Checklist for Reviewing Your Resources

The final part of this course asks you to take a look at one of the resources you found from the resources Padlet and consider how you might need to adapt it for your group of young people.

We’ll start by providing a checklist to help you review your resources for practical activities. You may find this useful when first searching for resources or for reviewing resources provided by the organisation you work for.

You may not have all the answers you need at this stage. We’ll cover more in the next course on planning activities, in particular on links to the curriculum, risk assessment, and logistics. However, the following questions will help you identify where your resource may need to be adapted.

Checklist When Selecting Resources for Practical Stem Activities

1. Is the activity safe? Highlight any risks.
2. Is the activity appropriate for the age group I am working with?
3. Is the activity likely to be fun and engaging for my group of young people?
4. Does the activity have a hands-on component?
5. What STEM skills will the young people learn by doing this activity?
6. Is there enough space, adequate time, staff support, etc. for me to do this activity?
7. Does this activity provide opportunities for collaboration?
8. Is this activity suited to the unpredictable environment of out-of-school learning?
9. Is there additional background knowledge needed? Is it easy to locate?
10. Are the materials and supplies required by the activity easy to access and affordable? If not, can I find other materials and supplies to use in the activity?
11. Can the activity be part of an ongoing STEM theme that builds upon the previous experiences of young people?
12. Can I make a real-world career connection to this activity?
13. Are there relevant modern STEM role models to reference as part of the activity?

A downloadable template is available [Word doc].