Abstract:

In recent decades, all teaching and training systems in Europe and elsewhere have launched innovation processes in order to adapt, increasingly complex changes in society and face the challenge of raising citizens educational levels.

In Italy in recent years Universities and Higher Education Institutions have worked together to explore, promote and spread innovation in higher education. It is well known and proven that in the learning process teachers/trainers must be creative to maintain students' interest in class and to facilitate learning. Creativity is often considered the first phase of the educational innovation process. The generation and selection of ideas involves a thorough evaluation of the final product and application or implementation of ideas that arose.

Innovation in teaching and learning STEM involved a series of activities including seminars, meetings and conferences.

Last year I conceived, designed and proposed experimental teaching interdisciplinary activities, such as the extraction of DNA or proteins from flowers and analyzed them by gel Electrophoresis; anthocyanins extraction and purification from fruits and vegetables and their use as edible indicator dyes for a rapid evaluation of food pH. Most of these plant pigments, commonly range in color from red to purple to blue depending on their pH. Currant, orange, cherry, raspberry, eggplant, blackberry, blueberry, grapes are examples of fruits utilized in the experimental activities here described. Moreover, in this activity were also used to test the pH levels of different test solution, additional plants, from beets to grapes to onion. Curry powder, for example contains the pigment curcumin showing changes in color from yellow at pH neutral to red ad pH higher than 8.5; geranium petals containing the anthocyanin pelargonidin changes from blue in a basic solution to orange-red in acidic solution.

At the end stage, students were pushed to utilize red onions discovering that in a strongly basic solution they don't smell and became green in color from pale red in acidic solution. In addition, here will be reported several game-based activities, conceived and realized in collaboration with university students, in support of dissemination activities and in order to engage and inspire teachers in their routine teaching activities as well. University students are at the heart of teaching and learning projects presented here and are too the main actors of innovative learning processes and the units for spreading innovative teaching activities based both on a practical approach and serious games directed to young high school students.

Different articles describe the role of students as peer teachers, different articles use an art-based approach to facilitate learning, including encouraging creativity and innovation in young students.They are also not seen as users, passive pupils but as young people who build and cooperate to co-build their curriculum of study and learning.

Learning activities are focused on the disciplines covered by the degree course in biology and in particular are focused on the molecular biology topics, my research and teaching discipline, and the students involved in scientific dissemination activities have already included them or will include in their degree thesis because all activities include the acquisition of strategic and transferable skills and knowledge of formative curricular importance to build future job and career opportunities.

Keywords:

Innovative continuing professional development and learning, innovative teaching stem discipline, Inquiry based Science Education.