The development of a STEAME Competence Framework for Teacher Facilitators as part of a STEAME ecosystem for school education

Abstract

In contrast to the stationary, slow-evolving, teacher-centered school teaching approach of the past decades, technology and the common perception of the desired skillset of the 21st century world citizen, have both played a major role in transforming the education scene. STEM and STEAM (Science – Technology – Engineering – Mathematics) education have been in the spotlight due to the nature of their existence and the way they were developed, aiming from the get-go to meet the needs of the labor market by supporting students to develop a set of skills and competences that are aligned with what is missing or is valuable to the world of business. STEM/STEAM aims to engage students in project-based interdisciplinary learning activities to acquire and develop knowledge and skills related to the achievement of learning objectives deriving from two or more subjects (e.g., math, science, technology, etc.). Recently, STEAME education emerged adding the last -E which stands for Entrepreneurship, aiming, among others, to further bridge the gap between school education and the industries. The aim of this paper is to explore STEAME education, identify the need for a common STEAME teacher facilitators competence framework, present the development of such a framework, the framework itself, and the process of validating it.