STEAMonEDU

Description

The STEAMonEDU project (Competence development of STE(A)M educators through online tools and communities) aims to contribute to innovative and cross-disciplinary approaches in implementing STE(A)M education by revising and strengthening the professional profile of the teaching profession. This will be achieved first by identifying the necessary STE(A)M competences and the skills required for STE(A)M teaching and then by providing targeted teacher training together with a set of assorted tools. The training will be implemented as a blended course that will include a MOOC. The tools will include an instructional meta-methodology, STE(A)M body of knowledge, online activity templates, STE(A)M education good practices and a STE(A)M readiness self-assessment tool. A crowdsourcing bottom-up approach will be put in place for the stakeholders of STE(A)M education (including teachers, researchers, policy makers etc.), resulting in peer learning and support in the design and implementation of STE(A)M education policies and in the development of open content.

In the long-term, the project’s systemic approach for the assessment, monitoring and improvement of teacher STE(A)M skills will raise important benefits in many policy areas and it will represent a precious toolkit for implementing effective outreach strategies to difficult-to-engage groups of adults.

On the ground of the above, and answering the question on how the results are expected to develop new policy actions in the countries involved in this proposal, as well as their potential impact at European level in the education and training fields, the project will:

• Develop a new approach to adult education and training which focuses on learning outcomes and learner responsibility and autonomy;
• Foster greater awareness among adults that learning is a lifelong endeavour which they should pursue at regular intervals during their lives, and particularly during periods of unemployment or career transition;
• Encourage the development of effective lifelong guidance systems, as well as integrated systems for the validation of non-formal and informal learning;
• Ensure the comprehensive provision of high-quality formal and non-formal education and training for teachers aimed at acquiring STE(A)M Digital competences;
• Ensure flexible arrangements adapted to different training needs of teachers;
• Promote the role of social partners and civil society in articulating training needs and developing learning opportunities for teachers, as well as optimise the involvement of central, regional and local authorities in order to reach broader audiences and ensure long-term financial sustainability.

Finally, at methodological level, the project will put the basis for the future elaboration of derivate frameworks, inspired by the already existing ones, such as DigCompConsumers and DigCompTeach, or focused on completing new sectors and target groups.