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What is STEM/STEAM education?
What is STEM/STEAM education? 
STREAM education: Progress begins with action. We teach how to think, not what to think.
STREAM stands for Science, Technology, Robotics, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. The concept of STREAM education was created in the US and was initially called STEM. It stood for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and mainly focused on the exact sciences.
Over time, “A” (for “Arts”) has been added to the acronym to include the right hemisphere of the brain, and STEAM education has became the leading approach in many educational institutions around the world. |
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What are the benefits of STEM/STEAM education in 21st century?
What are the benefits of STEM/STEAM education in 21st century?
STEAM in vocational education aims to prepare students for practical application of scientific and technological knowledge, and to develop their analytical skills, logical thinking, teamwork, and ability to solve technical problems.
Through practical projects and experiences, students gain specific knowledge and skills that can be useful in their future careers in the fields of technology, engineering or computer science.
STEM/STEAM education in 21st century:
- Develops students’ social and civic competences
- Employs new forms and methods of teaching
- Teaches analytical and creative thinking
- Provides a natural source of motivation to learn science, which is disliked or considered difficult by many students
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Good practices in applying STEM/STEAM to vocational education – it works!
Ministry of Education and Science projects and events
Laboratoria Przyszłości [Laboratories of the Future] is a program of the Ministry of Culture and Science which adds latest educational solutions in the field of STEAM to the traditional educational model in order to help better prepare Polish youth for the challenges of the future. These are, in particular, challenges related to the labour market and readiness to work in professions of the future, including ones which, according to experts, do not yet exist.
Mobilne Laboratoria Przyszłości (MLP) [Mobile Laboratories of the Future] are 16 buses equipped with modern educational equipment which set off on a tour around Poland’s provinces in September 2022. Teams of educators are passionately teaching interactive lessons for students, showing that learning can be fun and supporting the development of competences of the future. |
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Liga Robotów [The League of Robots] is a nationwide robotic tournament based on STEAM, which aims to show that the learning process is about searching, cooperation and critical thinking. It combines the latest achievements in science, engineering, technology, as well as arts and mathematics. Its objective is to shape open and creative minds for the 21st century. It is a global project that supports talents.
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Hala Laboratoria Przyszłości CRPK, operating as part of the Laboratories of the Future program, is a modern space in Warsaw, combining the world of culture and modern technologies. Its creation was inspired by STEAM.
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Official website of Poland’s Ministry of Education and Science.
It contains information on events and initiatives that support STEM and STEAM projects in the country.
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Associations and foundations that promote STEM/STEAM education
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The PFR Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 2018 by the Polish Development Fund. It was created to implement social projects and enable the fund to undertake socially responsible activities.
In 2019, the Foundation launched Centralny Dom Technologii, a new and inspiring hotspot on the educational map of Warsaw, where open minds, technology, science and business intertwine. This is the first space in Poland to offer interdisciplinary educational activities for children, youth, adults and the elderly using the STEAM approach, as well as a place where business meets new technologies. |
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The Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE) in Poland is an institution responsible for the development of education, including STEM curricula. FRSE supports many educational programs that aim to promote science, technology, engineering, and maths in schools.
One of the main programs implemented by FRSE is the Operational Program Knowledge, Education, Development (POWER), which also supports STEM activities. The POWER program finances educational projects, including those related to natural sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These activities are aimed at showcasing the value of STEM-based teaching and the benefits for those who study these fields.
In addition, FRSE is also responsible for coordinating the program “STEM w szkole” [STEM at School], which aims to introduce STEAM teaching in Polish schools at various levels of education.
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STEM/STEAM events
| 15-16 May 2023 – STEAM & AI in Education Conference for those interested in promoting the potential of STEAM. |
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The Educational Research Institute (IBE) was the patron of the conference STEAM in School Laboratories of the Future. The event took place on 19 April 2023.
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STEAM – NO PROBLEM! The first in-person National Forum of Active Use of Technology labs (PAKT). On 12 April 2023, the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw held the first in-person PAKT event
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Activation of girls/women in STEM/STEAM education
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The Women in STEM Round Table is a partnership initiative of individuals and institutions interested in promoting technical and exact sciences, creatively bringing together the world of universities and tech business, and activating the potential of women in science, technology and innovation. In 2020, the Intel Foundation together with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation launched the Million Girls Moonshot movement. Currently, only about a fifth of engineering degrees are earned by women, therefore the movement aims to create and popularize educational opportunities in engineering and computer science among girls. The organization also wants to reach one million girls by engaging them in STEM programs, funding scholarships, and using a collective approach to empowering existing communities.
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STEM/STEAM school ranking
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The aim of the STEM General and Vocational Secondary School Ranking is to make young people passionate about subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer science, and to inspire them to study engineering and science in the future.
The ranking lists general and vocational secondary schools that best prepare candidates for these courses of study and can serve as an inspiring example for others.
The ranking is based on three criteria:
Results of secondary school leaving exams at advanced level in the following subjects: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science (50%)
Results of the compulsory secondary school leaving in mathematics (35%)
School’s successes in national and international Olympiads in STEM subjects (15%)
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