Designing engaging STEM activities which appeal to neurodiverse brains

Designing an activity that is curriculum-linked, develops higher order thinking skills, and is engaging is already a challenge, but how can we make sure that these also appeal to neurodiverse learners? Whereas neurotypical brains switch from ‘resting’ or ‘default mode network’ to ‘active’ or ‘task positive’ mode when a task is viewed as important to them or others, neurodivergent brains, especially ADHD brains, have an ‘interest-based’ switch that responds to novelty, competition, puzzles and existing areas of interest. Escape-room style challenges offer problem-solving, a competitive element, and a sense of novelty and so are a great way to introduce a fun activity whilst also considering the principles of adaptive teaching.

Other benefits of ‘escape-room’ style challenges

Problem-solving skills: Faced with novel or abstract problems, students develop higher order thinking skills which are crucial in applying knowledge in new contexts allowing access to the higher grades and GCSE and for those students who choose to study STEM subjects at A level and beyond.

Resilience: Although rooted in the curriculum, the unfamiliar nature of this style of problem offers a challenge for all students. With multi-step approaches, the need to notice minor details, or to think outside the box, it can take time, or multiple attempts, to find the correct solution. Since the missing piece of the puzzle is rarely knowledge-based, making mistakes does not reinforce insecurities and helps students to build resilience

Teamwork: Requiring a range of skills and diverse thinking raises the importance of good teamwork as students bounce ideas off each other to generate solutions.

Designing an ‘escape-room’ style challenge

The key principles to consider when designing an ‘escape-room’ style challenge are:

• The task (or tasks) should lead students to discover a padlock code.
• There should be integral elements of abstract problem-solving.

Where multiple smaller tasks are used, this could be organised as a paper-based “shuttle-run” challenge where students work through a sequence of smaller tasks, being required to solve each one and tell the code to the teacher before being given the next – with the added benefit of integral movement breaks. Electronic versions can use a sequence of password-protected tasks and can seamlessly integrate video and audio content. Microsoft’s One-Note is superb for this with the option to lock sections of a notebook. Whichever model you choose, finishing the challenges with a real locked box adds to the sense of competition and fun (even when the box contains ‘stretch and challenge’ questions).

Introducing novelty through problem-solving

This Kepler’s laws activity shows four such ‘escape-room’ style problem-solving approaches:

• In ‘Mystery Moons’ an odd one out puzzle yields a number – a moon with a different Kepler constant to the others.
• In ‘Possible Paths’ logical thinking and numerical reasoning is needed to allocate the shapes to their correct locations in the grid yielding the correct number where the ellipse is placed.
• In ‘Area Analysis’ letters assigned to the correct statements spell out the number EIGHT.
• Then finally, the capitalised letters on the ‘Padlock Code’ instructions, hint towards the order in which these three numbers must be entered – the order of which of KEPLERS LAWS related to the puzzle set.

Incorporating STEM surprises

The general principles and techniques above could apply to any subject, indeed we have run off-timetable escape-room challenges that are purely problem-solving and require little to no subject knowledge, but STEM subjects offer the potential to include something a little different. . .

In this example, a “magic reveal” using sodium carbonate, hydrochloric acid, and methyl orange indicator was used at the end of the puzzle. Students first used their knowledge of the reactions of acids to identify five unknown substances. This generated a five-letter code which allowed them to select the correct sample tube which would neutralise the acid and reveal the padlock code.

In this example, refraction added a twist to finding the code. Six sample tubes were labelled with the symbols for a range of nuclei. Students were given clues based on radioactive decay equations to match the sample tubes to their correct locations. Once placed correctly some numbers remained visible through the tubes, whilst others were blocked by opaque contents. The tube in the third location, being filled with water, changed the appearance of the digital 2 to a 5 adding a further interesting step to revealing the four-digit code.

Summary

Whether you are looking for a fun and engaging way to add problem-solving to a lesson, a competition for science week, or an activity for a transition session or taster day, ‘escape-room’ style tasks offer high levels of challenge and excitement with the novelty and outside-the-box thinking where neurodivergent brains thrive.