The Innovation Incubator will be run during Science week with our Grade 7 and 8 students students. Working in teams, students will identify a real‑world problem faced by society and design a creative, science or technology-based solution. The emphasis is on thinking, testing ideas, collaboration and communication, not just the final product.

The Innovation Incubator will have a strong and measurable impact on student learning outcomes in STEM by engaging students in authentic, inquiry‑based learning grounded in real‑world problems. Students will be given a variety of scaffolds to help guide their thinking. Through this project, students move beyond passive absorption of scientific content to actively applying STEM knowledge, skills, and processes in meaningful and fun contexts.

We will give students some themes to help narrow their chosen issue  eg, Grade 8’s will look at innovative solutions for growing plants in space! 

The Innovation Incubator is designed not as a one‑off activity, but as a catalyst for long‑term and sustained engagement with STEM learning. By positioning students as innovators capable of solving real‑world problems, the project fosters a strong sense of agency, relevance, and purpose, which research shows is critical to sustaining interest in STEM.