The objective of the Development of STEAM education project (Project) is to lead European schools in the improvement of existing STEAM approaches, to guide them fostering the young Europeans’ interest, skills, and career in maths, science, engineering, and technology as well as arts, and to provide the schools with the necessary toolbox to engage their students, teachers and other members of the community in STEAM-related activities by developing an appropriate STEAM school strategy. Providing adequate guidance and underpinning innovative activities to be developed at the national level, the Project will expand a network of STEAM schools involving not only teachers, administrators, but also other stakeholders, e.g., STEAM/research/ non-formal education centres. The Project is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists, STEAM open-access centres, LUMA, and several European organisations specialised in STEAM education. The Project proposal will develop complementary blocks of activities: -Developing a transnational understanding (definition) of STEAM schools as it is essential to share successful practices at a European level. -Guiding schools and their stakeholders in improving the standard of STEAM education activities, organising them not only in the classroom but also in STEAM centres, expanding teaching opportunities for students, favour connections and links with STEAM stakeholders outside the school. -Compiling existing and offering new innovative STEAM education resources useful for schools to improve their STEAM activities and strategy. -Developing a transnational network and community of STEAM schools to allow cross-border peer to peer learning activities. The Project will address the school education challenges and the role of industry in STEAM education with the active support of the authorities and other stakeholders to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths education and careers to young Europeans and address anticipated future skills gaps within the European Union. The Project will propose: -The Professional Development Program for in-service teachers and educators (PDP) with STEAM competence development guidance, -Collection of STEAM Hands-on Good Practices (Collection), -A Practical Handbook on Effective Development and Implementation of STEAM Teaching at School (Handbook). The PDP aims to shift the paradigm from teaching to learning and develop the implementation of STEAM in daily teaching and learning, STEAM teachers’ competencies of using new technologies, tools, and methods. The appropriate methodological material, as well as methodology of differentiated STEAM teaching according to the achievements of students, will be provided. The PDP will cover main STEAM thematic areas and equip educators with capacities and tools necessary for observing, analyzing, and supporting students’ learning process and achievements, linking it with science investigations, new technologies, daily situations, and real-world problem-solving. The Handbook based on the best practices of each partner country will focus on the approaches to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, critical thinking, engagement in experiential learning, persistence in problem-solving, collaboration, and work through the creative process. Designed for the educators of the 21st century, the Handbook will provide the main steps, tools, and strategies for a school to mainstream STEAM education in their activities, and develop the four main stages (planning, organizing, assessment, and implementation) of STEAM activities with examples of initiatives and best practices. This Handbook will also include practical guidance and illustrations on how to create the differentiated assignments of varying complexity (according to PISA proficiency scale) for students. The Collection to be designed will connect students will engage students for activities in different age-groups and subjects, link with professionals in STEAM fields, to provide fantastic opportunities for deeper learning. It will include the best practices and training units (no less than 70) based on the PISA proficiency scale, STEAM projects and experiments, BYOD initiatives, cross-curricular learning examples. STEAM hands-on activities that encourage experimentation and exploration will be embedded. The examples will include guidance on the preparation, implementation, and assessment. The international competition „STEAM challenge” will be organised, during which the students with the help of teachers will create STEAM task-challenges for students from another country. The proposal will, therefore, contribute to the acquisition of STEAM knowledge and the 21st-century skills and competences and create three intellectual outputs that will be ready to be used by any school in Europe
The DoSE aimed to: - Implement a STEAM strategy at the national level to tackle 21st-century educational challenges, including personalizing education, assessing student learning, supporting social learning technology, developing alternative teaching modes, enhancing the role of stakeholders, and expanding STEM by integrating art subjects - Expected benefits from incorporating art into science and engineering such as removing idea inhibition, focusing on the process to drive innovation, teaching the power of observation of people and surroundings, and honing spatial awareness. - to build a critical mass of teachers capable of implementing a cohesive approach in STEAM teaching based on value promotion, complex integration, and a learner-focused approach -Provided three intellectual outputs, focusing on core values such as sustainable impact, cultivating partnerships, and inclusiveness, to support schools engaged in promoting STEAM activities at national and European levels, quality teaching aids to improve teaching methods for students, enabling them to grasp Science and Math more effectively and interestingly, - Created a platform for stakeholders to volunteer for customized engagement programs and events, fostering partnerships and collaboration to ensure the project's sustainability. - Recognized the need to develop individuals competent in the STEAM area who participate in society through its creative application.
By implementing this project, we aimed to advance STEAM education and engage young Europeans in STEAM-related careers, and address anticipated future skills gaps within the European Union. We endeavored to produce three intellectual outputs that any school in Europe can utilize. The project endeavored to tackle the challenges encountered by European schools in enhancing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education, to cultivate young Europeans' interest, abilities, and careers in STEAM subjects while providing schools with the essential methodical tools to involve students, teachers, and other community members in STEAM-related activities. Furthermore, by implementing this project, we seek to foster a transnational comprehension of STEAM schools and assist schools and their stakeholders in enhancing the standard of STEAM education activities. To improve the STEAM activities and strategy of schools, the project gathered existing and introduced new innovative STEAM education resources. Additionally, the project aimed to establish a transnational network and community of STEAM schools to facilitate cross-border peer-to-peer learning activities. These outputs intend to equip educators with the necessary capacities and tools to observe, analyze, and support students' learning processes and accomplishments, linking them with science investigations, new technologies, daily situations, and real-world problem-solving. The outputs also offer practical advice and illustrations on creating differentiated assignments of varying complexity for students.