SpicE, Special Education STEAM Academy

The project aims to design an innovative Joint STEAM Curriculum for special education focused on competencies and primary education teacher job profiles to enable rapid upskilling/re-skilling of teachers and young people willing to enter the realm of special needs primary education as well as fast-tracking candidates into specific job roles. The third objective of the project is to share, develop and embed existing good practices between institutions both nationally and internationally. This objective is also based on the needs analysis which will be used for an innovative Joint STEAM Curriculum. Teachers will benefit from obtaining in-depth knowledge and understanding of the tools they work with, which will serve as a blueprint for adoption by teachers at other institutions. This objective will generate tangible evidence for the government of interventions that implement policies or challenge existing ones.

Under the framework of the SpicE project, a STEAM Training Programme for Special Education will be developed and all related learning materials and delivery methods for selected skills, with accredited training and qualifications will be created. This objective addresses teachers’ needs in target countries for enhanced human capital in understanding the developed methodology of STEAM curriculum. This objective will ensure the integration of a joint model of mobility in the new programme to ensure continuous upskilling and reskilling of teachers to help them adapt to a rapid inclusion of STEAM skills needs and technologies. This objective will focus on the continuous development of the new programme throughout the project’s lifetime. From the inclusion of STEAM skills needs and technologies, around 100 teachers (in-service, pre-service) will be trained.

The project aims to pilot and evaluate the STEAM Training Programme for Special Education, a curriculum that facilitates cross-border certification, and to contribute to the mobility of primary education teachers across Europe. This objective engages all partners in the design and pilot test of the curriculum. One pilot test per country with a unique physical mobility action will involve 48 teachers from four countries.

Another aim of the project is to create and nurture a sustainable CoP composed of key European stakeholders to provide STEAM education to special groups in primary education, which will cooperate in developing and implementing new strategic approaches to address current and future skills gaps. The CoP will be involved in the development of policy influence tools. This objective focuses on early increased high-level awareness of STEAM and UDL on primary education students with mild disabilities by developing continuous updating through networks via social media and collaborative platforms.

The project also aims to strengthen the exchange of knowledge and best practices between European stakeholders for soft and hard skills that enable STEAM education for students with mild disabilities. This objective involves bringing together an interdisciplinary network, initially to engage in a series of local roundtable events, estimated to attract approximately 100 participants.