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6.4 Bringing parents into career counselingOutside of school, children will spend most of their other time at home. It goes without saying that parents are an important pillar in how children shape their vision for the future and their choice of careers.This subject has attracted the attention of researchers for a long time and it has been seen that parental encouragement is a decisive factor for a student to pursue higher education and choose major in a STEM field, as well as parents’ education level, although not as strong (Michigan State University, 2010, https://phys.org/news/2010-02-parental-child-science-career-decision.html).Parents also play an important role in the STEM career choices of girls and boys. Numerous research has shown that when parents provide opportunities to explore STEM for both boys and girls starting with a young age, and when they avoid labeling STEM activities as male activities then this will foster the interest of children in science. The beliefs, expectations and values of parents risk being transferred to the children themselves, especially when it comes to the gender aspect (Wang & Degol, 2013).So then, what are some practical tips you can suggest to parents, so that they can increase their children’s interest in STEM at home?In this article, ideas suggested for parents are exploring the world together and providing children with the right kind of toys (like Minecraft). In another very interesting article, more fun activities are suggested like science summer camps and sharing with children fun science facts (it is written for Canada, but the advice can be generalized).

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6.4 Bringing parents into career counselingOutside of school, children will spend most of their other time at home. It goes without saying that parents are an important pillar in how children shape their vision for the future and their choice of careers.This subject has attracted the attention of researchers for a long time and it has been seen that parental encouragement is a decisive factor for a student to pursue higher education and choose major in a STEM field, as well as parents’ education level, although not as strong (Michigan State University, 2010, https://phys.org/news/2010-02-parental-child-science-career-decision.html).Parents also play an important role in the STEM career choices of girls and boys. Numerous research has shown that when parents provide opportunities to explore STEM for both boys and girls starting with a young age, and when they avoid labeling STEM activities as male activities then this will foster the interest of children in science. The beliefs, expectations and values of parents risk being transferred to the children themselves, especially when it comes to the gender aspect (Wang & Degol, 2013).So then, what are some practical tips you can suggest to parents, so that they can increase their children’s interest in STEM at home?In this article, ideas suggested for parents are exploring the world together and providing children with the right kind of toys (like Minecraft). In another very interesting article, more fun activities are suggested like science summer camps and sharing with children fun science facts (it is written for Canada, but the advice can be generalized).

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6.3 STEM professionalsWe have seen repeatedly that a great way to provide students with career information is by bringing STEM professionals into the classroom.In Module 4, one of the activities we discussed as beneficial to raise career awareness is to invite professionals for guest lectures by contacting local businesses, universities, research centers or associations in your city. We have seen, also in Module 4, a webinar on how to use the unique STEM Alliance PGB2S tool which allows you to connect with these professionals in your area and bring them to your schools.Now, we will understand what are some of the best practices that a STEM mentor or role model should exercise when talking to students about STEM careers by watching two interviews with Alex Kingham and James Branam, who we have met in a previous module.In his role as STEM mentor, Alex Kingham delivers lectures and sessions with high schools, for example on interviewing skills or teaching students Agile software development, like Scrum framework, in a workshops. He also delivers lectures at universities on various topics and organizes a yearly event, which originated from the EU Code Week, and during which ten students come to the headquarters of CA Technologies for a week long internship where they work on a real task.

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6.3 STEM professionalsWe have seen repeatedly that a great way to provide students with career information is by bringing STEM professionals into the classroom.In Module 4, one of the activities we discussed as beneficial to raise career awareness is to invite professionals for guest lectures by contacting local businesses, universities, research centers or associations in your city. We have seen, also in Module 4, a webinar on how to use the unique STEM Alliance PGB2S tool which allows you to connect with these professionals in your area and bring them to your schools.Now, we will understand what are some of the best practices that a STEM mentor or role model should exercise when talking to students about STEM careers by watching two interviews with Alex Kingham and James Branam, who we have met in a previous module.In his role as STEM mentor, Alex Kingham delivers lectures and sessions with high schools, for example on interviewing skills or teaching students Agile software development, like Scrum framework, in a workshops. He also delivers lectures at universities on various topics and organizes a yearly event, which originated from the EU Code Week, and during which ten students come to the headquarters of CA Technologies for a week long internship where they work on a real task.

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6.2 Role modelsA factor which plays an important role in students’ choosing a career or another is having a role model to identify and relate to. We would like to present here a series of lessons learned compiled by Dr. Jen de Witt, researcher at University College London. These videos were prepared for the Space Awareness MOOC, "Teaching with Space and Astronomy in your classroom” with the purpose of understanding how role models work for students in choosing a space related career. Although focused on space and astronomy, the ideas are valid and can be generalized for all STEM careers.

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6.2 Role modelsA factor which plays an important role in students’ choosing a career or another is having a role model to identify and relate to. We would like to present here a series of lessons learned compiled by Dr. Jen de Witt, researcher at University College London. These videos were prepared for the Space Awareness MOOC, "Teaching with Space and Astronomy in your classroom” with the purpose of understanding how role models work for students in choosing a space related career. Although focused on space and astronomy, the ideas are valid and can be generalized for all STEM careers.

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6.1 Role of teachers in career counsellingIn the process of choosing a future career there are several persons of importance in a student’s decisions: parents, teachers and career counsellors. These of course can vary on an individual basis but for the purpose of this course, in this module, we will address just these three. In addition to this, we will also discuss the importance of role models and professionals with whom the students can identify with and feel inspired by.We will start our understanding of these various roles, with the teacher in focus, by looking at the study “Teachers and Careers: The role of school teachers in delivering career and employability learning” where the authors Hooley, Watts, & Andrews (2015) propose six distinct, but connected, roles that teachers play in delivering Career and Employability Learning (CEL). Although these are proposed for UK schools and some aspects may not be applicable to other countries, we believe this framework provides a good starting point, for us to understand better what the roles and responsibilities of a teacher providing career guidance/CEL to students should be.1. Tutorial roles:a) Career informant: In this role, teachers provide students with a model, an approach of thinking about a career and help students shape their own way to view career choices by using their own experience as an example but without offering it as the only way to do this. The report lists some taks that a teacher in this role might perform: “talking about their decisions and how they made them, talking about their career building (including discussing challenges and regrets”, and many more; b) Pastoral support: This refers to the teacher as a first contact point for students who may approach them with conversations they need to have with a trusted adult. These can be related purely to career choices/guidance and sometimes, they may appear as being related to careers, but in reality the issue the student is having may be, for example, health-related. In this role, the teacher helps the student in line with their capabilities, but also direct the student to other professionals who can help. A task the teacher can perform in this role: “acting as facilitator and advocate for students to help them to have career conversations with other staff, parents and employers.” 2. Teaching roles:a) Within-subject: In this role, the teacher has two opportunities to provide CEL: within or beside the curriculum. For some subjects it may be more straightforward to discuss careers (e.g., Economics or Politics versus Physiscs, where more direct connections have to be made), and teaching approaches can also vary. If career information has to be provided besides the curriculum (e.g. STEM subjects), then the report proposes a team teaching approach, involving employers and other enrichment activities. Some tasks teachers can perform in this role: “explaining to pupils the progression routes open in continued learning in their subject area, using the curriculum to develop core employability skills”, “arranging visits to relevant workplaces”, “organising a programme of visiting speakers from business”; b) Delivering CEL: This role refers to the teacher being involved, where possible and it exists (as it depends on curriculum set-up), in CEL as a separate, standalone subject of the curriculum. A task teachers can perform in this role: “contributing particular CEL inputs related to subject expertise”.  3. Leadership roles:a) Leading CEL: A teacher leading CEL will be someone that, either has a teaching background or not, but needs to be familiar with and be able to coordinate various stakeholders involved in providing CEL to the school. Therefore, a teacher in this role would be someone in a middle leader position, and a Career co-ordinator/Careers Leader/Head of Careers. b) Senior leadership: This role is taken up, normally, by someone of the school’s senior leadership team. In this role, the person would “connect CEL to the school’s mission and ethos, identify resourcing for CEL programmes, appointing and managing the school career’s leader” and other tasks.  

