English
Promoting research-based STEM teaching and learning practices globally
Project funding
Supported by the Yidan Prize project funds
Education theme
Equity, access, and diversity
Learning/teaching methods and environments
Technology
Contents
Overview
Background
About the idea
Stories
More to explore
The PhET Global initiative builds a community of educators who commit to teaching STEM through active learning with research-based resources and strategies.
250
million online simulation uses per year
45,000
teachers reached through PhET’s professional development
20+
new languages available as translated simulations
PhET’s engaging, game-like interactive simulations help students learn STEM subjects through play and exploration. The free, virtual simulations make difficult math and science concepts more tangible and accessible to students by emphasizing the connections between real-life experiences and the underlying science.
Laureate(s)
Professor Carl Wieman
Professor Emeritus of Physics and Graduate School of Education, Stanford University
Background
STEM is for everyone, but the quality of STEM education varies globally
Engaging and educating the next generation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is essential. In our classrooms today, we have future scientists and engineers who need to build a deeper understanding of the planet and develop problem-solving skills that will help them drive advances to tackle the most pressing challenges in the world.
There are also the students who need foundational science and math literacy to help guide their own career choices and succeed in a world surrounded by technology.
Every student can get involved with STEM, but 2018 PISA assessments showed that over 40% of students weren’t able to “engage effectively with science-related issues” and less than 8% could “creatively and autonomously apply their knowledge and skills to a wide variety of situations” (2018 PISA Report, Volume 1). This challenge only becomes greater in areas where there are limited financial and educational resources.
PhET Global wants to make it easier for students to get quality science education by building on Carl Wieman’s work on the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder. The online simulations are widely accessible and give students a place to learn through exploration, experimentation, and play—all of which are powerful, evidence-based learning techniques.
About the idea
A tool to help learners around the world think like scientists and mathematicians
Backed by the latest education research, PhET simulations create an open, exploratory environment that taps into students’ natural curiosity, engages them in scientific inquiry and discovery, and develops their science practices and ways of thinking, while also following the content they need to know.
There are four key parts to the project: creating new simulations and culturally responsive content that fills gaps in existing ones, working with teachers to develop classroom practice, supporting teachers’ professional development, and researching models for developing problem-solving skills.
Simulations works best combined with active learning strategies in the classroom
PhET works with teachers across continents including Africa and Latin America, creating quality simulation-based lesson plans that can fit smoothly into classroom practice. The idea is to complement local curricula and make room for exploration and experimentation.
That can take some getting used to—for both teachers and learners. Which is why they’ve launched the PhET Fellowship in Africa and Latin America to support teacher leaders in becoming change agents to transform STEM education in their communities and beyond. PhET also hosts webinars to help teachers integrate simulations into active learning strategies and facilitate exchange between educators and researchers creating robust teacher communities. In addition, PhET partners with local and international organizations such as Kibabii University in Kenya and the Ministry of Education and Culture in Uruguay to support teachers’ professional development through virtual workshops.
As PhET expands, they’re working to make their simulations more accessible and inclusive
As of early 2023, PhET simulations are available in 120 languages. With the support of Yidan Prize project funds, the team first launched the Africa Translator Network and then the Global Translator Network. They’re part of a deliberate drive towards fair access: bringing on board more languages, and making sure students can see themselves in the simulations: in dress, in skin color — even in the objects used to draw connections with the real world.
PhET’s also researching new ways to help students develop problem-solving skills
Specifically, the team is focusing on developing and applying mental models that help students to take the science and math knowledge they have and use it for scientific decision-making. The team is testing the hypothesis that when you take interactive simulations and add reflective practices, the result is students who are better at creating and applying these mental models across all different contexts, just like scientists and mathematicians do.
PhET is also studying how this helps students solve complex problems, which is important for how they address the technical problems of today and tomorrow.
The team is using our 2020 laureate Professor Carl Wieman’s project funds to expand PhET’s work and make it more accessible — including developing more simulations, developing teacher leaders in Africa and Latin America, supporting teachers to integrate PhET simulations into their classrooms, and building translator networks to localize content.