STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – is the field that helps children learn how to program, make codes, and understand technological devices. During STEM education activities, students learn in a safe environment that allows them to fall and try again. STEM education stresses the value of failure as a learning exercise, which will enable students to embrace mistakes as part of the learning process. STEM in Action; Open Educational Resources for Teachers is based on Online and Face to Face STEM courses to the teachers free of charge. 7 organisations from Turkey, Belgium, Romania, Ireland, Germany, Croatia and Greece who are experienced in STEM will take place in the project. One of Educational objectives of Erasmus+ is to promote the open access of project outputs to support learning, teaching, training, and youth work. Our Project has the same objective. Moreover, Erasmus+ supports that A common purpose is to ensure that skills and qualifications can be more easily recognized and are better understood, within and across national borders. The objectives of STEM in Action; Open Educational Resources for Teachers; • to exchange good practice across the partner countries through learning raids • to provide tools, methodologies and approaches to facilitate the acquisition of needed skills with collaborative learning and teaching environments in STEM • to increase interest of educators about the priorities to gain the competences that they need around STEM education. • to develop collaborative partnership between schools and the universities in formal, nonformal and informal learning at the aim of strengthening the profile(s) of the teaching profession EU countries. • to develop a website incorporating good practices including curriculum materials across partners and avirtual courses for teachers • to produce a range of curriculum materials in STEM area for teachers’ usage • to upskill teachers in each partner county including knowledge • to impact on pre-schools, primary, elementary, high schools, VET and university students career choices 10 Academicians from 6 countries totally 60 Academicians and 10 technical staff from Greece will join the project actively and they will be responsible for Open Educational Resources for Teachers. At least 100 teachers from each country will gen benefit from these materials and they will use these materials for their students. The project will last 24 months. The project has two LTTs . The first one is in Ireland. 5 staff from each organisation will join this LTT and they will take two kinds of trainings. These are how to make a video and how to prepare a STEM video. As Cork Institute of Technology has experience in preparation online courses, they are responsible for these trainings.The second LTT will be in Germany. 4 Staff from each organisation will join this LTT . In this LTT, The staff will take the training of creating curriculum of STEM. University Unıversıtaet Paderborn is responsible for this training as they have experience in STEM. The Intellectual Out Puts of the projects are Three Modules of Online STEM courses and Curriculums of STEM which will be divided into three kind ; for preschool, for primary school and for branches. The Multiplier Events of the projects are Celebrating Science Day, Celebrating Pi Day and face to face Stem Courses to local teachers Online STEM Courses will have three kinds of modules; preschool teachers, primary school teachers and branch teachers. Online STEM Courses will have three kinds of curriculums; preschool teachers, primary school teachers and branch teachers. While giving trainings to staff of the organisations, Seminar and workshops methodology to will be used. While giving STEM courses to teachers, Online education, will be used. However, the main theme of the project is a methodology, STEM. The results and impact envisaged of STEM in Action; Open Educational Resources for Teachers are; • At least 30 Academicians and 5 technical staff will have taken two kinds of trainings which are how to prepare a video and how to make a STEM video. • At least 30 Academicians and 5 technical staff will have taken a training about how to prepare a STEM curriculum. • Teachers will have reached to virtual courses for teachers and a range of curriculum materials in STEM area without charge. • The participant organization will have increase the awareness of STEM among the teachers. Totally there are 3 modules of Open Educational Resources related to STEM for Teachers which are divided into preschool teachers, primary school teachers and branch teachers. They will have totally 30 videos and this website can be reached for lifelong. The teachers working in local area will have take face to face STEM courses. The teachers who will take online and face to face courses will implement STEM with their students and they are supposed to carry out eTwinning and Erasmus projects related to STEM.
1. Contribution to STEM Education: By emphasising the importance of STEM approach in education, we aimed to improve students' problem solving, critical thinking and innovative design skills. In doing so, we aimed to increase their ability to think solution-oriented to real-world problems. 2. Equality and Access in Education: By providing equal and broad access to STEM education, we aimed to offer opportunities in this field to students and teachers in different geographies. Thus, we aimed to reduce inequalities in education. 3. Teacher Development: By strengthening the knowledge and skills of teachers in the field of STEM, we aimed to support them to provide a more effective and contemporary education to students. In this context, we supported the professional development of teachers in STEM. 4. International Collaboration: By bringing together experiences from different countries, we aimed to create an international co-operation network on STEM education and promote knowledge sharing. In line with these objectives, we aimed to implement the project and in this way, we planned to contribute to STEM education, increase equality in education, support the development of teachers and strengthen international cooperation.
Our application for the project was shaped by addressing specific needs in education. Among our main motivations, the innovative potential of the STEM approach in education and its potential to improve students' cognitive skills have an important place. In addition, issues such as unequal access to STEM education and lack of knowledge in this field are also among the key needs that attract attention. In this application process, the need to increase teachers' knowledge and skills in STEM by targeting their professional development was also among the prioritised objectives. The project also aims to create a common source of knowledge by combining perspectives from different geographies by encouraging international co-operation and sharing of experiences. Considering these needs during the application process, an approach that reflects the project goals and objectives was adopted and our project application was structured accordingly.