PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF STE(A)M EDUCATORS WITH ONLINE TOOLS AND COMMUNITIES

It is commonly accepted that basic STEM competences are critical for succeeding in most of the technical, engineering and even managerial jobs, hence STEM education is a main educational approach in preparing knowledgeable and technology savvy individuals who will become active citizens [1]. However, several studies have shown that the without the “Αrts” it is impossible for students to reach their full potential. STE(A)M education grew out of STEM education, where the “A” is a term that represents fields such as liberal arts, language arts, social studies, physical arts, fine arts etc. and its aim is to apply creative thinking to STEM projects, igniting students’ imagination and creativity through the arts [4]. In order to prepare college graduates for successful STE(A)M-related careers and properly implement this educational innovation, it is necessary to reconceptualise and reform educational and training curricula at all levels, from K-12 to college and graduate level. The field needs theoretical and practical works to guide educational researchers and practitioners in their efforts to prepare future generations to meet the challenges of the 21st century and be creative and productive problem solvers [2,5]. The Erasmus+/KA3 project “STEAMonEdu: Competence development of STE(A)M educators through online tools and communities” aims to increase the adoption and impact of STE(A)M education. 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 supportive tools. The tools include an online platform, instructional meta-methodology, STE(A)M body of knowledge, STE(A)M education good practices and policies and a STE(A)M readiness self-assessment tool. The overall approach of STEAMonEDU is to nominate educators as the pillars of the implementation of STE(A)M education and support their professional development. A bottom-up methodology has been adopted that led to the creation of an online community of educators, a competence framework for STE(A)M educators has been developed by taking advantage of the European Framework for the Digital Competences of Educators (DigCompEdu) [2,3] and a training curriculum is currently under implementation, including a blended course and a MOOC. The paper will provide an overview of the research issues, methodology and achievements of the STEAMonEdu project. References: [1] National Science Teachers Association. (2018). STEM Education Caucus - Science, Technology, Engineering & Math. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2014.11.003[2] Spyropoulou, N. D., & Kameas, A. D. (2020a). Investigating the role of STE(A)M Educators : a case study in Greece. In International Conference on Information, Intelligence, Systems and Applications (p. in press).[3] Spyropoulou, N. D., & Kameas, A. D. (2020b). Methodology for the Development of a Competence Framework for STE(A)M educators. In European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN) Conference. European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN).[4] STEM to STEAM: The “Arts” and Its Importance in STEM Education | Makeblock. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2020, from https://www.makeblock.com/official-blog/218830.html[5] Xun, G., Dirk, I., & Spector, M. J. (2015). Emerging Technologies for STEAM Education: Full STEAM Ahead. Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02573-5_12