STEM Challenges in Europe – Innovative STEM teaching – 2nd Scientix conference

Marc Durando – Brussels - 26 October 2014

Situation of STEM in Education – Shortages and attractiveness

Career prospects

(compared to other sectors)

3 Major Issues

New pedagogicalapproaches

Attractiveness in Europe

for STEM studies

Shortages apply to almost all technical jobs, including ICT

No shortage of biologists - shortages of mathematicians and physicists

Shortage of teachers for physics and mathematics in a lot of countries.

Too low percentage of girls opting for STEM studies.

Curricula are «over stuffed» with factual content –More & more topics while few are removed

PedagogyText based – factual recall Exploratory learning modes (ISBE)

What is the relevance of content to the pupils’ lives and future careers? Pupils fail to see how STEM relates to society’s current challenges

(climate change, energy, …)

STEM in schools

4 major questions

•How can STEM teaching and learning be reformed?

•How to enhance engagement and uptake of STEM studies

Attractiveness of STEM

•How can educators and industry fight the main stereotypes around STEM education and careers?

Stereotypes

•How can educators be supported in implementing innovative approaches to STEM education?

STEM Educators and

Innovation

•How can all stakeholders cooperate more effectively to tackle the STEM challenge in a more holistic way ?

Cooperation

How to make STEM studies more attractive - 3 key inter related factors

Motivated and

recognisedteachers

Innovative pedagogy

and creative curriculum

Role and engagement of industry

• In service training of teachers

• Provide teachers with new content, tools and pedagogical approaches (access to new learning resources)

• Embed actions in the curriculum

• Identify and promote examples of good practices (transferability)

• Importance of role models

• Better information to teachers on what exists, on what industry offers, etc.

• Role of guidance counselors

Education

sytems

Potential

adoption of

innovations

in our

systemsTechnology

Curriculum

Pedagogy

Teaching

processes

Assessment

Digital Text books

Open Educational

Resources

Flipped classroom

Self directed learning

In and out school learning processes

IWB - 1:1 – tablets

Mobile learning

BYOD

eExams

Use of laptops & Access to internet

Learning analytics

Governance

Autonomy – flexibility curriculum

Administration – Cloud computing

eSafety

Innovation in school education – a complex process

Michael Fullan – Stratosphere - 2013

Innovative education systems

Innovation challenges

Innovative school

Global approach

Innovative teachers

INNOVATION CHALLENGES

Challenges of teachers

•Aging population – 1/3 > 50 years

•Gap between students and teachers is growingAge

•Is the current offer of in-service training programmes meeting the needs of teachers ?

•Are our primary teachers well prepared for teaching STEM?

•Should the pre service training programme be reviewed?

Training

•The most innovative teachers are not necessarily the youngest ones

Technology

•Retention rate after 3 years

•Less and less candidates for becoming teachers (more for STEM teachers).

Vocation

A quantitative challenge

3.000.000+

missing teachers (UNESCO)

Also a challenge

at EU level

60% of teachers

above 40 years-

old

«Efficient

professionals»

New training

models better

preparing for

practice

A qualitative challenge

Attractiveness

Young teachers

leave the

profession after

less than 3

years

Teacher training for the 21st century

Teachers

able to

Teachers

competence

to be

developed

Knowledge

about

students

Organise

productive

learning

processes

Assessment

competence

Learning

conditions

design

Subject

knowledge

Evaluate

themselves

the impact

of their

teaching

Represent

ideas in

powerful

ways

Support

student’s

deep

learning

21st

century

teaching

How to train a teacher to be an efficient professional?

Teachers

able to

Teachers

competence

to be

developed

Knowledge

about

students

Organise

productive

learning

processes

Assessment

competence

Learning

conditions

design

Subject

knowledge

Evaluate

themselves

the impact

of their

teaching

Represent

ideas in

powerful

ways

Support

student’s

deep

learning

21st

century

teaching

Online videos,

data logging tools,

simulations, etc.

Digital self assessment,

Online quizzes and tests,

big data, etc.

Flipped classroom,

collective learning,

etc.

Big data, online surveys,

data logging analysis, etc.

How to use technology to get there?

Factors influencing young people decision to study STEM - Motivation

Motivation

Interest and

pleasure

Beliefs in ones ability

Identification

Utility

Relative costs

Constraints related to access

and limited choice

Course subject

Study Option

Decision by others

• Teachers are at the heart of the change

• Teachers as innovators – adapt to rapid changes in digital technology and on student needs

• Teachers as the orchestrator of the learning processes

• Collaborative learning with peers - Untapped potential of current teachers communities

• Inspiring teachers

The important role of teachers

5 main recommendations

RECOMMENDATIONS

Embed non formal initiatives in school

activity

Learn from and build on excellent

opportunities

More support to STEM teachers

Establish and Enhance Multi Stakeholders Partnerships

Enhance and reform STEM curricula, pedagogy and

assessment

What is an efficient teacher in the 21st century?

A professional with a high judgment capacity in

situation

Teaching today is about being a

reflective professional teacher(Donald Schön)

The professional teacher

is one who learns from teaching

rather than

one who has finished learning how to teachLinda Darling-Hammond,

Stanford Graduate School of Education

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative

expression and knowledge.

Albert Einstein

All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an

equal opportunity to develop our talent.

John F. Kennedy

The essential role of teachers

A Teacher50 years old

Knowledge acquired 25/30 years ago Student will use in 10/15 years

The communication period of the knowledge is therefore around 40years, which means twice as long as any period which measures thekey transformations of our society

Timeframe