Book launch: Pedagogical framework, design principles, recommendations and guidelines for a STEM learning environment design
This was one of the challenges tackled by the STIMEY (Science, Technology, Innovation, Mathematics, Engineering for the Young) project (2016–2021) financed by the European Union's Horizon 2020, Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (grant agreement No 709515). The STIMEY project researched, developed, tested and piloted a hybrid Learning Environment to connect various stakeholders in shared efforts to engage and increase female and male learners’ interest and motivation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, innovations, and careers from a young age. The key stakeholders in STIMEY are learners, teachers, parents, schools, and STEM professionals.
University of Jyväskylä’s Finnish Institute for Educational Research (FIER) led the research and creation of a pedagogical framework for the STEM learning environment design. The experiences of this endeavour were summarized in the book ”Pedagogical framework, design principles, recommendations and guidelines for a STEM learning environment design”, written in collaboration with all project partners. Researchers of the Finnish Institute for Educational Research were in charge of the pedagogical framework development and closely supported by the educational researchers at the University of Macedonia (Greece). The Kompetenzzentrum Technik-Diversity-Chancengleichheit E.V. from Germany was in charge of the development of the design principles related to gender inclusion and sensitivity. Representatives of the University of Cadiz, Spain; Hochschule Emden/Leer, Germany; Polotsk State University, Belarus; MLS Multimedia AD, Greece; and Babyradio SL, Spain had an important role in the overall development and piloting of the systems following the guidelines expressed in this book along with their know-how from decades of experience in the field.
The pedagogical framework and its design principles were created combining research literature with the participatory co-design collecting insights from learners, teachers, school principals, parents and STEM professionals from the five participating countries (Spain, Germany, Finland, Greece and Belarus). The intense co-design and geographical position of these European countries contributed to wide sociocultural suitability of the pedagogical framework. Local project manager at the FIER, Dr. Tiina Mäkelä comments: ”Special thanks goes to the representatives of key stakeholder groups in all participant countries. This work would not have been possible without their insights and contribution.”
The publication presents the pedagogical framework for designing hybrid learning environments. The STIMEY framework consists of:
- design principles created based on the theoretical and empirical understanding of teaching and learning,
- recommendations and guidelines for considering these principles in the LE design,
- concrete examples of how these principles have been considered in STIMEY learning environment design and how they can be considered when using STIMEY in teaching and learning.
Mäkelä explains: ”The idea is that, when designing learning environments, one can choose the most relevant design principles to be considered each time, based, for example, on the specific learning objectives. Teachers can also choose to focus on specific design principles based on their personal professional development needs, for instance.”
STIMEY Project Manager, Alecia Reid from the University of Cadiz sums it up: “STIMEY learning environment, Scientifically Fun!”
Access to the online publication: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-8710-7
For more information about STIMEY, see: http://promostimey.uca.es
Visit the STIMEY LE platform at https://stimey.eu
Images: Using STIMEY learning environment in a hybrid mode during the school year 2020-21 in Belarus (top left), Finland (top middle), Greece (top right), Germany (bottom left), and in Spain (bottom right).
Contact
Post doctoral researcher Tiina Mäkelä
Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä
