On the basis of the priorities of “Education and Training” EC policy agenda, we seek to establish a Strategic Partnership under the ERASMUS+ framework, with an aim to provide digital professional learning opportunities for secondary teachers’ competence development. Higher education and research Institutions from Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, one EU association and one network participate in the Strategic partnership in order to develop, deploy, evaluate and disseminate an innovative approach for teachers’ professional learning via inquiry methodology. One tangible outcome of the project will be the development of an evidence-based framework for teacher’s competence development that can inform curriculum design for secondary teachers’ continuous professional development. Teachers leaning activities -that will inform the development of the framework- will take place via the inquiry based learning (IBL) methodology, by the use of an on-line platform for facilitating personal and collaborative inquiry learning, developed in the frame of the weSPOT project (under FP7 framework). The platform is embedded on an IBL model, supports all types of inquiry (from structured to open), allows flexibility to the user to adapt the environment to the needs of the specific inquiry and can be used for synchronous and asynchronous learning. A number of tools are integrated in the platform supporting: teachers’ reflection on their practice and tutors monitoring via a learning analytics dashboard, the linking of formal and informal activities via a mobile application, and a diagnostic instrument providing insights on inquiry skills developed by users. Teachers’ learning activities will be structured around themes and scenarios that reflect the needs and interests of teachers as evident from recent EU large scale surveys– among others being: dealing with diversity and inclusion, fostering students’ achievement, teaching cross-curricula skills, students’ career guidance, teachers’ parents relationships and approaches to individualized learning.
ELITe is concerned with supporting STEM teachers’ development of skills, knowledge and attitudes (SKAs) so that they can effectively address their roles as lifelong learners, facilitators of students’ learning and members of educational communities. It aimed to on the one hand highlight the links between inquiry skills practicing and STEM teachers’ competence development, and on the other to inform curriculum development in STEM teachers’ education. The project is a response to the need to modernize STEM teacher training so as to effectively address contextual, methodological, thematic and outcome oriented challenges in STEM professional learning provisions. The core innovation element of the project is the adaption of the Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) methodology in STEM teachers’ training for enhancing teacher competences. The project adopts a place-based approach, taking into consideration contextual aspects affecting effective provision of CPD, while challenges and needs in terms of renewing the thematic of STEM teacher training have been addressed. Project objectives pursued were: -To deepen understandings on the requirements for STEM teachers’ competence development and identify the space for intervention at the national levels of GR, NL, BG and ES. - To develop, deploy and evaluate the effectiveness of a STEM teacher training approach based on IBL methodology facilitated by digital means aiming at STEM teachers’ competence development -to support the uptake of the proposed methodology by STEM teacher training institutions. ELITe was implemented by a partnership of five Research and Higher Education Institutions (FORTH in GR, OUNL in the NL, UNISOFIA in BG, UB in ES , ILI-FAU in DE), a network (DLEARN) and an association (EPA). The ELITe approach was deployed and evaluated in the national contexts of GR, NL, BG and ES. Conducted activities to reach the above-mentioned objectives included: documentary analysis of policy documents, teachers training curricula and students curricula; negotiation of understandings with more than 120 educational stakeholders; mapping outcomes of desktop study for identification of process and outcome indicators; development of the ELITe project approach for competence development under IBL methodology; operationalization of the approach in the form of 26 sample digital scenarios under inquiry methodology development; deployment of pilot training activities/scenarios implementation with the participation of 287 STEM teachers; evaluation of the impact of the activities on competence development/testing the project assumption; development of Handbook with guidelines for STEM teachers inquiry and reflective practice; development of ELITe evidence-based framework for competence development under an inquiry approach; validation of the framework in negotiation processes with more than 120 educational stakeholders; definition of recommendations for supporting STEM teachers’ inquiry and reflective practice through inquiry methodology”; knowledge sharing activities targeting STEM teacher training institutions. The main achievement of the ELITe project at a conceptual level is the verification of the core project assumption, that the provision of professional learning activities through an IBL methodology leads to the effective development of STEM teachers’ competences. The evaluation results provide evidence on: a) the links between inquiry skills practicing and teachers’ competence development, b) the relevance between the proposed approach and SKAs gaps of STEM teachers, and c) the feasibility and uptake of the approach in various educational contexts - documented in O8. At a project results level the main achievements of ELITe are documented in O3, O4, O6, O9 and O10. Project results are considered to contribute to policy and policy mediation efforts to address current challenges and enhance STEM professional learning by providing: -Enhanced understanding on the space of intervention for supporting STEM teachers’ competence development in GR, NL, BG and ES - documented in O3 - Sample digital scenarios for professional learning under IBL –documented in O4 -Guidelines for STEM teachers’ educators on structuring and implementing professional learning activities under the IBL methodology and for STEM teachers’ enhancement of their inquiry and reflective practice - documented in O6 - A framework for STEM professional learning for competence development under IBL methodology, which considers contextual, methodological, thematic and outcome oriented aspects in STEM professional learning– documented in O9 - Recommendations for policy and policy making towards a new model for STEM professional learning that can respond to current challenges (contextual, thematic, methodological and outcome related) in STEM professional learning - documented in O10