The STEAMTeach project designed a STEAM professional development (PD) program for in-service and pre-service teachers in five European countries: Spain, Greece, Austria, Hungary, and Finland. The STEAMTeach PD framework was initially designed after interviewing twenty-five STEAM trainers from the abovementioned countries. Then it was refined after an iterative process of implementation and evaluation with in-service and pre-service secondary education teachers. Based on these outcomes, the consortium devised the following PD framework comprising four dimensions, theoretical training, experimental training, lesson design and implementation. These four dimensions are parallel to the support one. The image below represents the STEAMTeach PD framework.
1. Theoretical dimension
In this dimension, through different sessions, teachers were introduced to STEAM education and the five key principles of project-based learning: content integration, problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning, design-based learning,and collaborative learning (Thibaut et al., 2018).
Teachers, grouped in teams, attacked a series of STEAM activities in the same way that their students would do it. These allowed them to experience the challenges that students find during the implementation. Find examples of the experimental dimension in each participating country below.
2. Experimental dimension
3. Lesson design dimension
A selected group of teachers implemented at least one STEAM project in regular lessons. During this period, teachers were supported by trainers and experienced teachers on STEAM education. Find examples of the implementation at schools in each participating country below.
4. Implementation dimension
Along these four dimensions, teachers should receive sustained support from the trainers offering the PD.