The projects objectives: 1. Enhancing the quality of preschool education by offering the new curriculum „STEAM outdoor education for sustainability” designed as supplementary to national core-curricula, flexible tool published on project website as OER; 2. Enhancing the sustainability competences (and confidence) in preschool teachers by providing them with a set of innovative didactic materials linking the idea of sustainability with STEAM methodology of inquiry-based learning and outdoor education; 3. Building the synergy and facilitating the flow of knowledge between universities, preschools and educational policy makers to ensure a greater impact on the local preschool system; 4. Educating the “leaders of change” - preschool teachers who will promote the STEAM approach for sustainability education in their own preschool environment and build the support system for innovators to prevent emotional crisis and professional burn-outs. The project aimed to increase teachers’ sense of initiative, self-confidence, flexibility in teaching but also their digital competences and abilities to participate in a learning community. 5. Enhancing the quality of ECEC pre-service training by introducing a module related to „STEAM and sustai
In line with EC recommendation „Key competencies for lifelong learning” (2019) and the European Pillars of Social Rights (2020) the project aimed to enhance the quality of ECEC programs by offering an innovative curriculum „STEAM outdoor education for sustainability”, creating the links between the two critical challenges recognized in EU documents: sustainability as a source of curriculum content and STEAM as methodology of teaching and learning. By using this approach we wanted to support children's self-confidence, build their self-efficacy and positive image as learners. We aimed to change the teachers’ perspective - putting emphasis on children’s intellectual abilities (critical and creative thinking, observing, predicting, comparing, drawing evidence-based conclusions, etc.) rather than on reading and writing achievements. In STEAM strategy skills like reading, writing, counting, measuring, etc. become tools for thinking/ habits of mind/ and ways to build the culture of collaborative learning in a classroom. To prevent the „tech-phobia” or „maths anxiety” in children, support their resilience to failures. Another need is to implement the STEAM and sustainability as a subject to university ECEC courses.