Teaching and engaging 21st century students to foster STEM subjects interest challenges educators to develop innovative methods. In this project, a novel experiential learning activity involving a puzzle (MPuzzle mimicking a biological nanostructure) was designed and prototyped. MPuzzle, when played can teach the importance of design and strategy in biology. The relative size and the position of its components and how they are interconnected to obtain the geometric shape. The MPuzzle represents a model of a microtubule, a biological self-assembly system found in cells that are responsible for a variety of functions including cell division, movement, and restraining cell components. In addition, several board games (River Rush and Mars Mission Design Strategy) were developed and tested with children for their applicability and excitement.
For more details, please see the poster at STEM Interest through Board Games