Developing The Quality Of STEAM Educational Studies In Early Childhood Education

Our project aimed to: create opportunities for sustainable ECEC services; develop the STEAM Challenge educational blog and YouTube channel; raise awareness of environmental issues and 21st-century...

Our project aimed to: create opportunities for sustainable ECEC services; develop the STEAM Challenge educational blog and YouTube channel; raise awareness of environmental issues and 21st-century skills among all participants. We emphasize two general perspectives: the educational one — a preschool-adapted methodology; and the material one — establishing the STEAM Laboratory equipped for early childhood education. Thus, our goals were: -to increase the quality and attractiveness of STEAM activities for early childhood; -to develop teachers’ professional skills; -to build strategic partnerships among public/private institutions and NGOs; Specific objectives: -to create our own innovative STEAM program through workshops; -to develop a good-practice guide with year-round activity examples and suitable methodology; -to promote good-practice examples on the project blog and YouTube channel; -to raise environmental awareness by integrating environmental education into the STEAM preschool curriculum; -to create a list of STEAM teaching resources; -to support teachers in developing digital and STEAM-teaching skills; -to improve preschoolers’ learning outcomes through experiential learning -to expand our transnational professional network

STEAM laboratories were created in all partner schools using materials selected by teachers according to their needs. These materials are high-quality, age-appropriate, and aligned with current scientific research. Five short-term teacher training sessions were organized, during which the teachers’ theoretical, practical, and technological knowledge gaps were addressed. The full-year STEAM curriculum for ECEC was structured around five main themes. The overarching theme was the Environment, while the other four were explored periodically through project-based learning: Space and Planets, Simple Machines, Energy Sources, and Informatics and Robotics (virtual reality, mobile applications and coding studies). STEAM Challenge eTwinning Project. The lesson plans, designed according to the training received by the teachers, were reviewed and improved during local workshops and finalized through brainstorming sessions held in mixed international teacher groups. These lesson plans now form an annual educational resource book. Videos showcasing the final versions of the activities were recorded in partner schools, and both the project blog and the YouTube channel have been opened for access by other educators and parents.

Teachers who successfully completed the trainings: -gained a solid understanding of STEM and its importance; -developed awareness of STEM material use and lab setup; -understood scientific knowledge and skills for early learners; -mastered the 5E instructional model used in project-based learning, Inquiry-Based and Context-Based Learning; -understood the link between 21st-century skills and the STEAM approach; -applied appropriate teaching methods and techniques in STEAM education; -designed learning activities based on the STEAM framework; -gained knowledge of assessment and evaluation in STEAM; -learnt and used ICT webtools 2.0 effectively in the teaching–learning process; -practiced effective communication strategies; -demonstrated openness to shareknowledge; -engaged in activities supporting personal and professional growth; -became eTwinners and learned to use Twinspace. Results -STEAM labs meeting ECEC standards; -Early Childhood Education and Care STEAM Resource Book-theoretical and practical content; -YouTube channel and a project blog were launched; -eTwinning project allowed other teachers to access and use its resources. -Four national and one international symposium were organized to disseminate outcomes and activities