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6.1 Role of teachers in career counsellingIn the process of choosing a future career there are several persons of importance in a student’s decisions: parents, teachers and career counsellors. These of course can vary on an individual basis but for the purpose of this course, in this module, we will address just these three. In addition to this, we will also discuss the importance of role models and professionals with whom the students can identify with and feel inspired by.We will start our understanding of these various roles, with the teacher in focus, by looking at the study “Teachers and Careers: The role of school teachers in delivering career and employability learning” where the authors Hooley, Watts, & Andrews (2015) propose six distinct, but connected, roles that teachers play in delivering Career and Employability Learning (CEL). Although these are proposed for UK schools and some aspects may not be applicable to other countries, we believe this framework provides a good starting point, for us to understand better what the roles and responsibilities of a teacher providing career guidance/CEL to students should be.1. Tutorial roles:a) Career informant: In this role, teachers provide students with a model, an approach of thinking about a career and help students shape their own way to view career choices by using their own experience as an example but without offering it as the only way to do this. The report lists some taks that a teacher in this role might perform: “talking about their decisions and how they made them, talking about their career building (including discussing challenges and regrets”, and many more; b) Pastoral support: This refers to the teacher as a first contact point for students who may approach them with conversations they need to have with a trusted adult. These can be related purely to career choices/guidance and sometimes, they may appear as being related to careers, but in reality the issue the student is having may be, for example, health-related. In this role, the teacher helps the student in line with their capabilities, but also direct the student to other professionals who can help. A task the teacher can perform in this role: “acting as facilitator and advocate for students to help them to have career conversations with other staff, parents and employers.” 2. Teaching roles:a) Within-subject: In this role, the teacher has two opportunities to provide CEL: within or beside the curriculum. For some subjects it may be more straightforward to discuss careers (e.g., Economics or Politics versus Physiscs, where more direct connections have to be made), and teaching approaches can also vary. If career information has to be provided besides the curriculum (e.g. STEM subjects), then the report proposes a team teaching approach, involving employers and other enrichment activities. Some tasks teachers can perform in this role: “explaining to pupils the progression routes open in continued learning in their subject area, using the curriculum to develop core employability skills”, “arranging visits to relevant workplaces”, “organising a programme of visiting speakers from business”; b) Delivering CEL: This role refers to the teacher being involved, where possible and it exists (as it depends on curriculum set-up), in CEL as a separate, standalone subject of the curriculum. A task teachers can perform in this role: “contributing particular CEL inputs related to subject expertise”.  3. Leadership roles:a) Leading CEL: A teacher leading CEL will be someone that, either has a teaching background or not, but needs to be familiar with and be able to coordinate various stakeholders involved in providing CEL to the school. Therefore, a teacher in this role would be someone in a middle leader position, and a Career co-ordinator/Careers Leader/Head of Careers. b) Senior leadership: This role is taken up, normally, by someone of the school’s senior leadership team. In this role, the person would “connect CEL to the school’s mission and ethos, identify resourcing for CEL programmes, appointing and managing the school career’s leader” and other tasks.  

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5.1 Gender equality and the gender gap in STEMWhile things are gradually changing, the current lack of girls taking on (some) STEM careers is still alarming. Watch the presentation below to get a glimpse on the present-day situation of girls and women in the STEM fields to help you understand information related to boys and girls performance at school level as well as related to female presence in tertiary education and in research areas.

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5.1 Gender equality and the gender gap in STEMWhile things are gradually changing, the current lack of girls taking on (some) STEM careers is still alarming. Watch the presentation below to get a glimpse on the present-day situation of girls and women in the STEM fields to help you understand information related to boys and girls performance at school level as well as related to female presence in tertiary education and in research areas.

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While sharing data about female representation in STEM areas is incredibly relevant, it is equally significant to look at the reasons behind this particular situation.

While individual interest is decisive in choosing a particular career, this interest will also be conditioned by other factors, some of which have already been mentioned in the video above. For instance, the (often-inaccurate) perception of our own abilities (thinking oneself is not gifted enough) is a frequent cause for girls not to pursue STEM degrees.

In addition, societal perceptions and expectations, including the stereotyped image of the roles of men and women, will play a crucial factor. Up to this day, men are still often perceived with qualities associated to leadership, being knowledgeable or having a technical brain, while woman are still seen as emotional or caring. While these are generalizations that normally come with little evidence, they can affect the choosing of a career. Indeed, the common belief that men are natural leaders while women are intrinsically caregivers is a plausible cause why women are more likely to work in healthcare occupations rather than in research or in business enterprises.

A particular example of how stereotypes can affect career choices in STEM fields is the draw-a-scientist test. This activity is based in an experiment carried out in 1957, when two anthropologists did a nationwide study in the US to examine how 35,000 high school students from different backgrounds viewed a scientist. The result was that the most popular image drawn was that of a man, characterized with glasses, white hair and a white beard, wearing a white laboratory coat. The most striking fact was that it came from very diverse children, from very diverse backgrounds, who were drawing the same stereotyped image. Thus, it is without a doubt that we need to move away from these stereotypes, by providing the next generations of STEM professionals with a gender sensitive education.

However, a gender sensitive education should start at a very early stage as early socialization plays a huge role in kids’ mindsets. In the video “Inspiring the next generation of female engineers”, Debbie Sterling (founder and CEO of GoldieBlox, a toy company that produces construction toys for girls) explains how one of her motives to create the company was her realization -after failing at an 3D drawing assessment in an engineering drawing class- that kids who scored better at spatial skills were those who grow up playing with construction toys. Seeing as those toys were usually marketed to boys, she decided to start designing construction games designed at girls so they could get inspired to pursue engineering careers too.

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STEM and gender equality – Marina Jimenez, European Schoolnet

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In this video presentation, Marina Jimenez, Project Officer at European Schoolnet, presents key information on performance and interest of girls and boys in STEM subjects at secondary education level, gender equality in tertiary education and participation of women in research fields.

