Closing speech at the 2nd Scientix Conference in Brussels, Belgium, 24-26 October 2014.

1. STEM Challenges in Europe – Innovative STEM
teaching – 2nd Scientix conference
Marc Durando – Brussels - 26 October 2014

2. Situation of STEM in Education – Shortages and attractiveness
Career
prospects
(compared to
other sectors)
3 Major Issues
New
pedagogical
approaches
Attractiveness in
Europe
for STEM
studies
Shortages apply to almost all technical
jobs, including ICT
No shortage of biologists - shortages of
mathematicians and physicists
Shortage of teachers for physics and
mathematics in a lot of countries.
Too low percentage of girls opting for
STEM studies.

3. Curricula are «over stuffed» with factual content –
More & more topics while few are removed
Pedagogy
Text based – factual recall  Exploratory learning modes (ISBE)
What is the relevance of content to the pupils’ lives and future careers?
Pupils fail to see how STEM relates to society’s current challenges
(climate change, energy, …)
STEM in schools

4. 4 major questions
•How can STEM teaching and
learning be reformed?
•How to enhance
engagement and uptake of
STEM studies
Attractiveness
of STEM
•How can educators and
industry fight the main
stereotypes around STEM
education and careers?
Stereotypes
•How can educators be
supported in implementing
innovative approaches to
STEM education?
STEM
Educators and
Innovation
•How can all stakeholders
cooperate more effectively
to tackle the STEM
challenge in a more holistic
way ?
Cooperation

5. How to make STEM studies more attractive - 3 key inter related factors
Motivated
and
recognised
teachers
Innovative
pedagogy
and creative
curriculum
Role and
engagement
of industry
• In service training of teachers
• Provide teachers with new
content, tools and
pedagogical approaches
(access to new learning
resources)
• Embed actions in the
curriculum
• Identify and promote
examples of good practices
(transferability)
• Importance of role
models
• Better information
to teachers on what
exists, on what
industry offers, etc.
• Role of guidance
counselors

6. Education
sytems
Potential
adoption of
innovations
in our
systems
Technology
Curriculum
Pedagogy
Teaching
processes
Assessment
Digital Text books
Open Educational
Resources
Flipped classroom
Self directed learning
In and out school learning processes
IWB - 1:1 – tablets
Mobile learning
BYOD
eExams
Use of laptops & Access to internet
Learning analytics
Governance
Autonomy – flexibility curriculum
Administration – Cloud computing
eSafety
Innovation in school education – a complex process

7. Michael Fullan – Stratosphere - 2013
Innovative
education
systems
Innovation
challenges
Innovative
school
Global approach
Innovative
teachers
INNOVATION CHALLENGES

8. Challenges of teachers
•Aging population – 1/3 > 50 years
•Gap between students and teachers is growing
Age
•Is the current offer of in-service training programmes meeting
the needs of teachers ?
•Are our primary teachers well prepared for teaching STEM?
•Should the pre service training programme be reviewed?
Training
•The most innovative teachers are not necessarily the youngest
ones
Technology
•Retention rate after 3 years
•Less and less candidates for becoming teachers (more for
STEM teachers).
Vocation

9. Teacher training for the 21st century
A quantitative challenge
3.000.000+
missing teachers
(UNESCO)
Also a challenge
at EU level
60% of teachers
above 40 years-old
A qualitative challenge
«Efficient
professionals»
New training
models better
preparing for
practice
Attractiveness
Young teachers
leave the
profession after
less than 3
years

10. Teachers
able to
How to train a teacher to be an efficient professional?
Knowledge
about
students
Learning
conditions
design
Teachers
competence
to be
developed
Organise
productive
learning
processes
Subject
knowledge
Assessment
competence
Evaluate
themselves
the impact
of their
teaching
Represent
ideas in
powerful
ways
Support
student’s
deep
learning
21st
century
teaching

11. Teachers
able to
How to use technology to get there?
Knowledge
about
students
Teachers
competence
to be
developed
Organise
productive
learning
processes
Learning
conditions
design
Subject
knowledge
Assessment
competence
Evaluate
themselves
the impact
of their
teaching
Represent
ideas in
powerful
ways
Support
student’s
deep
learning
21st
century
teaching
Online videos,
data logging tools,
simulations, etc.
Digital self assessment,
Online quizzes and tests,
big data, etc.
Flipped classroom,
collective learning,
etc.
Big data, online surveys,
data logging analysis, etc.

12. Factors influencing young people decision to study STEM - Motivation
Motivation
Interest
and
pleasure
Beliefs in
ones ability
Identification
Utility
Relative
costs
Constraints
related to access
and limited choice
Course subject
Study Option
Decision by others

13. The important role of teachers
• Teachers are at the heart of the change
• Teachers as innovators – adapt to rapid changes in digital
technology and on student needs
• Teachers as the orchestrator of the learning processes
• Collaborative learning with peers - Untapped potential of
current teachers communities
• Inspiring teachers

14. 5 main recommendations
RECOMMENDATIONS
Learn from and
build on excellent
opportunities
Embed non formal
initiatives in school
activity
More support to
STEM teachers
Establish and
Enhance Multi
Stakeholders
Partnerships
Enhance and reform
STEM curricula,
pedagogy and
assessment

15. What is an efficient teacher in the 21st century?
A professional with a high judgment capacity in
situation
Teaching today is about being a
reflective professional teacher
(Donald Schön)
The professional teacher
is one who learns from teaching
rather than
one who has finished learning how to teach
Linda Darling-Hammond,
Stanford Graduate School of Education

16. It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative
expression and knowledge.
Albert Einstein
All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an
equal opportunity to develop our talent.
John F. Kennedy
The essential role of teachers

17. A Teacher
50 years old
Timeframe
Knowledge acquired 25/30 years ago Student will use in
10/15 years
The communication period of the knowledge is therefore around 40
years, which means twice as long as any period which measures the
key transformations of our society