Mathematics, ICT, Natural Sciences and Technology
Since our school was founded, STEM has been one of our key areas of focus. Engaging with mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology provides an important foundation for innovation and technological development and prepares our students for key challenges and future topics such as digitalisation, environmental protection, energy, sustainability, food and resources. Since 2020, we have been certified as a “STEM-friendly School” and an “Eco-School in Europe”. Since the 2023/24 school year, we have also been proud to be recognised as a “Digital School”. We are also proud to be recognised as a “German Bronze Chess School” – chess promotes logical and strategic thinking and therefore complements our STEM profile.
We believe that there are no traditional careers or professions for women or men. That is why we aim to inspire girls and boys equally to engage with STEM subjects and to strengthen their confidence in these areas. We focus on real-life questions and practical, hands-on and experimental learning to prevent barriers or reservations from developing in the first place.
STEM has become a natural part of our school culture – interdisciplinary, project-based and often involving students from different year groups. Through clubs, competitions, project days, school events, class trips and our Work & Travel programme, students of all ages engage with topics related to mathematics, natural sciences and information technology. Our specialist classrooms, workshop and numerous excursions provide a wide range of opportunities for practical, hands-on learning.
Digital Education & Media Literacy
Digital media are an integral part of everyday school life. Our students learn how to use computers and mobile devices confidently and effectively, conduct targeted research and critically evaluate digital content. Through our media literacy lessons, they develop important skills for using both digital and traditional media in a responsible way.
Our school has a modern digital infrastructure, including Wi-Fi in all rooms, Promethean Active Panels in all classrooms and subject rooms, two computer labs with high-performance desktop PCs, and class sets of Microsoft Surface devices. Reliable IT support and up-to-date software enable a wide range of applications, from graphic design, video and 3D projects to programming and digital creation. Our 3D printer in the science department is also regularly used in lessons and during project days.
All students have their own Microsoft 365 account and a Platanus email address. We use MS Teams for Education to provide learning materials and homework, work on projects and facilitate communication within classes and learning groups. This allows our students to continue learning together outside the classroom, exchange ideas and contact their teachers directly if they have questions or need support.
As a STEM-focused school, we combine digital education with mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology. Our aim is to inspire children and young people to engage with these fields, strengthen their digital and subject-specific skills and prepare them for an increasingly digitalised world of work and everyday life. We continuously develop our digital and STEM profile, creating new opportunities for creative, hands-on and future-oriented learning.
Questions and Answers about MINT
We want to inspire children to engage with mathematics, science, technology and computer science from an early age. That is why we teach mathematical and scientific foundations in a playful, hands-on way, with plenty of opportunities to explore, experiment and discover.
In Science & Social Studies (Sachunterricht) in Years 1–4, in Mathematics and especially during project days, we explore questions related to the children’s everyday lives and combine knowledge with practical experience. Science & Social Studies has a special place in our primary school: we teach it with more lesson time than is usual in Berlin primary schools and use team teaching with our class educators.
Our school grounds also serve as a learning environment. In raised beds and our Green Space, children grow vegetables, sow flowers and wildflower areas for bees, care for fruit trees and berry bushes, and learn about natural cycles. This is complemented by our partnership with the Pankow School Garden.
Through age-appropriate STEM clubs such as Robotics and the Science Club, as well as our holiday programmes, children can further explore their interests. Regular visits to museums and other learning environments, such as the Natural History Museum, German Museum of Technology, Science Center and Botanical Garden, as well as excursions into nature and STEM-focused project days, provide additional opportunities to explore, experiment and discover.
Our aim is to spark curiosity and show children from an early age that STEM is fun and an important part of the world around us.
In Years 5 and 6, we teach science in an interdisciplinary way and through team teaching with subject teachers and class educators. Students develop a basic understanding of the connections between biology, chemistry and physics. At the same time, they expand their scientific vocabulary in both languages and learn to think and work across different disciplines.
