To better explore the connection and possibilities of PBL in STEM education, a team of researchers and teacher practitioners from a range of tertiary, secondary and primary educational contexts have come together to address what we’ve coined, somewhat provocatively, #theSTEMproblem. Researchers from Monash University and the University of Queensland are leading this three-year Australian Research Council-funded project, working with expert teachers from Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) and Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE).

One of the findings in this research to date is the identification of key principles in problem-based learning, including:

• flexible knowledge, skills and capabilities,
• active and strategic metacognitive reasoning,
• collaboration based on intrinsic motivation, and
• real and rich contexts.

In celebration of National Science Week, join our esteemed panel of scholars and teachers as they challenge us to identify some critical questions that will enable us to think about how we can put these principles into practice.