A model for utilising crises-related issues to facilitate transdisciplinary outdoor STEAM education for sustainability in integrated mathematics, language arts and technology classrooms

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Education is one of the approaches that teachers adopt as they shift from content delivery focused teaching to skills development teaching. Also, effective STEAMING requires connection to issues outside the classroom (outdoor STEAM) and hence the coinage of the term Transdisciplinary Outdoor STEAM. However, research shows that teachers fail to design problems that match the framework of Transdisciplinary outdoor STEAM. In this study, we propose a model for using real-life crises such as Covid-19 or heatwaves or famine to support teachers in their effort to improve teaching practices in the 21st Century. The development of our model was informed by the theoretical framework for Transdisciplinary STEAM proposed by Quigley and colleagues (Sch Sci Math 117:1–12, 2017; J Sci Educ Technol 29:499–518, 2020) and the model for problem mathematical modelling cycle proposed by Blum and Leiß (Mathematical Modelling, pp. 222–231, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1533/9780857099419.5.221). We have also illustrated teaching–learning activities for this model to develop learners’ expected skills in STEAM education. We argue that using this model may cater to the lack of educational technologies in low-resource countries and that it will promote an action-oriented spirit among students to deal with crises emerging in their contexts.