St Ives North Public School

St Ives North Public school is located in a bushland setting and the impact of bushfires is an authentic issue for the students and the local community.

The driving question was: How can the community of St Ives prepare for, survive or recover from a catastrophic bushfire event?

Through the inclusion of Design Thinking processes, teachers explored the fundamental question with the students through open-ended problem solving strategies.

This process highlighted the frequency of students discussing and debating alternatives when they grappled with the many aspects of problematic knowledge within the design process.

Their projects had an authentic audience which culminated in a successful STEM Firestorm Project Showcase with the attendance of NSW RFS Commissioner and community members.