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4.3 STEM career activities: teacher practicesWe come back to The Emerging Role of Science Teachers in Facilitating STEM Career Awareness (Cohen & Patterson, 2012) study, to Exhibit 1, where the study presents a series of replicable teacher practices, which can be used with the four strategies we have previously mentioned. Below you will find a summary of these main practices. You can consult Exhibit 1 of the study for full examples.Utilize career materials in science texts/journals/articles: consult these sources and extract/incorporate articles or supplemental readings in your lessons.​​​​​​Integrate experiential activities in the classroom: role-playing or designing research posters.Incorporate authentic research: give students the opportunity to participate in real research projects.​​​​​​​Invite guest speakers: ask speakers from a variety of careers to talk to your students, to present their educational and career pathway. Invite also parents engaged in STEM fields to speak.​​​​​​​#Research science careers / map out career paths: assign homework where students have to research various careers, support students in building resumes or to analyze their skills.​​​​​​​Support inclusion of science careers in school career fairs.​​​​​​​Weave career information informally into lessons: try to frame or open your lessons with career information, or as you work throughout a particular chapter or unit, make sure you point out career aspects where relevant.​​​​​​​Share personal experiences: share your own experience of working in STEM fields, participate in professional development opportunities and share also your own educational and career pathway.​​​​​​​Expose students to worksites and outside opportunities: take students on visits to various STEM centers (companies, research centers, etc.), prepare them before, seek funding and see how you can bridge the education-industry gap for your students.​​​​​​​Be a mentor/advocate.The full details of these practices can be found in the The Emerging Role of Science Teachers in Facilitating STEM Career Awareness (Cohen & Patterson, 2012) study. In the next videos, we will watch two presentations from two teachers and Scientix Ambassadors, Jose Viñas and Teresita Gravina on how they implement some of the teacher practices mentioned above, Citizen Science and online laboratories, to foster career awareness in the classroom. 

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4.3 STEM career activities: teacher practicesWe come back to The Emerging Role of Science Teachers in Facilitating STEM Career Awareness (Cohen & Patterson, 2012) study, to Exhibit 1, where the study presents a series of replicable teacher practices, which can be used with the four strategies we have previously mentioned. Below you will find a summary of these main practices. You can consult Exhibit 1 of the study for full examples.Utilize career materials in science texts/journals/articles: consult these sources and extract/incorporate articles or supplemental readings in your lessons.​​​​​​Integrate experiential activities in the classroom: role-playing or designing research posters.Incorporate authentic research: give students the opportunity to participate in real research projects.​​​​​​​Invite guest speakers: ask speakers from a variety of careers to talk to your students, to present their educational and career pathway. Invite also parents engaged in STEM fields to speak.​​​​​​​#Research science careers / map out career paths: assign homework where students have to research various careers, support students in building resumes or to analyze their skills.​​​​​​​Support inclusion of science careers in school career fairs.​​​​​​​Weave career information informally into lessons: try to frame or open your lessons with career information, or as you work throughout a particular chapter or unit, make sure you point out career aspects where relevant.​​​​​​​Share personal experiences: share your own experience of working in STEM fields, participate in professional development opportunities and share also your own educational and career pathway.​​​​​​​Expose students to worksites and outside opportunities: take students on visits to various STEM centers (companies, research centers, etc.), prepare them before, seek funding and see how you can bridge the education-industry gap for your students.​​​​​​​Be a mentor/advocate.The full details of these practices can be found in the The Emerging Role of Science Teachers in Facilitating STEM Career Awareness (Cohen & Patterson, 2012) study. In the next videos, we will watch two presentations from two teachers and Scientix Ambassadors, Jose Viñas and Teresita Gravina on how they implement some of the teacher practices mentioned above, Citizen Science and online laboratories, to foster career awareness in the classroom. 

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4.1 STEM career activities: how to use them?In Module 1, section 1.3, we presented briefly four teaching strategies, which foster STEM Awareness from the The Emerging Role of Science Teachers in Facilitating STEM Career Awareness (Cohen & Patterson, 2012). We will remind them here again:Incorporate both formal and informal approaches: constantly bring career awareness in your activities and do not keep it as a separate unit.Help students see scientists as real people: students may have difficulty imagining themselves as scientists because they cannot see that scientists have a normal life, just like them. They have hobbies, families and various interests. Connect the dots: it is not enough to just expose students to career information, the teacher also has to directly connect career information with whatever the student is learning at that moment. This can refer to making clear connections to the real-life use of subjects, to giving examples of how it connects to jobs of scientists. The student will not be always capable of making these connections themselves, and you will have to do that for him. Embed reflection: To make sure that information sticks with students, embed reflection to drive a deeper understanding. Otherwise, a lot of the information can be lost over time if reflection is not used to “glue” it.  

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4.1 STEM career activities: how to use them?In Module 1, section 1.3, we presented briefly four teaching strategies, which foster STEM Awareness from the The Emerging Role of Science Teachers in Facilitating STEM Career Awareness (Cohen & Patterson, 2012). We will remind them here again:Incorporate both formal and informal approaches: constantly bring career awareness in your activities and do not keep it as a separate unit.Help students see scientists as real people: students may have difficulty imagining themselves as scientists because they cannot see that scientists have a normal life, just like them. They have hobbies, families and various interests. Connect the dots: it is not enough to just expose students to career information, the teacher also has to directly connect career information with whatever the student is learning at that moment. This can refer to making clear connections to the real-life use of subjects, to giving examples of how it connects to jobs of scientists. The student will not be always capable of making these connections themselves, and you will have to do that for him. Embed reflection: To make sure that information sticks with students, embed reflection to drive a deeper understanding. Otherwise, a lot of the information can be lost over time if reflection is not used to “glue” it.  

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Interview on the types of STEM career materials and activities teachers use in their lessons. The interviewees are participants of the 13th Science Projects Workshop in the Future Classroom Lab, for primary and/or secondary school career counsellors and/or STEM teachers acting as career counsellors in their centres, organized by Scientix in collaboration with the STEM Alliance and OPENSKIMR. This interview is part of the 'Opening Minds to STEM careers' MOOC developed by the Scientix, SYSTEMIC and STEM Alliance projects.

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The learning objectives of Module 4 are:Understand and learn what are the types of STEM careers activities available at school level and  how they can use them in the classroom;Learn practical steps to introduce STEM career activities in the classroom;Become familiarized with various experiences of STEM career activities implemented across several countries;

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The learning objectives of Module 4 are:Understand and learn what are the types of STEM careers activities available at school level and  how they can use them in the classroom;Learn practical steps to introduce STEM career activities in the classroom;Become familiarized with various experiences of STEM career activities implemented across several countries;

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Introduction to Module 4 – Victor J. Perez-Rubio, European Schoolnet

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Introduction to Module 4 of the Opening Minds to STEM Careers MOOC developed by the Scientix, SYSTEMIC and STEM Alliance projects. http://www.europeanschoolnetacademy.eu/web/opening-minds-to-stem-careers Scientix 3 is supported by the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement N. 730009). SYSTEMIC is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

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3.5 STEM skills and STEM careers. Tools for match-matchingMost students possess a variety of skills, competences and interests, which can make of choosing a career path quite a difficult job. As we have seen in previous modules, it is also necessary to develop tools that help improve matching between skills and labour market needs. For that reason, some initiatives have arisen to help students connect skills and interests with specific academic or career paths, or even with possible future jobs.Below, you will find a curated list of skill-career path matchmaking tools in different STEM fields. In the form of online tests, games or self-assessment platforms, these tools have the potential to help students understand how their interests and abilities can connect to a possible future career.It’s of course difficult to build such a tool. We’ve seen that there is no commonly agreed classification of STEM jobs, skills and academic paths vary from country to country but, at the same time, these tools can provide a possible first step in the activity of STEM career counselling for students.Read this document, and try out some of the tools and comment on their usability by following the last activity of this module.

