As part of a larger vision towards a European Education Area, the EU is supporting Member States in improving their education and training systems, responding to the need of life-long-learning based on innovation-driven approaches towards education and training. Investing in skills, competences and knowledge is essential to boost Europe’s resilience, competitiveness, employability and to overcome skills mismatches.
The Council of the EU calls upon all member states to “foster the acquisition of competences in sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), taking into account their link to the arts, creativity and innovation and motivating more young people, especially girls and young women, to engage in STEM careers”.
In line with the mentioned EU initiatives and policies, CHOICE (01/2020 – 12/2022) aims to develop and test an innovative and collaborative approach to STE(A)M education, complementing existing initiatives to support the reform of school curricula.
CHOICE promotes the joint action of 9 organisations (non-profit, business, education institutions, advocacy network) across 5 European countries who will carry out a cross-disciplinary, bottom-up process leading to the production of innovative open educational resources (OERs) providing real-world examples regarding the implementation of STE(A)M approaches into teaching. The OERs will be collected in a MOOC, accompanied by a good practice tool providing guidelines on the implementation of the proposed activities.
The project will directly involve teachers and students and role models representing companies and HEIs in the creation of new resources promoting STE(A)M approaches to STEM education, thus ensuring that the OERs respond to current skill challenges in higher education and labour market.
The consultation of policy-makers and stakeholders in the round-tables leading to policy recommendations supporting the shift from STEM to STE(A)M education to reform school curricula, will be key to mainstream of the CHOICE action.
Project Results
EU and National Reports on STEM education
National reports gathering findings on local and regional initiatives connected to the reform of STEM education, best practices, students’ attitudes and teachers’ approaches at local and EU level.
Available in: Italy; Spain; Cyprus; Greece; And the European report.
State-of-the-art study
The State-of-the-Art study is a cross-country comparative analysis of the findings across the involved countries, thus providing a comprehensive overview and conclusions.
Framework for Reforming Curricula
The framework indicates the areas in need of improvement within the current state of STEM curricula and educational approaches.
Reflective Practice Case Study Compendium
This is a collection of case-studies discussed during the reflective groups with experts from companies, Higher Education Institutions and local authorities conducted in 4 countries. The groups identified a set of issues at university, labor-market and policy level demonstrating the need to adopt a STE(A)M approach.
Working Guidelines
The working guidelines will guide partners in the delivery of the design & development workshops at local level involving students and teachers.
Policy Recommendations
The policy recommendations aim to support the reform of the school curricula by making the shift from STEM teaching in silos to a more interdisciplinary and practice-oriented approach of STE(A)M education, as proposed in the CHOICE MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on STE(A)M education, and integrating this innovative digital-based instrument into school curricula.
Available in: English
CHOICE @SCHOOL Good Practice Tool
This document intends to guide schools, directors and teachers in integrating the CHOICE approaches and tools to their curricula and STEM teaching practices, especially in applying the CHOICE MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) on STE(A)M education. It considers the experiences and lessons learnt from the piloting implemented in partner countries as well as challenges and opportunities arising from the application STE(A)M education in partner schools.
Available in: English
For more information about the project, visit the website www.euchoice.eu.