The World Economic Forum reported that around 65% of children who start primary school today will work in professions that do not exist yet. Their future lies in the hands of educators and to date, Science on Stage reaches about 100,000 teachers and teacher trainers in over 30 countries, providing a necessary network to exchange great ideas and to scale them Europewide. With 79% of participating teachers implementing the teaching ideas they’ve seen at Science on Stage festivals over the years, European Code League has proven that it’s possible for teachers and students to work together – even in the midst of a pandemic – to create inspiring, real-world STEM projects.
Organised by Science on Stage with the support of SAP Corporate Social Responsibility for Middle Eastern Europe, the European Code League is a competition for teacher-student teams to apply with innovative coding projects. It was launched in 2020 as a follow-up to Science on Stage’s successful coding project for STEM education.
“Science on Stage gave me the opportunity to find new ways to motivate my students to learn physics using ICT,” says Dr Toma who became a teacher after 10 years working as a physicist. “Physics is everywhere and happens at any time. In the classroom, I am at home. I like to talk with my students and explain all kinds of topics.”
Science on Stage Europe is a network for STEM teachers focusing on the exchange of best practice teaching ideas. The ultimate goal is to improve STEM teaching by supporting educators in their professional development and growth.
The winning coding project – ‘CaeliBox’ – used sensors to measure different air parameters such as concentration of CO2, humidity, pressure, temperature, noise, and other noxious substances in their town. The data was transferred to a server so the students could access and work with it at any time.
For Dr Toma, Science on Stage is far more than a networking opportunity for teachers, it’s a community of like-minded educators: “At first, I saw that the education in Romania is very different from other countries but then I realised that as teachers, we have the same goals. Science on Stage is a community to challenge our ideas and to understand that we are in the same place,” she adds. “SAP can be very proud for supporting STEM teaching training in Europe.”
In a world shaped increasingly by technology and digitalisation, teachers make the difference. Look out for the 12th European Science on Stage festival taking place from 24-27 March 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic.