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3.5 STEM skills and STEM careers. Tools for match-matchingMost students possess a variety of skills, competences and interests, which can make of choosing a career path quite a difficult job. As we have seen in previous modules, it is also necessary to develop tools that help improve matching between skills and labour market needs. For that reason, some initiatives have arisen to help students connect skills and interests with specific academic or career paths, or even with possible future jobs.Below, you will find a curated list of skill-career path matchmaking tools in different STEM fields. In the form of online tests, games or self-assessment platforms, these tools have the potential to help students understand how their interests and abilities can connect to a possible future career.It’s of course difficult to build such a tool. We’ve seen that there is no commonly agreed classification of STEM jobs, skills and academic paths vary from country to country but, at the same time, these tools can provide a possible first step in the activity of STEM career counselling for students.Read this document, and try out some of the tools and comment on their usability by following the last activity of this module.

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As it has been mentioned in the video above, STEM skills can be promoted through different pedagogies and educational methodologies. Below, we show a number of different approaches (some of them based on A conceptual framework for integrated STEM education by Todd R. Kelley and J. Geoff Knowles, 2016). We encourage you to read them and to reflect how you would implement these approaches in classroom activities in any STEM field.1. Engineering design: Engineering design is a methodology to promote the inclusion of engineering practices into the existing STEM curriculum (through the design and construction of a specific object/prototype).This design will provide with a context for learning through mathematical processes. The analytical element of these processes will also allow students to use science inquiry to create and conduct experiments. These experiments will inform the learner about the function and performance of potential design solutions for the construction of their object/prototype. Students can benefit from this design, as it provides them with a systematic approach to solving problems in the STEM fields. Finally, it will allow students to build upon their own experiences and it will provide them with opportunities to construct new science and math knowledge through design analysis and scientific investigation.✓ Do you want to know how you can put in practice this engineering design approach? Watch the video titled “Foundations of Learning: Building STEM Skills”. You will understand how to build up STEM skills through block play, and how block play is used as a type of engineering design activity, for the youngest learners.2. Scientific inquiry/Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE): An inquiry approach to instruction requires teachers to “encourage and model the skills of scientific inquiry, as well as the curiosity, openness to new ideas, and skepticism that characterize science”. Scientific inquiry prepares students to think and act like real scientists, ask questions, hypothesize, and conduct investigations using standard science practices. However, an inquiry-based approach involves a high level of knowledge and engagement on the part of the teachers and students. Teachers often feel unprepared because they are lacking authentic scientific research and inquiry experiences themselves. However, through IBSE, students will be able to construct their own questions related to the science content they are investigating while becoming drivers of their learning.✓ Watch the video “Inquiry-Based Learning in the Science Classroom” (secondary level) and the “Inquiry-Based Learning: From Teacher-Guided to Student-Driven” (primary level) to understand how you can structure your STEM lesson through an Inquiry Based approach.3. Project based learning (PBL): Project based learning approach can be defined as “the ongoing act of learning about different subjects simultaneously”. When engaged in project-based learning, students will be assigned a project or a number of projects guiding them to identify, through research, a real-world problem and to develop its solution using evidence to support the claim. This approach usually requires students to use diverse skills (such as researching, writing, interviewing, working in teams, speaking in public, etc.) to produce different pieces of work (like research papers following experiment results, multimedia presentations or video documentaries, among others).✓ Watch this Introduction to Project-Based Learning to learn the basics to this approach and the video on Five keys to Project-Based Learning to learn how to implement it properly.Finally, find below a summary of tools mentioned in the video “Development of hard and soft STEM skills for your students” and that (combined with the approaches above) can help boost skills in the classroom.Kahoot is a free game-based learning platform that helps educators create a collection of questions on specific topics while creating a game-like learning environment. Through this platform, you can create quizzes, discussion and surveys about any topic of your choice.Classflow is cloud-based platform that allows teachers to create interactive lessons in a single place, while (at the same time) pulling in resources from anywhere.PhET simulations are free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations. These are written in Java, Flash or HTML5, and can be run online or downloaded from any computer. PhET is designed to encourage scientific inquiry and to provide interactivity among students.

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As it has been mentioned in the video above, STEM skills can be promoted through different pedagogies and educational methodologies. Below, we show a number of different approaches (some of them based on A conceptual framework for integrated STEM education by Todd R. Kelley and J. Geoff Knowles, 2016). We encourage you to read them and to reflect how you would implement these approaches in classroom activities in any STEM field.1. Engineering design: Engineering design is a methodology to promote the inclusion of engineering practices into the existing STEM curriculum (through the design and construction of a specific object/prototype).This design will provide with a context for learning through mathematical processes. The analytical element of these processes will also allow students to use science inquiry to create and conduct experiments. These experiments will inform the learner about the function and performance of potential design solutions for the construction of their object/prototype. Students can benefit from this design, as it provides them with a systematic approach to solving problems in the STEM fields. Finally, it will allow students to build upon their own experiences and it will provide them with opportunities to construct new science and math knowledge through design analysis and scientific investigation.✓ Do you want to know how you can put in practice this engineering design approach? Watch the video titled “Foundations of Learning: Building STEM Skills”. You will understand how to build up STEM skills through block play, and how block play is used as a type of engineering design activity, for the youngest learners.2. Scientific inquiry/Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE): An inquiry approach to instruction requires teachers to “encourage and model the skills of scientific inquiry, as well as the curiosity, openness to new ideas, and skepticism that characterize science”. Scientific inquiry prepares students to think and act like real scientists, ask questions, hypothesize, and conduct investigations using standard science practices. However, an inquiry-based approach involves a high level of knowledge and engagement on the part of the teachers and students. Teachers often feel unprepared because they are lacking authentic scientific research and inquiry experiences themselves. However, through IBSE, students will be able to construct their own questions related to the science content they are investigating while becoming drivers of their learning.✓ Watch the video “Inquiry-Based Learning in the Science Classroom” (secondary level) and the “Inquiry-Based Learning: From Teacher-Guided to Student-Driven” (primary level) to understand how you can structure your STEM lesson through an Inquiry Based approach.3. Project based learning (PBL): Project based learning approach can be defined as “the ongoing act of learning about different subjects simultaneously”. When engaged in project-based learning, students will be assigned a project or a number of projects guiding them to identify, through research, a real-world problem and to develop its solution using evidence to support the claim. This approach usually requires students to use diverse skills (such as researching, writing, interviewing, working in teams, speaking in public, etc.) to produce different pieces of work (like research papers following experiment results, multimedia presentations or video documentaries, among others).✓ Watch this Introduction to Project-Based Learning to learn the basics to this approach and the video on Five keys to Project-Based Learning to learn how to implement it properly.Finally, find below a summary of tools mentioned in the video “Development of hard and soft STEM skills for your students” and that (combined with the approaches above) can help boost skills in the classroom.Kahoot is a free game-based learning platform that helps educators create a collection of questions on specific topics while creating a game-like learning environment. Through this platform, you can create quizzes, discussion and surveys about any topic of your choice.Classflow is cloud-based platform that allows teachers to create interactive lessons in a single place, while (at the same time) pulling in resources from anywhere.PhET simulations are free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations. These are written in Java, Flash or HTML5, and can be run online or downloaded from any computer. PhET is designed to encourage scientific inquiry and to provide interactivity among students.

