The resources that underpin StartUp Realm have been developed using the Understanding by Design Framework (UbD™ framework). The framework provides a planning process and structure to guide the development of the content, questions, and its delivery. The two key ideas of UbD are firstly a focus on delivering learning opportunities and assessing for understanding and the transfer of knowledge, and secondly to design the content “backward” from these objectives to design the best way to achieve that goal.

1. Learning is enhanced when we think purposefully about content planning, without the process being prescriptive or overly structured.
2. The focus of the content and learning is on the development and deepening of the learner’s ability to effectively use the content and skills taught.
3. Understanding is achieved when learners make sense of and transfer their learning through application. The capacity to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, emphasize, and self-assess are seen as indicators of understanding.
4. The content is planned backward from long-term results through a three-stage process - desired learning results, evidence, and learning plan.
5. The focus is on encouraging learning to happen and the successful transfer of meaning.

All programs included in StartUp Realm are based on Problem Based Learning (PBL). Problem Based Learning originated in the medical field where instructors felt that students would benefit from working on real world situations rather than simply learning the facts. A range of real-world problems provide the context in which skills can be developed which helps ensure the transferability of skills and flexible thinking. This also helps to develop intrinsic motivation and self-directed learning.

This is key to the cross curricular focus of StartUp Realm.

The three main components of PBL are:

1. Fact-finding where students are presented with a scenario or theme that has a number of problems embedded in it. Students read or view the scenario and identify various problems. After identifying the problems, the students decide which problem they will solve, beginning to find facts from the scenario that give some insight to the problem.
2. Idea finding occurs when learners brainstorm possible solutions. Ideas are investigated and expanded on. During this phase critical thinking questions help lead the students to analyse the situation and their identified solutions in more depth.
3. Solution finding is based on the identification of the merits of each of the different solutions identified during brainstorming. Some things to consider include the impact of the solution, relevance of the solution, how feasible it is (time and money-wise), and how engaged the students are with the solution. A final decision is made and then learners begin to collect information that will help them solve the problem identified using a number of investigative tools and resources.

The resources that underpin StartUp Realm have been developed using the Understanding by Design Framework (UbD™ framework). The framework provides a planning process and structure to guide the development of the content, questions, and its delivery. The two key ideas of UbD are firstly a focus on delivering learning opportunities and assessing for understanding and the transfer of knowledge, and secondly to design the content “backward” from these objectives to design the best way to achieve that goal.

1. Learning is enhanced when we think purposefully about content planning, without the process being prescriptive or overly structured.
2. The focus of the content and learning is on the development and deepening of the learner’s ability to effectively use the content and skills taught.
3. Understanding is achieved when learners make sense of and transfer their learning through application. The capacity to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, emphasize, and self-assess are seen as indicators of understanding.
4. The content is planned backward from long-term results through a three-stage process - desired learning results, evidence, and learning plan.
5. The focus is on encouraging learning to happen and the successful transfer of meaning.

The resources that underpin StartUp Realm have been developed using the Understanding by Design Framework (UbD™ framework). The framework provides a planning process and structure to guide the development of the content, questions, and its delivery. The two key ideas of UbD are firstly a focus on delivering learning opportunities and assessing for understanding and the transfer of knowledge, and secondly to design the content “backward” from these objectives to design the best way to achieve that goal.

1. Learning is enhanced when we think purposefully about content planning, without the process being prescriptive or overly structured.
2. The focus of the content and learning is on the development and deepening of the learner’s ability to effectively use the content and skills taught.
3. Understanding is achieved when learners make sense of and transfer their learning through application. The capacity to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, emphasize, and self-assess are seen as indicators of understanding.
4. The content is planned backward from long-term results through a three-stage process - desired learning results, evidence, and learning plan.
5. The focus is on encouraging learning to happen and the successful transfer of meaning.

Synergistic thinking refers to the relationship between the facts and the general assumptions or big ideas. To develop a deep understanding on a topic or issues learners need to understand and utilise both the specific and abstract. Learners are encouraged to generate and test hypothesis about the concepts using the base of facts available to either validate or disprove them.

All StartUp Realm modules are built with an emphasis on big ideas and facilitating the ability to generalize from specific learning. The resources are designed to enable students to constantly move from the specific to the general and vice-versa: with the overall aim of developing synergistic thinking.

Visible Thinking routines were pioneered by Project Zero of Harvard University. They make extensive use of simple learning routines that are thinking rich. These include a short sequence of steps that can be used across the various problem themes used in StartUp Realm. What makes them routines is that they get used over and over again in each Start-Up Camp Competition so that they become part of the fabric of the event. The routines become the ways in which students go about the process of learning.

Some of the Visible Thinking Routines embedded in the StartUp Realm programs include context setting questions and videos of inspiring innovators discussing their take on the problem to guide students thinking.

Metacognition is the awareness of one’s own knowledge—what one does and doesn’t know—and one’s ability to understand, control, and manipulate one’s way of thinking and learning (their cognitive processes). It includes knowing when and where to use particular strategies for learning and problem solving as well as how and why to use specific strategies.

Metacognition is the ability to use prior knowledge to plan a strategy for approaching a learning task, take necessary steps to problem solve, reflect on and evaluate results, and modify one’s approach as needed.

The StartUp Realm process of guided inquiry is designed to be metacognitive; in that students are made aware of the skills they are exercising in order to solve a problem. Incorporating various points of reflection into the process of inquiry which require students to pause, reflect on their journey to that point, assimilate their new knowledge and reflect upon how they will use it going forward further emphasise the process of metacognition.

A lot of what we learn in school is not necessarily useful in everyday life. In order to engage with the material, students need to see how what they are learning applies to everyday life. All StartUp Realm programs focus on problems related to the world we live in as well as the challenges likely to face the next generation.