COVID-19 series: Asturias - Showcasing and celebrating the work of STEM teachers via in-depth interviews

In a series of in-depth interviews we (Asturias4Steam - the STEM strategy of the Asturias region, Spain) have showcased the work of STEM teachers in the region and more importantly their wishes and different points of view about the purpose and nature of STEM education.

So far we have published 10 interviews mostly undertaken during COVID-19 lockdown. We’re particularly proud of the diversity of profiles. So far we had conversations with a mix of teachers and headteachers from primary, secondary and VET schools. Professionals with different backgrounds, years of experience and roles. Some of them teach Maths, science, technology, engineering but we’ve also collected interesting insights from a philosophy teacher and a primary school headteacher.

Quite interestingly this was also an opportunity to spot some recurrent patterns and demands in all the conversations we had so far. Teachers are mainly interested in knowing and learning from what other teachers do. So this has led us to start thinking about shaping a school visits programme to promote and facilitate this cross-pollination of ideas and expertise. Maybe some members of the EU Stem Coalition could give us some pointers?

Another interesting insight is the call for more flexible arrangement of the school timetable and curriculum, particularly to facilitate team-teaching in STEM. All the interviews are published in Asturias4STEAM blog (see link above) and disseminated through our twitter account (@asturias4steam) but we are seriously considering compiling them in a publication as it provides a real insight into the STEM action that’s going on in our schools and classrooms. We’ll keep you posted.

In addition, we've also interviewed some researchers (eg. Louise Archer, Science Capital) and people behind interesting STEM initiatives in neighbouring countries eg. Ange Ansour from Savanturiers, France. Last but not least, we've been regularly producing summaries in spanish of STEM education research articles published in peer-reviewed journals in order to make them accessible to our teachers.