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Modul 3.4

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3.4 Classroom methodologies to promote STEM skillsIn previous sections, we have seen the difficulties on agreeing on a STEM skills definition while exploring about some of the most relevant STEM skills and soft skills.In this section, we will learn about the relevance of promoting these skills in schools and about which role should you take on –as an educator- while exploring strategies to promote STEM skills in the classroom. Start by watching the video below, to get a first impression on how to stimulate STEM skills and soft skills in the classroom.

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3.4 Classroom methodologies to promote STEM skillsIn previous sections, we have seen the difficulties on agreeing on a STEM skills definition while exploring about some of the most relevant STEM skills and soft skills.In this section, we will learn about the relevance of promoting these skills in schools and about which role should you take on –as an educator- while exploring strategies to promote STEM skills in the classroom. Start by watching the video below, to get a first impression on how to stimulate STEM skills and soft skills in the classroom.

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Development of hard & soft skills for students – Carlos Cunha, Scientix Ambassador

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Presentation by Carlos Cunha, Physics & Chemistry teacher from Portugal and Scientix Ambassador, on the topic of how to train students for the necessary soft skills and hard skills for STEM careers. This video is part of the 'Opening Minds to STEM Careers' MOOC developed by the Scientix, SYSTEMIC and STEM Alliance projects.

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3.2 STEM skills of the future. In focus: ICT and digital skills.In the content presented in this modules’ first section, you have seen how skills related to nanoscience or programming and coding are mentioned and have been regularly brought up when talking about STEM education. Indeed, as new innovative industries arise and new jobs are created, future graduates will need the right skills to fill in these jobs of new creation.It is without a doubt that very specific areas of knowledge and expertise will be much needed. In "The Supply of and Demand for High-Level STEM Skills" report, we can already find some references in relation to the demand for very specific skills, as it follows: “For electrical / electronics, (…) employers are trying to recruit from a small pool of those with the right degree content (i.e. higher-voltage direct current is a pre-requisite for the transmission and distribution industry)” (Bosworth, Lyonette, & Wilson , 2013).And not only specific abilities will be needed, but also students that are able to understand how different skills are interrelated and who equally possess a variety of them. Traditional corporate limits are likely to be run down and collaboration within and across sectors will flourish. Without a doubt, “well-rounded candidates with technical skills, broader competencies, such as mathematical capability, and practical work experience” (Bosworth, Lyonette, & Wilson , 2013) will be much in demand. For that matter, it is necessary to start adapting science lessons and to focus them on teaching pupils the skills and competences they will need for future professions. Moreover, this new environment will have significant implications for future workers, who will need to engage and support evolving innovative situations, which will demand individuals to attain high levels of digital and ICT skills.However, when discussing technology and digital skills in formal education, the first thing that comes to mind is the contrast between the use of technologies in everyday life and its limited application in schools. In order to prepare the workers of tomorrow’s digital society, it is necessary to start by tackling general digital skills proficiency. It should be a priority in formal education systems to address the need to raise the level of digital skills of both pupils and teachers, as “a higher threshold of digital skills will allow for an easier upskilling and for a higher number of young people to make the leap from general users to ICT professionals” (Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), 2015).Watch the following video, entitled “eSkills for Jobs 2016 | Lavinia Morris, Head of IT, SMBC Aviation Capital to understand the Importance of IT and technology” to be able to get an overview of the skills needed in developing a career in IT, challenges in this field as well as some tips to work in the profession.

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3.2 STEM skills of the future. In focus: ICT and digital skills.In the content presented in this modules’ first section, you have seen how skills related to nanoscience or programming and coding are mentioned and have been regularly brought up when talking about STEM education. Indeed, as new innovative industries arise and new jobs are created, future graduates will need the right skills to fill in these jobs of new creation.It is without a doubt that very specific areas of knowledge and expertise will be much needed. In "The Supply of and Demand for High-Level STEM Skills" report, we can already find some references in relation to the demand for very specific skills, as it follows: “For electrical / electronics, (…) employers are trying to recruit from a small pool of those with the right degree content (i.e. higher-voltage direct current is a pre-requisite for the transmission and distribution industry)” (Bosworth, Lyonette, & Wilson , 2013).And not only specific abilities will be needed, but also students that are able to understand how different skills are interrelated and who equally possess a variety of them. Traditional corporate limits are likely to be run down and collaboration within and across sectors will flourish. Without a doubt, “well-rounded candidates with technical skills, broader competencies, such as mathematical capability, and practical work experience” (Bosworth, Lyonette, & Wilson , 2013) will be much in demand. For that matter, it is necessary to start adapting science lessons and to focus them on teaching pupils the skills and competences they will need for future professions. Moreover, this new environment will have significant implications for future workers, who will need to engage and support evolving innovative situations, which will demand individuals to attain high levels of digital and ICT skills.However, when discussing technology and digital skills in formal education, the first thing that comes to mind is the contrast between the use of technologies in everyday life and its limited application in schools. In order to prepare the workers of tomorrow’s digital society, it is necessary to start by tackling general digital skills proficiency. It should be a priority in formal education systems to address the need to raise the level of digital skills of both pupils and teachers, as “a higher threshold of digital skills will allow for an easier upskilling and for a higher number of young people to make the leap from general users to ICT professionals” (Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), 2015).Watch the following video, entitled “eSkills for Jobs 2016 | Lavinia Morris, Head of IT, SMBC Aviation Capital to understand the Importance of IT and technology” to be able to get an overview of the skills needed in developing a career in IT, challenges in this field as well as some tips to work in the profession.

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eSkills for Jobs 2016 | Lavinia Morris, Head of IT, SMBC Aviation Capital

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Module 3: STEM Careers pathways II3.1 STEM skillsAs we have seen in previous modules, knowledge and skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) fields are crucial in responding to some of todays’ societal changes. In the following video, Carlos Cunha (Physics, Chemistry and ICT teacher in lower and upper secondary schools, and Scientix Ambassador) will give you an overview on STEM skills from an educator’s point of view. We invite you to watch and reflect on his presentation.

