Abstract:

This research aims to develop, validate, implement, and evaluate a formative proposal based on the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) Education approach, to foster creative thinking and teaching competencies with pre-service primary school teachers. The main goal of this project is to enhance the initial training of future science teachers, presenting a wide perspective on science education and its impact on society. As the world comes across ever-changing demands, it becomes essential to educate citizens with the competencies required of them to make informed, conscientious decisions (P21, 2019). Science Education plays a role as the foundation to promote these values, preparing individuals for responsible decision-making in contemporary society and for the benefit of current and future generations.

The implementation of a STEAM education project is theoretically based on the inquiry-based learning approach, emphasizing active learning techniques and a strong focus on real or realistic world problem-solving (Shernoff et al., 2017). This approach not only promotes interdisciplinary learning across the STEAM domains but also develops learners’ essential competencies (Perignat & Katz-Buonincontro, 2019).

Within this context, Challenge Based Learning (CBL) emerges as a pedagogical methodology that seeks to identify, investigate, and create solutions to real-world problems while maintaining an STS orientation (Nichols et al., 2016) in a collaborative way, cross-disciplinarily, and practical. The integration of STEAM and CBL is recognized for its vast potential in nurturing 21st century learning skills, including creativity and problem-solving (Sanders, 2019).

The present research aims to foster creativity and teaching skills throughout the educational process in an initial teacher education course. Creativity is considered as skill encompassing the generation of original, critical, plausible, and feasible ideas and strategies, abstracts or not, whether individually or collaboratively (Beghetto, 2007; Craft, 2009). The educational environment and its agents need to be a catalyst for human creativity rather than a constraining factor (Robinson & Aronica, 2015).

This is a qualitative study framed within a sociocritical paradigm, stated in a Design Based Research (DBR) methodology (Romero-Ariza, 2014). The data collection techniques adopted are document compilation, participant observation, focus group, and questionnaire surveys for subsequent triangulation of the data collected. For data analysis, it´s used qualitative analysis through categorial content analysis (Bardin, 2009).

The preliminary results reveal that the pre-service teachers engaged in this study have not only found the experiential activities enriching but have also confirmed a positive impact on their professional development. Furthermore, these participants have demonstrated noticeable enhancements in their soft skills, such as collaborative work, communication, creativity, proactivity, critical thinking, and autonomy. The learning outcomes are also related to their proficiency in science literacy, teaching methodologies, and learning resources, as future teachers.

For further work, we plan to evaluate the evolution of creative thinking and teaching competencies with these pre-service teachers and analyze their graduation final projects, in order to understand the impact of this formative proposal in their initial professional training.

Keywords:

Teacher Education, Creativity, STEAM Education, Science Teaching.