With elective courses such as Robotics, Coding and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics), we offer a wide range of opportunities to further explore STEM interests from Year 5 onwards. Around two thirds of our students choose a STEM-related elective course. Since 2021/22, our students have also been successfully participating in the World Robot Olympiad.
In secondary school, we combine STEM lessons with real-life questions, project days, excursions and our Work & Travel programme.
In Years 7 and 8, our students have a total of two additional lessons of science per week compared to students at Berlin Gymnasien (grammar schools). From Year 7 onwards, Biology, Chemistry and Physics are taught as specialised subjects at an advanced level.
Our upper secondary school curriculum also reflects our focus on STEM subjects (Mathematics and Biology as advanced-level courses, and Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science as standard-level courses).
Special projects such as our Artificial Intelligence project day and the yearly school-wide Sustainability Day, as well as STEM-related class trips and work shadowing or internships, offer students a wide range of opportunities to experience STEM beyond the classroom.
We also work with organisations, companies and scientific institutions such as Greenpeace, Women in AI, the Gläsernes Labor, the Natural History Museum, the Botanical Garden and Lindhof Experimental Farm at Kiel University. Experts from research and industry enrich our project days and provide insights into current developments and future career opportunities.
IT and media literacy are an integral part of everyday school life at Platanus Schule. Our media curriculum defines the competencies, skills and practical experience that students develop throughout their school years. It is continuously updated to reflect new technologies, digital applications and changing patterns of media use.
We integrate digital and media literacy across all subjects and year groups. Students learn to use digital media to inform, communicate, present, create, analyse and reflect – always in a practical way and through age-appropriate, subject-related topics.
Our approach focuses particularly on:
- MS Teams as a platform for communication, collaboration and digital learning
- the age-appropriate use of mobile devices across all subjects
- the creative and interactive use of our Promethean Active Panels
- multimedia, programming and digital teaching and learning tools
- continuously reflecting on their own media use
- clear guidelines for the use of AI for both students and teachers
In Years 3 to 6, students have dedicated Computer Skills lessons. In addition, IT and media literacy are embedded particularly in Science & Social Studies (Sachunterricht), while also being addressed across all other subjects. In Years 5 to 10, students further develop their digital skills in an interdisciplinary and practical way – from word processing, spreadsheets and presentations to email, internet research, multimedia and programming. Our curriculum also draws on the international standards of the ICDL (International Computer Driving Licence).
A particular focus is on helping students use digital media safely, responsibly and independently. From Year 5 onwards, students increasingly explore topics such as data protection and privacy, cyberbullying, social media, gaming and media addiction, as well as rights relating to their own image and voice. Since the 2023/24 school year, we have also held IT and media literacy project days across all year groups, partly in cooperation with external experts.
Since the 2019/20 school year, Platanus Schule has had its own STEM working group. The group continuously develops our STEM profile, initiates exciting collaborations with external STEM partners, organises professional development for our specialist teachers and develops new STEM activities and opportunities for our students.
The working group brings together parent representatives, members of the school leadership team and specialist teachers. By combining these different perspectives, we ensure that STEM remains a vibrant part of our school and continues to evolve.
Would you like to exchange ideas with us about STEM or explore a potential collaboration? Please contact us at zvag@cyngnahf-fpuhyr.qr. Our contact person for all STEM-related matters is Ms. Joana Kappes, Head of School – Years 7–10.
Absolutely! STEM is an important focus at our school, but we want all our students to have the opportunity to explore and develop their individual interests and talents in a wide range of areas. Music, art and sports also have a firmly established place in our school life.
From Year 1 onwards, Music, Art and PE are taught by qualified specialist teachers in appropriately equipped specialist rooms. In Art, for example, we work with the educational concept TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior), which encourages students to take greater responsibility for their own creative process and strengthens their independence and creativity.
In addition, a wide range of clubs, project days, competitions, sports events and performance opportunities provide space for students to develop their individual interests and talents. Whether STEM, music, art, sports or other areas – our aim is to support every child in discovering and developing their own strengths.