Tired of learning that just ‘checks boxes’? At Ascension Learning, we believe real growth happens when students make, think, and grow. Our #MakeThinkGrow campaign transforms passive learners into active creators through hands-on projects and powerful strategies. Check out the essential resources we’ve gathered below to inspire your journey!
🌱 Growth Mindset in Action
“Every mistake is a step forward — if you’re willing to learn from it.” – Vinod V. Sharma
Build it. Break it. Learn it.
Failure isn’t a flaw — it’s fuel. A growth mindset turns every mistake into a step forward.
- Through project-based learning (PBL), students gain the confidence to explore, fail, and try again.
- They stop asking “Did I get it right?” and start asking “What can I learn next?”
🔗 Dive Deeper: Read the full article on Growth Mindset for STEM Learning
📊 The Evidence:
The National Study of Learning Mindsets found that a brief online intervention promoting a growth mindset improved GPA and advanced course enrollment, especially among low-achieving students (Yeager et al., 2019).
🔎 Read more about the growth mindset and the research on its results, or download the complete report.
🤖 AI & Emerging Tech
From Coders to Creators: Helping Students Use AI to Think
AI isn’t just changing the world — it’s helping students ask deeper questions, analyze real data, and design smarter solutions. In our classrooms and homes, students are:
- Using adaptive platforms to master math at their own pace
- Investigating misinformation with AI fact-checking tools
- Generating creative stories and digital art
- Programming robots and building chatbots
- Discussing ethical dilemmas in real-world AI applications
Each of these activities transforms AI from a mysterious force into a tool for responsible and engaged learning. Hands-on, project-based approaches empower learners to understand how AI works, why it matters, and how to use it responsibly.
📊 Project Spotlight: Can AI Predict Air Quality?
In this real-world STEM activity from Science Buddies, students use AI tools to forecast air quality trends using open-source environmental data. Along the way, they explore data analysis, environmental science, and how AI models make (and sometimes miss) predictions. They don’t just consume information — they apply it.
🧠 What They Learn:
- How to train and test simple machine learning models
- The power (and limits) of predictive data
- Environmental responsibility and scientific inquiry
🔗 Project: Harnessing Machine Learning to Predict Air Quality: A Science Buddies Project
📈 The Impact:
When students engage with AI through active learning, they develop essential 21st-century skills, including data literacy, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving, all while building the confidence to navigate a changing world.
🔎 Want to go further?
Explore real-world projects, practical guides, and hands-on strategies in our AI resource library:
🧱 PBL 2.0: Real Projects, Real Skills, Real Impact
Today’s students need more than worksheets and lectures — they need experiences that prepare them to lead, solve, and create in the real world. That’s where PBL 2.0 comes in. We’ve taken project-based learning to the next level by integrating real-world design challenges, local relevance, and future-ready skill-building.
- Emphasizes empathy and iteration
- Connects learning to community and sustainability
- Encourages ownership and creative risk-taking
Students don’t just study — they build bridges, design eco-homes, solve real community problems, and bring their ideas to life. Our updated approach demonstrates how even a high school architecture challenge can unlock profound STEM understanding and foster civic engagement.
🔍 Explore how localized PBL makes a difference in Gainesville, Florida, and beyond: Read the full PBL 2.0 article
🌼 Project Spotlight: Bee Oasis
What happens when students blend science, empathy, and environmental design? They create something that makes a difference, like a Bee Oasis. Students work through the design thinking process to create pollinator-friendly habitats in local green spaces, schoolyards, or backyards.
🧠 What They Learn:
🐝 Biodiversity & ecosystems
📐 Measurement & spatial planning
💧 Water conservation
🌍 Human impact on the environment
This isn’t just a science lesson — it’s a launchpad for STEM learning, civic responsibility, and environmental stewardship. Students map terrain, prototype planters, and even pitch their designs to community members or parks departments.
It’s meaningful, hands-on learning that shows them their ideas can take root — and help something grow.
🏡 At-Home Explorers
Learning doesn’t stop at the school bell.
Our homes can become vibrant spaces for experimentation, curiosity, and creativity.
📬 Read about more projects you can do at home: How to Introduce STEM at Home
These resources are designed for families, homeschoolers, and learning pods — no fancy tools required.
🎒 Want more project ideas that you can do anywhere? Check out our Build Your Wonder kits:
🔧 Mini Maker Starter Kit
🎨 Couch-to-Creator Activities
🌍 Real-World Ready Guide
🎯 Ready to #MakeThinkGrow?
Join the movement. Spark curiosity. Empower learners.
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or facilitator, you’re building something bigger than a project — you’re shaping lifelong learners.
🔗 Follow our latest campaigns on LinkedIn
🔗 Browse more hands-on ideas on AscensionLearningInc.org
🛠️ Share your journey: #MakeThinkGrow