The CONNECT International Conference on Open Schooling (CICOS 2023) held in Barcelona, Spain, at the Museo de la Ciencia CosmoCaixa was an inspiring event, bringing together educators, researchers, and policymakers worldwide to discuss innovations in Open Schooling. The conference focused on practical applications, overcoming barriers, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals, and fostering global collaboration for Open Schooling. The event highlighted motivating keynote speeches, high-quality abstracts showcasing innovative practices, and emphasized the role of digital and green innovation in education, ultimately reinforcing the potential of open schooling to transform education globally.

Road-STEAMer contributed to the event with a presentation by Pere Vilanova and Stephanos Cherouvis of #Ecsite, focusing on initial findings in the project.

In particular, we discussed wider socio-economic contexts and needs for STEAM, including different perspectives such as societal needs, the need for inclusion and diversity in STEAM education, fostering interest in STEAM and STEM-related career choices.  Further insights on specific needs, like inclusivity aspects in STEAM and deconstructing gender stereotypes and learning for younger and older generations were also shared.

Finally, the speakers also presented Road-STEAMer work on criteria in STEAM practices in real-life use cases. Work on these criteria (Collaboration, Disciplinary Inter-relationships, Thinking-Making-Doing, Creativity, Real-world Connection, Inclusion/Personalisation/Empowerment) is rather crucial in the project’s exploration and understanding of how STEAM is currently practiced across Europe.

Stay tuned for more events and content in the project.