Abstract:

The inquiry-based learning (IBL) approaches are identified as ones of the powerful innovative learning methods, which provide an opportunity for trainers to develop their scientific literacy. In the same time the teachers face difficulties in their application in the classroom practice, because, usually the teachers’ training courses follow the traditional style of teaching. The current study presents an approach for application inquiry-based and reflective practice in Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) teachers competence development.

The success of the implementation of the IBL approach strongly depends of the active involvement of all the stakeholders in the educational process. The effective IBL learning in the STEM classroom implies awareness to the STEM disciplines importance and inclusion of parents in the different stages and phases of the IBL. To be able to manage this process, teachers needs of special knowledge and skills for efficient communication with different types of parent.

The teachers’ training scenario “My girder is the most rude” (Bulgarian idiom), described in the article, aims to support STEM teachers and teachers’ educators in development of their competences for communication with and inclusion parents in IBL approach implementation in STEM education. The scenario follows the “Enhancing Learning in Teaching via e-inquiries” teaching and learning methodology for teachers’ and teachers’ educators’ professional competences development, developed by the Erasmus+ project with the same name.
The pilot implementation described in the article, is in form of meta-training STEM teachers and teachers’ educators’ course.

The activities, in which the participants are involved, aim at improving the attitude and relationships between school and parents; identifying methods by which parents' inclusion in learning can IBL; creating learning communities by involving all stakeholders in the education process. In the meta-course design, they are naturally integrated modern innovative teaching and learning practices as role play games, solving problems, creative assignment, discussions, field study, literature research, and team work. The importance of the team work and reflective practice are a subject of the presented analysis. The trainees’ feedback and ideas for transferability the learning experience to the practice are commented too.

The article represents also the trainers’ observation on raised during the scenario implementation problems and conflicts, and approaches which the participants choose to solve them, as well as a summary and analysis of trainees reflections during different stages of training. The conclusions about improvement of the scenario are provided. Good practices, extracted from the observed cases, which could be apply successfully in inquiry-based reflective STEM teachers’ training are described.

Keywords:

Inquiry-based learning, teachers’ professional competences development, STEM teachers’ training.