This document presents the framework or STEM teachers' competence development under an inquiry approach for informing policy and curriculum design for STEM secondary teachers' continuous professional development.
O9 aims to inform curriculum design in STEM teacher education, by providing a framework for teachers’ competence development under an inquiry based learning approach. The framework – developed and validated in four national EU contexts, namely in Greece, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and Spain- aims support STEM teachers’ development of knowledge, skills and attitudes so that they can effectively address their roles as lifelong learners, facilitators of students’ learning and members of educational communities.
The developmental process of the ELITe framework followed the following methodological steps: Identification of the space for intervention for supporting STEM teachers’ competence development in 4 EU contexts, through documentary analysis and educational stakeholders’ negotiation process; Definition of outcomes indicators for evaluating the impact of professional learning activities targeting competence development on the basis of the EC (2013) teachers’ competence framework; Development of the ELITe inquiry based approach for STEM professional learning activities, through example digital scenarios for teachers’ training in new thematic areas; Evaluation of the ELITe approach through pilot implementation for providing evidence on the links between inquiry skills practicing and teachers’ competence development.
Whereas current prevailing approaches in initial and continuous training programs focus on subject knowledge, pedagogy and ‘practice’ (classroom-based training), the ELITe approach for STEM CPD calls for the need to address teachers’ competence development goals, articulated as knowledge, skills and attitudes needed by teachers to address their challenging roles. The core innovation element of the ELITe framework is the adaptation of the Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) methodology in STEM teachers’ training, on the basis of evidence from ELITe implementation on the links between inquiry skills practicing and STEM teachers’ competence development. Contextual aspects affecting effective provision of CPD in the above mentioned countries have been taken into consideration, while challenges and needs in terms of renewing the thematic of STEM teacher trainings have been also addressed.
O9 aims to contribute to policy mediation efforts to address current challenges and enhance STEM professional learning provisions by providing:
- Ground for reflection on contextual aspects that affect and/or impede upon effecting policy implementation, through the cases of the four European countries (national requirements, critical issues identified and aligned to them recommendations);
-Evidence on the effects of the Inquiry Based learning methodology on STEM teachers’ competence development (links between inquiry skills practicing and teachers’ development of knowledge, skills and attitudes on STEM learning and teaching);
-Insights towards modernizing the thematic of STEM professional learning provisions (proposed thematic areas and exemplar digital scenarios for STEM CPD)
-Tools for facilitating the assessment of STEM teachers’ competence development (inquiry process indicators, outcome indicators, operationalization through self-evaluation tool)
The ELITe project’s framework for STEM teachers’ competence development under an inquiry approach is available in O9 both in the form of an extended document as well as in the form of a briefing document for dissemination and exploitation purposes.
ELITe framework: extended document [EN]
ELITe framework: briefing document [EN]