The EXPLORATION Phase:
This phase follows the Engagement phase and is designed to get students actively involved in “exploring” so that the lingering questions can be answered, solutions to problems can be designed/engineered and tested, or issues can be addressed using scientific information. Exploration can be done in a variety of ways such as designing and conducting experiments; participating in laboratory activities; building and examining models; running simulations of natural phenomena; conducting “virtual” (online) experiments or simulations; gathering information from print resources (including the textbook), online resources, or human resources; performing specific tasks, etc. The goal of the exploration phase is to collect or generate as much data and/or information as possible, related to the lingering questions, problems or issues. The exploration activities should be designed, chosen or determined in such a way that allows for active student involvement (both hands-on and minds-on) rather than passive following of directions provided by the teacher. In other words, students should be given opportunities to come up with their own design for experiments or models, engineer their own solutions, and determine what technological applications would be the most appropriate/useful in their investigations. As indicated in Table 1, the Explanation Phase offers ample opportunity for students to engage in scientific and engineering practices and integrate knowledge from various STEM disciplines.