STEM in action: Create your own collaborative virtual garden

Join an interactive adventure! Create a collaborative virtual garden, adapted to the unique challenges of different regions of the world.

Multiculturalism is omnipresent in our society, however stereotypes persist and younger children adopt them. The goal of the collaborative virtual garden is to allow science teachers to introduce an intersectional approach in the classroom so that students become aware of inequalities and the fact that discrimination is the result of several combined factors. While developing geographic and scientific knowledge, students will learn more about the problem of world food. The challenges imposed by the assigned region will raise awareness of global inequalities.

This activity can be integrated into biology lessons, for example. By following the guidelines, students will be able to apply what they have already learned but will also be required to conduct research that requires access to the Internet or to materials provided by the instructor. The activity can be extended over several sessions to allow students to work collaboratively outside of class before presenting their findings to other teams.