum design and teaching practice, suggesting that the integration of SSD principles and LSP can effectively support the implementation of ESD in early education contexts. Furthermore, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on how to design developmentally appropriate and contextually relevant sustainability curricula that empower young learners to become active participants in sustainable development.
