Objectives

The PLATON Summer School is designed for teaching professionals in STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). It will introduce to teachers how to switch from a teacher-centered approach to a student-centered approach using interdisciplinary learning and inquiry-based science teaching techniques.

The overall goal of the course is twofold:

1. to upgrade teachers' current practices by introducing to them intedisciplinary learning and  inquiry-based science teaching
2. to foster collaboration between teachers of the same school unit

Learn how to integrate modern techniques and activities in your teaching and curriculum!

Its main objective is to introduce to teachers innovative learning methods that have demonstrably engaged young children in science in the long term and help them develop 21st century skills. More specifically the objectives of the summer school are:

• Introduce STEM teachers to inquiry based teaching and learning approaches that meet the needs of different types of students;
• Facilitate teachers in switching from a teacher-centred to a student-centred type of every day teaching and thus enable them to use an inquiry-based approach in their every day class;
• Present to teachers a knowledge structure that overarches all science disciplines and which will allow them to use it in class with their students as a reference point in making connections between science topics taught in different disciplines and different grades as well as between subjects taught at school and everyday life.
• Foster interdisciplinary teaching by introducing innovative collaboration techniques between teachers of different science disciplines. The course will offer teachers the necessary tools to synchronize their teaching and facilitate the common, interdisciplinary creation of learning activities.
• Enable teachers to build upon concepts already introduced in other (science) classes establishing links between ideas and phenomena introduced in different science disciplines while avoiding unnecessary repetitions and allowing more time to explore in depth the subjects at hand.
• Acquaint participants with activities on contemporary topics and showcase how they can be used in the science classroom.

Participating teachers will also be invited to be part of an active and growing community of practice to exchange and share ideas, experiences, concerns and educational resources with colleagues from all over Europe and beyond.