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Module 3: STEM Careers pathways II3.1 STEM skillsAs we have seen in previous modules, knowledge and skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) fields are crucial in responding to some of todays’ societal changes. In the following video, Carlos Cunha (Physics, Chemistry and ICT teacher in lower and upper secondary schools, and Scientix Ambassador) will give you an overview on STEM skills from an educator’s point of view. We invite you to watch and reflect on his presentation.

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While, in the video above, we have seen a pedagogically oriented definition of STEM skills, it is important to be aware of the many descriptions available. For instance, in “Analytical highlight. Focus on: Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills”, STEM skills are defined as “those skills expected to be held by people with a tertiary-education level degree in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths” (EU Skills Panorama (2014) STEM skills Analytical Highlight, prepared by ICF and Cedefop for the European Commission). Still, this definition could be considered incomplete, as it specifically refers to those skills achieved through an academic progression to tertiary education, somehow dismissing STEM skills that can be achieved through other academic paths, such as vocational technical education.

In any case, how can we recognise those skills classified within STEM disciplines?

1. An easy way to identify them is by linking STEM skills to qualifications attained in STEM subjects. For instance, Mathematics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Biology or Physics are easily classified as core STEM skills. However, it is not as easy as it seems, as the variety and type of qualifications vary from country to country, especially in tertiary education (EU Skills Panorama (2014) STEM skills Analytical Highlight, prepared by ICF and Cedefop for the European Commission).

1. Another way of defining STEM skills is by linking them to STEM occupations. For instance, this study identified 30 STEM occupations (concerning those that most utilize STEM skills). The results ranged from mathematicians, chemists, civil engineers (among many kinds of engineers), to statisticians or agricultural technicians.

Nonetheless, one must keep in mind that there are non-STEM professions that use STEM skills. There are also many STEM degree holders working in a non-STEM occupation who might still be using their STEM skills at work. For example, marketing employees in a chemical company might be graduates in chemical degrees. And why is that? Well, if you need to sell your product from business to business, you might as well hire someone who will have enough understanding and knowledge in the chemistry field. (Bosworth, Lyonette, & Wilson, 2013)

For that reason, we need to show students how the acquisition of STEM skills will open the doors to a variety of professions (both inside and outside of the STEM fields). In the ‘Future Morph’ website, you will find a series of videos on how different professionals use math and science in STEM and non-STEM jobs. From a bakery manager to a glass artist, you can use these videos to show your students that STEM skills and knowledge are valuable in almost any career.

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(Hard) skills for STEM – Carlos Cunha, Scientix Ambassador

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3.3 Soft skillsThe transition to become an efficient professional entails much more than the academic knowledge attained through the schooling system. It also requires the development of key soft skills necessary within the business environment. Future STEM professionals will be also progressively required to have greatly advanced ‘soft’ skills such as project management skills, communication aptitudes and problem-solving abilities.Watch the interview below, where Gabrielle Ferguson, Talent Development Partner at CA Technologies, gives a definition of soft skills and explains why these are important in pursuing a STEM career.

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3.3 Soft skillsThe transition to become an efficient professional entails much more than the academic knowledge attained through the schooling system. It also requires the development of key soft skills necessary within the business environment. Future STEM professionals will be also progressively required to have greatly advanced ‘soft’ skills such as project management skills, communication aptitudes and problem-solving abilities.Watch the interview below, where Gabrielle Ferguson, Talent Development Partner at CA Technologies, gives a definition of soft skills and explains why these are important in pursuing a STEM career.

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In the video above, Gabrielle Ferguson, Talent Development Partner at CA Technologies, has mentioned an array of soft skills (including communication, adaptation, time management, collaborative working, agile working, adaptation to change, response to change or presentation skills) that are relevant in STEM study fields and STEM careers.

The acquisition of these skills will not only benefit students academically but it can also facilitate their entry and performance in the business world. Candidates with soft skills are rare but highly valued by employers; partly because soft skills are transferable to a wide array of jobs and professional areas but also because the acquisition of soft skills can help improve relationship building, networking and to create a professional workforce culture.

Read the article “The 7 Most Important STEM Skills We Should Be Teaching Our Kids” where some essential soft skills in the STEM areas are mentioned and follow the activity below:

Since most educational policies and systems prioritize the provision of knowledge, adapting existing school curriculums (in order to include activities that promote soft skills) is quite the difficult job. For that reason, it is advisable that teachers start promoting soft skills when designing courses or lessons plans. But how should they do that?

Soft skills such as resilience, self-control and time management can be incorporated through pedagogical approaches like project-based learning and inquiry based science education (which will be further explained in the coming sections).

In general, group work activities are always an opportunity to integrate soft skills in the classroom. Problem solving tasks can be a chance for pupils to engage in social skills. The freedom of working in groups will help students to develop time-management and self-control abilities, emphasizing the notion of self-regulation and time-on-task. Last, working in small groups can also encourage quiet students to express their thoughts in a more comfortable manner. (Concordia University, 2016)

Incorporating student self-assessment into lessons is another way to promote soft skills. While students can measure their knowledge attainment through tests, they do not always take time to reflect on their own work, on what is challenging them and in what areas are they succeeding. Having students review their own work will also help them develop resilience and add a goal setting approach to their educational experiences (Concordia University, 2016).

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Soft skills for STEM careers - Gabrielle Ferguson, CA Technologies

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The author goes on to present the major challenges and opportunities this revolution brings: increased growth, prosperity and efficiency, but at the same time, a very high risk of inequality, and a shift in the labor market that a large part of the population may not be able to keep up with.  If we are already seeing mass disappearance of jobs due to automation, then how can we prepare for this total reorganization of our lives? How can we make sure that future generations are prepared and ready to ‘ride the waves’ of this revolution, and even more, to contribute and support the shift towards a more prosperous future?One of the answers, as you can guess, is education. Teachers represent a critical ingredient in preparing the human resources of the future - in making sure that by the time the students have left school, they are able to enter the work field. We will see more on this in the upcoming modules. 

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The author goes on to present the major challenges and opportunities this revolution brings: increased growth, prosperity and efficiency, but at the same time, a very high risk of inequality, and a shift in the labor market that a large part of the population may not be able to keep up with.  If we are already seeing mass disappearance of jobs due to automation, then how can we prepare for this total reorganization of our lives? How can we make sure that future generations are prepared and ready to ‘ride the waves’ of this revolution, and even more, to contribute and support the shift towards a more prosperous future?One of the answers, as you can guess, is education. Teachers represent a critical ingredient in preparing the human resources of the future - in making sure that by the time the students have left school, they are able to enter the work field. We will see more on this in the upcoming modules. 

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2.1 The Fourth Industrial Revolution“We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before.”Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic ForumIn the ‘The Fourth Industrial Revolution: What It Means, How to Respond’ article, Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of The World Economic Forum (a world leading nonprofit organization which “engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas”) explains how the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution will merge technology, biology and the physical world. This revolution will capitalize on trends we already see today (nanotechnology, biotechnology, 3-D printing, materials science, etc.) to completely reshape and redesign the way we do business, we govern countries, we interact and we conduct our lives.

