Abstract:

STE(A)M (Science, Technology, Engineering, (Arts), and Mathematics) education emerged as a new pedagogy in response to the need to increase student interest and skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field by putting emphasis on logical, mathematical, experimental, and scientific thinking (Perignat & Katz-Buonincontro, 2019). In addition, this new educational approach may increase students’ learning motivation by arousing their curiosity about applying scientific and technical learning in real life situations (Bybee, 2013).

However, despite the growing interest in STE(A)M education approach within educational and research community, guidance for educators in terms of how to effectively teach STE(A)M-related courses is lacking (Ng, 2019). As teaching strategies are changing, educators need to update their competence profiles in order to face STE(A)M education challenges.

In this context, we developed a novel competency framework by adapting existing professional competency frameworks and related research work regarding STE(A)M education. The STE(A)MComp Framework was designed, as a result of desk and field research, so as to align with professional development requirements in different countries and levels of education. It has two specific aims: firstly, it must be usable by educators for self-evaluation and self-regulation purposes, and secondly, it must allow for both the support and professional development of STE(A)M educators. The Framework is innovative in providing a complete set of competences needed in order to facilitate STE(A)M education from various perspectives and by accommodating several roles of the STE(A)M educator, such as teaching, creating content, managing classes, empowering students, participating in communities and professional development. It has been validated with groups of experts in 5 EU countries.

This paper provides and introduction to the needs and requirements in order to facilitate STE(A)M education, describes the role(s) of STE(A)M educator and the competency framework, explains its different areas and dimensions and discusses its usefulness for the professional development of educators.

References:
[1] Bybee, R. W. (2013). The Case for STEM Education: Challenges and Opportunities. The Case for STEM Education: Challenges and Opportunities. National Science Teachers Association - NSTA Press. https://doi.org/10.2505/9781936959259
[2] Ng, S. B. (2019). Exploring STEM Competences for the 21 st Century.
[3] Perignat, E., & Katz-Buonincontro, J. (2019). STEAM in practice and research: An integrative literature review. Thinking Skills and Creativity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2018.10.002
[4] Spyropoulou, N. D., & Kameas, A. D. (2020). Methodology for the Development of a Competence Framework for STE(A)M educators. In European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN) Conference. European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN).

Keywords:

Educators, STEM education, STEAM education, competences, professional development.