Shaping STEAM education for young children through gaming

We applied for this project because STEAM education in early childhood plays a key role in building academic success and preparing children for the challenges of a technological world. Although th...

The aim of the SEGA project was to develop a set of tools, a gamified book, and an online course for ECE teachers (ages 3-8) on introducing STEAM in preschool and early school education. We wanted not only to provide educational materials, but also to support teachers in developing their professional competences and introduce innovative practices – both digital and traditional. The toolkit helped teachers understand the basics of the STEAM approach, including its key elements, such as the engineering design process adapted to the age of children, as well as sample lesson plans using everyday materials. The gamified book helped students develop key STEAM competencies by solving realistic problems in an engaging way. The online course supported teachers who wanted to deepen their knowledge of the STEAM methodology by offering materials available anytime, anywhere. The project promoted the development of 21st-century skills, such as basic and cross-curricular skills, by linking learning to real-world problems. Through the use of digital resources, the project supported the digital transformation of schools and built teacher and student engagement in STEAM learning.

Organisation of Transnational Project Meetings (TPM): Five physical international meetings and the final project meeting in virtual form were organized Two training sessions (Learning, Teaching, Training Activities) were conducted: o Workshop A (R1/4) – “Training of Trainers” in Florina, Greece (October 2022) o Workshop B (R2/4) – “Training of Trainers” in Porto, Portugal (October 2023) Result No. 1 – SEGA Toolkit A STEAM framework for early childhood education has been developed: STEAM lesson plans Digital materials; videos, illustrations, and interactive elements to support the lesson plans. Pilots and evaluations have been carried out Result No. 2 – SEGA Gamebook Result No. 3 – Online course - Video lectures Quizzes and reflective exercises Course pilots · Dissemination and promotional activities o Website, visual identity and project logo o Printed and digital materials: brochures, articles in local media. o Social media: Facebook channel o Scientific articles o Scientix