FULL STEAM AHEAD!
MARCHENA (Spain) – FIRST LTT1 (Learning, teaching, training event)
We need to do our best to help our students, and most of all our female students, achieve and maintain the high standards needed to meet the challenge of approaching STEM learning with confidence and to realise its immense positive influence on their future education and employment. They need our highly motivated, well qualified teaching to encourage their forward-thinking, innovation and problem solving.
To achieve all this, six schools from six different European countries (Estonia, Finland, Greece, Poland, Slovakia and Spain) have agreed to work together on a project called Full Steam Ahead!, whose main aim is to combat the gender inequality gap existing in the field of STEM and promoting STEAM (STEM and Arts for a full and integrated approach) education among students.
The project’s objectives are the following:
- increasing motivation of students, particularly females, to study STEAM subjects;
- fighting stereotypes regarding female role in STEAM world;
- raising awareness of STEAM studies as career opportunities;
- improving knowledge and capacity in STEAM area, implementing more active, hands-on methods while teaching STEAM;
- making STEAM teaching and learning fun and exciting;
- strengthening the profile of teachers by exposing them to innovative teaching and motivating methods.
- We also want to make our students aware of their European cultural heritage through familiarizing them with famous scientists (particularly women), whose discoveries and historical achievements constitute the basis of modern science and development.
On December, 2019, from Monday 16th to Wednesday 18th, 3 teachers per partner organization took part in lectures and workshops on how to become well-versed in teaching STEAM subjects, on how to motivate and inspire their students. They were provided with modern, creative and practical approach to teaching processes and teaching methods (hands-on workshops, interactive labs etc.). Seminars, workshops and activities were organized for STEAM subjects teachers: -“Builders of Dreams” – on how to foster and support development of young people’s interests and competences in STEM areas; – “The Galaxy of Women” – presentation of past and current famous and significant European female scientists and technological industry professionals; – “The road is not always easy” – workshop on how to motivate students and build their self-confidence; – STEAM-oriented field trips and cultural activities; -Teambuilding activities, as this was the first project meeting.