Abstract:

Traditional STEM education focuses mainly on the development of technical competencies. STEAM education is enriched by the arts and refers to an educational model that integrates knowledge of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. It aims to develop students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as to foster their creativity and innovative development, through hands-on opportunities. At its core, it is aimed at building the competencies of the future and supporting students in taking up the professions of tomorrow. The STEAM strategy brings synergy between the arts and engineering, helping to educate the "whole student" and creating the conditions for interdisciplinary innovation. The intent of the STEAM concept is to learn to solve real-life problems.
A study conducted in 2020 on the integration of STEAM into Vocational Education and Training (VET) identified 3 main problems: VET teachers lacked the necessary knowledge to understand science subjects that would be applicable to STEAM education, VET teachers lacked skills that would enable them to support students' logical thinking process, and they also lacked experience in using the STEAM model. Hence the need to support its application to vocational education.
At the Technical University of Kosice (Slovakia), in collaboration with other partners, a project is underway that focuses on the use of STEAM education in the field of climate change and geological hazards. The main objective of this project is to develop the skills of VET teachers in STEAM methodology and the use of augmented reality for classroom teaching, also to offer them tools and methodologies for teaching about the impact of climate change and natural disasters. The application of innovative STEAM in the form of practical tasks and activities will help students to master the subject and meet the main objective of the project, namely to raise awareness about the environment and the impact of climate change on natural disasters.
The article describes the implementation of STEAM education in the form of specific practical tasks that will help students to raise awareness of climate change and better understand the reasons for the occurrence of natural disasters as a consequence of these changes.

Keywords:

STEAM methodology, VET education, implementation of STEAM.