New Book: Creative Pragmatics for Active Learning in STEM Education
How can we prepare students to thrive in an unpredictable, complex, and interconnected world? Published by Springer, this interdisciplinary collection offers navigation for engaged STEM learning
Creative Pragmatics for Active Learning in STEM Education brings together international perspectives on how STEM education can be reimagined for today’s complex and unpredictable world. Drawing from pragmatist philosophy, science and technology studies, and practices in art and design, the volume combines theoretical reflections with case-based insights. It places agency and creativity at the center of teaching and learning, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and flexible problem-solving.
The book explores game-based learning, studio-based education, FabLabs, problem- and project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, systems thinking, socio-scientific issues and innovative approaches in teacher professional development and leadership. Creative Pragmatics shows how these methods foster competencies needed for navigating complexity, supporting educators and students in rethinking STEM education to meet the challenges of a dynamic world.
Meet the editor
Connie Svabo is a Professor and Director of STEM Education Research Center – FNUG.
”This book offers a comprehensive framework and contextual examples illustrating how to navigate and embrace the complexity of teaching and learning in STEM. Creative Pragmatics recognizes educational systems as complex, with autonomous agents (for example, students and teachers) who seek to connect their learning to the real world. This perspective fosters the holistic development of each individual within society, combining creativity and pragmatism.
Editors and Contributors
Creative Pragmatics for Active Learning in STEM Education is edited by Connie Svabo (University of Southern Denmark), Michael Shanks (Stanford University), Chunfang Zhou (University of Southern Denmark), and Tamara Carleton (Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden). It features contributions from researchers at the STEM Education Research Center – FNUG, University of Southern Denmark, alongside an international team of scholars and practitioners.
The book published by Springer as part of an international series, Contributions from Science Education Research.
Key Themes
Themes explored in the book include:
- creative learning strategies and design-based approaches,
- dynamic teacher-student interactions and participatory learning,
- innovative assessment methods,
- the design and transformation of learning environments.
These approaches are united by the guiding orientations on practice that Creative Pragmatics emphasises: iterative making, participation, collaboration and co-creativity in teamwork and shared agency, foresight, imagination and future worldbuilding.
”From my perspective, then, Creative Pragmatics is STS [science and technology studies] in action in teaching practice, fostering enquiry and initiative as well as proficiency in ready-made knowledge. That is what recommends it and draws me strongly to it, and that is the main point I want to make about this important book.
Who is this Book for?
This book is aimed at educators, researchers, and policymakers seeking new ways to engage students in active, competence-based STEM education. It speaks to those working across educational levels and disciplines—especially those interested in fostering creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world problem-solving. The book offers valuable insights for anyone committed to rethinking STEM teaching in light of complexity, uncertainty, and the evolving demands of science and society.
”It must be obvious that teaching and learning in STEM have to change as our common world changes, and in that regard, this book on new and creative approaches to active learning in STEM education is a welcome breath of fresh air.
Book Structure
The concept of Creative Pragmatics is introduced in the book's first three chapters, which lay out its philosophical foundations and articulate the key ideas of the framework. These chapters establish the theoretical underpinnings that guide the rest of the volume.
The subsequent chapters present a series of case studies demonstrating how the principles of Creative Pragmatics can be applied across diverse STEM education settings—from secondary schools to higher education institutions. These real-world examples illustrate how learning can be transformed into a more active, relational, and creative process.
The final chapter draws together the book's main insights and outlines future directions for a range of stakeholders. It emphasizes how Creative Pragmatics can inform the ongoing development of more adaptive and future-ready STEM education systems.
Access the Book
You can explore the book's table of contents, forewords, open-access chapters, and purchase the full volume through Springer:
- Read about the Centre for Research in Science Education and Communication
- Read about the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
- Read about the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
- Read about the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Meet the editor
Michael Shanks is a Professor of Classics at Stanford University, USA.
Meet the editor
Chunfang Zhou is an Associate Professor, Leader of AI Learning Lab and Co-Director at STEM Education Research Center – FNUG
Meet the editor
Tamara Carleton is a Senior Lecturer at Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden