Abstract—The sentiment that creativity is the most important skill needed to solve the problems that we face is repeated by different business and industry leaders around the world). Since January 2020, the call for creativity has been amplified in response to the problems and obstacles caused by COVID19. Yet, creativity remains the most neglected 21st century skill addressed in STEM education. This paper develops the strong conceptual connections between creativity and failure within STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to propose the Intersection of Failure and Creativity Framework (IFCF). The IFCF represents an improved way to engage students in integrated STEM activities that call for the development of solutions to real world problems by engaging in engineering design. The IFCF will better prepare teachers and students to address the changes and uncertainty of a rapidly-evolving world and address the calls of businesses for a workforce capable of innovation.

Index Terms—STEM education, 21^st century learning skills, creativity, failure, Innovation, interdisciplinary and integrated approaches

Cite: Elizabeth J. Stretch and Gillian H. Roehrig, "Framing Failure: Leveraging Uncertainty to Launch Creativity in STEM Education," International Journal of Learning and Teaching, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 123-133, June 2021. doi: 10.18178/ijlt.7.2.123-133

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