Exploration matters more than perfection in STEM learning
Posted on: 29 September 2025
Dr Paul Irving, STEM Community Manager at Trinity Walton Club, argues that science doesn’t want perfection but curiosity instead. And that's what we should be nurturing in young learners.
One of my favourite things about teaching science — and I’ve been lucky enough to do it in classrooms in America, Ireland, and Norway — is watching students get excited about their own data. You can feel the buzz when numbers on a page start to mean something real.
And then comes my favourite twist: the “perfect” graph. A group of students proudly wave their chart at me, showing a line so straight you’d think they used a ruler. Their faces light up; they believe they’ve cracked it. Then I have to tell them: “Ah, this one was actually meant to be curved.”
What gets me isn’t just the straight line. It’s the lengths they’ll go to in search of it. Taking ten measurements for the first point to make sure it looks right, then just one each for the rest. Quietly ignoring the dots that don’t fit the pattern. They’re not being dishonest. They just think science wants perfection.
But science doesn’t want perfection. Science wants curiosity. It wants the wiggles, the oddball points, the ones that make you stop and ask: “What’s happening here?” Because often it’s in the mess that the real learning begins.
That’s why the first weeks of the year are so important. They’re when classroom norms are set. If students believe science is about being perfect, then every wobble feels like failure. If they believe science is about exploration, then every wobble is a clue. One choice — the norm we set early — can shift how students see the subject for the rest of the year.
Of course, this is easier said than done. With the revised Leaving Certificate STEM subjects moving further toward experimentation and inquiry, many teachers already feel the strain. There is real opportunity in this reform — space for creativity and authentic discovery — but it comes at a time when you’re already being asked to do more, often without the resources or breathing room to match. I see that, and I know you feel it.
That’s why I believe setting norms of exploration over perfection is not just about student learning — it’s also about making life more sustainable for teachers. When the goal is curiosity, not flawless results, you can guide interpretation instead of policing precision. Students see themselves as active learners instead of anxious box-tickers. And maybe, just maybe, the messiness of the science classroom will feel less like another demand and more like what it truly is: an invitation to explore.
Building Tetris, One Clunky Button at a Time (include photos)
During the Summer, one of our student groups in the Trinity Walton Club took on a project that, at first glance, might make you smile: they built a version of Tetris. Not in software on a laptop, but on an Arduino Nano connected to a small LCD screen. Another student then went a step further and 3D-printed a casing for it, complete with buttons.
If that makes you think of Jeff Goldblum’s line from Jurassic Park — “They were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should” — you wouldn’t be far off. After all, Tetris already exists in about a thousand different forms, and the buttons and casing on this version were, let’s say, a bit clunky.
But here’s the thing: the end product isn’t the point. What mattered was the process. Along the way, these students learned to debug Arduino code, wire up displays, troubleshoot power issues, and adapt their design when things didn’t work the first time. They wrestled with code libraries, made mistakes, fixed them, and kept going. Perseverance was the real skill on display.
The casing — rough edges and all — was a reminder that 3D printing is as much about trial and error as design. And in the end, they had a game they could actually play. I’ll admit it: I may have lost a few minutes of my lunch break trying to beat my own high score.
Projects like this are why we love what happens in the club. The students aren’t aiming for a polished, market-ready product. They’re learning by doing, taking risks, and discovering that the road to “clunky” is paved with real, meaningful STEM learning.