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2.1 The Fourth Industrial Revolution“We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before.”Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic ForumIn the ‘The Fourth Industrial Revolution: What It Means, How to Respond’ article, Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of The World Economic Forum (a world leading nonprofit organization which “engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas”) explains how the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution will merge technology, biology and the physical world. This revolution will capitalize on trends we already see today (nanotechnology, biotechnology, 3-D printing, materials science, etc.) to completely reshape and redesign the way we do business, we govern countries, we interact and we conduct our lives.

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The Fourth Industrial Revolution  | Full Version (Subtitled)

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1.3 STEM career guidance in schools"Most teachers waste their time by asking questions that are intended to discover what a pupil does not know, whereas the true art of questioning is to discover what the pupil does know or is capable of knowing."       Conversations with Albert Einstein, 1920 Before talking about STEM career guidance in schools, you need to take into account the variety of existing situations where career-counselling activities take place. Approaches vary considerably from country to country and even from city to city or school to school. Some schools are lucky enough to benefit from the support of a career counsellor and even from career centres, whereas others often rely on the precious time of teachers to take up on the role of the career counsellor, either explicitly or not. What holds for all of these situations though, regardless of geographical location and support system, is that any counselling activities implemented in an educational centre will play an important role in the choice making of students. 

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1.3 STEM career guidance in schools"Most teachers waste their time by asking questions that are intended to discover what a pupil does not know, whereas the true art of questioning is to discover what the pupil does know or is capable of knowing."       Conversations with Albert Einstein, 1920 Before talking about STEM career guidance in schools, you need to take into account the variety of existing situations where career-counselling activities take place. Approaches vary considerably from country to country and even from city to city or school to school. Some schools are lucky enough to benefit from the support of a career counsellor and even from career centres, whereas others often rely on the precious time of teachers to take up on the role of the career counsellor, either explicitly or not. What holds for all of these situations though, regardless of geographical location and support system, is that any counselling activities implemented in an educational centre will play an important role in the choice making of students. 

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When we apply this to the STEM subjects, some particularities arise. In the study entitled “The Emerging Role of Science Teachers in Facilitating STEM Career Awareness”  (Cohen & Patterson, 2012), based on a review of existing literature, the author outlines four cognitive-behaviour dimensions as the pillars of career development:Awareness (students are aware and know the variety of STEM careers available),Relevance (they see the connection between the subject they are studying and day to day life),Engagement (students show direct interest and motivation to interact with the subject matter),Self-efficacy (students are comfortable with using tools of science). The report also goes on outlining four teaching strategies, which foster STEM careers awareness, derived from a series of interviews with science teachers: Incorporate both formal and informal approaches: constantly bring career awareness in your activities and do not keep it as a separate unit.Help students see scientists as real people: students may have difficulty imagining themselves as scientists because they cannot see that scientists have a normal life, just like them. They have hobbies, families and various interests. Connect the dots: it is not enough to just expose students to career information, the teacher also has to directly connect career information with whatever the student is learning at that moment. This can refer to making clear connections to the real-life use of subjects, to giving examples of how it connects to jobs of scientists. The student will not be always capable of making these connections themselves, and you will have to do that for him. Embed reflection: To make sure that information sticks with students, and embeds reflection to drive a deeper understanding. Otherwise, a lot of the information can be lost over time if reflection is not used to “glue” it. We will be looking at this study more in this course so feel free to explore it in detail.

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When we apply this to the STEM subjects, some particularities arise. In the study entitled “The Emerging Role of Science Teachers in Facilitating STEM Career Awareness”  (Cohen & Patterson, 2012), based on a review of existing literature, the author outlines four cognitive-behaviour dimensions as the pillars of career development:Awareness (students are aware and know the variety of STEM careers available),Relevance (they see the connection between the subject they are studying and day to day life),Engagement (students show direct interest and motivation to interact with the subject matter),Self-efficacy (students are comfortable with using tools of science). The report also goes on outlining four teaching strategies, which foster STEM careers awareness, derived from a series of interviews with science teachers: Incorporate both formal and informal approaches: constantly bring career awareness in your activities and do not keep it as a separate unit.Help students see scientists as real people: students may have difficulty imagining themselves as scientists because they cannot see that scientists have a normal life, just like them. They have hobbies, families and various interests. Connect the dots: it is not enough to just expose students to career information, the teacher also has to directly connect career information with whatever the student is learning at that moment. This can refer to making clear connections to the real-life use of subjects, to giving examples of how it connects to jobs of scientists. The student will not be always capable of making these connections themselves, and you will have to do that for him. Embed reflection: To make sure that information sticks with students, and embeds reflection to drive a deeper understanding. Otherwise, a lot of the information can be lost over time if reflection is not used to “glue” it. We will be looking at this study more in this course so feel free to explore it in detail.

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1.2 STEM careers in the job marketAs explained in the first section, a multitude of sources have provided evidence that European industries face difficulties in finding skilled workers, causing what is known as the STEM skills gap. However, there are disagreements on the causes of such recruitment difficulties. Some argue that employers’ problems in filling vacancies are related to the fact that young graduates are not prepared for the skills currently on demand. Others believe the skills gap in the labour market is caused by structural economic shifts. These shifts have made the skills of individuals insufficient or irrelevant for the demands of the current markets.   

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1.2 STEM careers in the job marketAs explained in the first section, a multitude of sources have provided evidence that European industries face difficulties in finding skilled workers, causing what is known as the STEM skills gap. However, there are disagreements on the causes of such recruitment difficulties. Some argue that employers’ problems in filling vacancies are related to the fact that young graduates are not prepared for the skills currently on demand. Others believe the skills gap in the labour market is caused by structural economic shifts. These shifts have made the skills of individuals insufficient or irrelevant for the demands of the current markets.   

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Introduction to Module 1, Activity 1.3 – Marina Jimenez, European Schoolnet

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Introduction to Module 1, Activity 1.3 of the Opening Minds to STEM Careers MOOC developed by the Scientix, SYSTEMIC and STEM Alliance projects. http://www.europeanschoolnetacademy.eu/web/opening-minds-to-stem-careers Scientix 3 is supported by the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement N. 730009). SYSTEMIC is Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

