Teacher Academy for Maker Education (TA Maker Education)

Programme(s): Erasmus+ (ERASMUS+)
Topic(s): ERASMUS-EDU-2024-PEX-TEACH-ACA
Type of action: ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants
Project ID: 101194869

Objective: The Maker Movement is regarded as one of the most inspiring and creative approach for young people to engage with the world around them and develop technological interests and competencies. Several studies have evidenced that maker education can facilitate the development of young peoples creativity, critical thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities the essential skills required in the 21st century workplaces. Most of the maker education activities, however, take currently place in informal spaces, such as libraries, clubs and after-school programmes. For all students to have access to maker education, it should be integrated into school curricula. Educational systems are not prepared for this. The incorporation of maker education requires first that teachers are trained for this, as classroom-based maker activities require a diverse set of knowledge and skills. Currently neither initial teacher education nor teachers professional development programmes in Europe cover maker education teaching methodologies. The aim of the current project is to fill this gap. To this end, the project will establish a Teacher Academy aimed at creating innovative teacher education programmes for Maker Education. Additionally, the project will develop the Maker Competency Framework, necessary learning modules, and resources, and deliver joint training courses. These courses will be delivered in both the contact and on-line formats. The project will also cover mobility for student-teachers and in-service teachers to attend training courses in partner universities and summer schools and will involve schools in offering teachers the chance to experiment with maker education projects in real school settings and help spreading the maker movement in schools. Finally, the project will include evaluative studies, identify effective practices, and deliver policy recommendations to inform education policy makers in the participating countries and at EU level.