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5.3 Women in STEMThroughout history, women have actively contributed to the development of scientific knowledge and have made groundbreaking discoveries in science. However, too many of them have not been given credit for their achievements, resulting in their disappearance from mainstream audiences. As mentioned in this article, throughout their careers, many female scientists have been denied recognition. “Having had to work as "volunteer" faculty members, seen credit for significant discoveries they've made assigned to male colleagues, and been written out of textbooks” (…) “they typically had paltry resources and fought uphill battles to achieve what they did, only to have the credit attributed to their husbands or male colleagues". Just think about the famous Marie Skłodowska-Curie (1867-1934), one of the most iconic scientists of all times. The first female professor at the University of Paris, she was among the first scientists to realize the importance of quantum theory and the first person to win not one but two Nobel Prizes. However, her entrance in the French Academy of Sciences was denied, due to her gender. While nowadays, bias against female scientists is not as explicit, it has not gone away entirely. For that reason, in this section we want to honor all those female scientists who have contributed greatly to science history.•    We should start with one of the most notable female scientists of all time: Ada Lovelace (1815 - 1852). Considered the mother of all computer nerds, Ada has been widely regarded as the world’s first computer programmer. Even though no functioning computers were built throughout her life, she continuously worked on a general-purpose computer called the Analytical Engine. More particularly, Ada described how this processer was capable of computing general information and insisted on its ability to be programmed. In fact, in recognition of her contribution to software programming, the Ada high-level computer language was named after her. •    Jocelyn Bell Burnell (1943 - present) is one of the biggest names in astronomy. Jocelyn discovered pulsars, the remnants of massive stars gone supernova. And she did it while analyzing data printed out on paper from a radio telescope she helped assemble. This finding resulted in a Nobel Prize in physics, a prize that went to Anthony Hewish (Bell Burnell's supervisor) and Martin Ryle a radio astronomer at Cambridge University. •    Rosalind Franklin (1920 - 1958) focused her work on determining the structure of DNA, using x-ray experiments to take a picture of the DNA molecule. This image became key to decode its structure: Franklin had discovered that DNA consisted of two chains and a phosphate backbone. However, it was James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins who received, in 1962, the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for a report published with all oF Franklin’s findings. 

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5.3 Women in STEMThroughout history, women have actively contributed to the development of scientific knowledge and have made groundbreaking discoveries in science. However, too many of them have not been given credit for their achievements, resulting in their disappearance from mainstream audiences. As mentioned in this article, throughout their careers, many female scientists have been denied recognition. “Having had to work as "volunteer" faculty members, seen credit for significant discoveries they've made assigned to male colleagues, and been written out of textbooks” (…) “they typically had paltry resources and fought uphill battles to achieve what they did, only to have the credit attributed to their husbands or male colleagues". Just think about the famous Marie Skłodowska-Curie (1867-1934), one of the most iconic scientists of all times. The first female professor at the University of Paris, she was among the first scientists to realize the importance of quantum theory and the first person to win not one but two Nobel Prizes. However, her entrance in the French Academy of Sciences was denied, due to her gender. While nowadays, bias against female scientists is not as explicit, it has not gone away entirely. For that reason, in this section we want to honor all those female scientists who have contributed greatly to science history.•    We should start with one of the most notable female scientists of all time: Ada Lovelace (1815 - 1852). Considered the mother of all computer nerds, Ada has been widely regarded as the world’s first computer programmer. Even though no functioning computers were built throughout her life, she continuously worked on a general-purpose computer called the Analytical Engine. More particularly, Ada described how this processer was capable of computing general information and insisted on its ability to be programmed. In fact, in recognition of her contribution to software programming, the Ada high-level computer language was named after her. •    Jocelyn Bell Burnell (1943 - present) is one of the biggest names in astronomy. Jocelyn discovered pulsars, the remnants of massive stars gone supernova. And she did it while analyzing data printed out on paper from a radio telescope she helped assemble. This finding resulted in a Nobel Prize in physics, a prize that went to Anthony Hewish (Bell Burnell's supervisor) and Martin Ryle a radio astronomer at Cambridge University. •    Rosalind Franklin (1920 - 1958) focused her work on determining the structure of DNA, using x-ray experiments to take a picture of the DNA molecule. This image became key to decode its structure: Franklin had discovered that DNA consisted of two chains and a phosphate backbone. However, it was James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins who received, in 1962, the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for a report published with all oF Franklin’s findings. 

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Women in STEM – Julie Baxter, CA Technologies

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Interview with Julie Baxter, Vice President, Support at CA Technologies about her experience as a woman in STEM and ICT and keys pieces of advice for teachers to aim for gender equality in STEM. This interview is part of the ''Opening Minds to STEM Careers' MOOC developed by the Scientix, SYSTEMIC and STEM Alliance projects.

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2.2 Evolution of STEM professionsIn the previous section, we have seen that a big challenge within the Fourth Industrial Revolution is the risk of inequality in the labor market. In the same article of Schwab (2016), he uses the phrase “low-skill/low-pay” and “high-skill/high-pay” to describe how the job market will evolve.Let’s look a bit more into detail at this concept with this TED talk from Andrew McAfee, principal research scientist at the Center for Digital Business at the MIT Sloan School of Management, on employability in the future and what does it mean for future workers if machines will start doing a lot of the work we are doing now.

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2.2 Evolution of STEM professionsIn the previous section, we have seen that a big challenge within the Fourth Industrial Revolution is the risk of inequality in the labor market. In the same article of Schwab (2016), he uses the phrase “low-skill/low-pay” and “high-skill/high-pay” to describe how the job market will evolve.Let’s look a bit more into detail at this concept with this TED talk from Andrew McAfee, principal research scientist at the Center for Digital Business at the MIT Sloan School of Management, on employability in the future and what does it mean for future workers if machines will start doing a lot of the work we are doing now.

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We are back at the idea that education is one of the most important pillars and that teachers need to be prepared to train pupils for the future of the workforce. A key idea derived from what we have seen so far is that it is critical for pupils to pursue higher education. If technology will eventually become biologically embedded in our lives, then labor skills will slowly become obsolete resulting in the “low-skill/low-pay” and “high-skill/high-pay” concept, or the comparison of Ted and Bill in the previous video.

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1.1 The world of STEMAs you already know, it is crucial to be at the forefront on the efforts done to attract more pupils to scientific and technological careers so they later embark on related professions.To make outstanding performers in the field, you need high quality and multi-disciplinary education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in order to drive the current innovative economy forward and to sustain a knowledge-driven society, supported by skilled, responsible and inspired young people.While the number of graduates with science and technology qualifications keeps falling, recent reports estimate the need for a high number of scientists and researchers within Europe. Watch the video below to further explore and understand the difficulties European economies are facing in order to recruit the next generation of scientists. 

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1.1 The world of STEMAs you already know, it is crucial to be at the forefront on the efforts done to attract more pupils to scientific and technological careers so they later embark on related professions.To make outstanding performers in the field, you need high quality and multi-disciplinary education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in order to drive the current innovative economy forward and to sustain a knowledge-driven society, supported by skilled, responsible and inspired young people.While the number of graduates with science and technology qualifications keeps falling, recent reports estimate the need for a high number of scientists and researchers within Europe. Watch the video below to further explore and understand the difficulties European economies are facing in order to recruit the next generation of scientists. 

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The learning objectives of Module 1 are:Understand the relevance of STEM studies for students and society; Understand the importance of STEM career in the job market; Understand the importance of integrating STEM career guidance in lessons, curriculum and what are the benefits for their students

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The learning objectives of Module 1 are:Understand the relevance of STEM studies for students and society; Understand the importance of STEM career in the job market; Understand the importance of integrating STEM career guidance in lessons, curriculum and what are the benefits for their students

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Module 1: STEM careers in schools and in the job market"The aim [of education] must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals who, however, see in the service to the community their highest life problem."Albert Einstein

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Module 1: STEM careers in schools and in the job market"The aim [of education] must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals who, however, see in the service to the community their highest life problem."Albert Einstein