RoboGirls Comprehensive Guide For Educators

Comprehensive Guide for Educators
Athens, July 2021
The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not 1
constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein. [Project Number: 2020-1-HR01-KA201-077760]
https://www.robogirls.eu
Regional Directorate for Primary and Secondary

Education of Attica
Contributors
Coordinator: Dr Georgios Kosyvas
Members:
Paraskevi Foti
Maria Katopodi
Stavroula Pantelopoulou
Christina Papazissi
Matthaios Patrinopoulos
Eleni Zografou
The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not
constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, 2
Table of Contents
Table of Contents............................................................ 3
Project information ........................................................ 9
Introduction ................................................................. 10
Part I ............................................................................. 12
Literature Review ......................................................... 12
STEM epistemology and application at educational level

.................................................................................. 12
1.1 What is STEM? .................................................. 12

1.2 Why STEM? ...................................................... 15
1.3 STEM in Education ............................................ 16
Women in the STEM field .......................................... 20
Research data and experience from partner countries

and the EU about women’s participation in STEM-
related professions................................................. 20
Opportunities and Challenges to enhance women's
participation in related fields ................................. 34
Overview of STEM strategies across Europe .............. 43
STEM strategies in partner countries ...................... 43

Contribution to the STEM curriculum ...................... 48
National Initiatives promoting STEM EDU (summary of
results) ................................................................... 53
Gender socialization in STEAM Learning .................... 65
Conclusions ............................................................ 72
References................................................................. 74
Part II ............................................................................ 80
Creating a gender-neutral learning environment ....... 80
Collaborative inquiry-based pedagogical process ...... 80
STEM implementation through pedagogical

approaches ............................................................ 81
The inquiry approach.............................................. 82
Problem solving...................................................... 84
Thinking based Learning......................................... 88
Design thinking ...................................................... 89
Integrated STEM .................................................... 92
The IBSE approach .................................................. 95

Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) ................................... 98
The educator’s role ............................................... 100
Design of appealing scientific or mathematic activities
for girls and boys .................................................. 103
STEM tools .............................................................. 108
Learning tools ...................................................... 108

Evaluation of STEM learning .................................... 109
Suggestions for evaluation ................................... 111

Conclusions .......................................................... 115
References............................................................ 117
Part III ......................................................................... 125
Activities booklet ........................................................ 125
Creativity, design thinking and constructions .............. 126
A1. Eiffel Tower STEM Challenge ........................... 126
A2. Chain reactions ............................................... 127
A3. We build cardboard bridges ............................ 129
A4. Bridges that open............................................ 130
A5. Mechanical hand out of cardboard ................. 132
Student’s knowledge, attitudes, and preferences ....... 134
A6. What do students think? ................................. 134
A7. Meet a robotics engineer or a programmer .... 135
A8. Programming and robotics vocabulary ............ 137
A9. Unplugged programming and algorithmic thinking

138
A10. Science Word Puzzle Searches...................... 139
A11. Read a book about coding ............................ 140
A12. Decoding and coding a message ................... 141
A13. Robot mosaic ............................................... 142
A14. Use mixed-reality environments (VR, AR) to

teach coding ............................................................ 143
A15. Decoding resistance of a resistor and testing with

a power circuit......................................................... 144
A16. Makey-Makey kit ......................................... 146
A17. We build our own quiz game........................ 147
A18. Squishy Circuits ............................................ 149
A19. E-textile robot and bracelets ........................ 150
A20. Motorized colouring bot .............................. 151
A21. Lego Art Machines ....................................... 152
A22. Make music while coding ............................. 153
A23. Is mathematics the solution? ....................... 154
A24. Raising young programmers......................... 156
A25. Scratch - online programming language ....... 157
A26. Young videogame programmers .................. 158
A27. Making music ............................................... 159
A28. How to train your inside programmer .......... 161
A29. Moving bee .................................................. 163
A30. Becoming acquainted with Artificial Intelligence

164
A31. Training our computer ................................. 165
A32. Chatbot programming .................................. 166
First steps into programming robots ........................... 167
A33. Making shapes with code ............................. 167
A34. Basics of robotics ......................................... 168
A35. Interviewing a robot .................................... 169
A36. Adorable walking robot ............................... 170
A37. Use Bee-bot/PRO-BOT to teach Mathematics

171
A38. Robotics4Good ............................................ 172
A39. Robots on the road ...................................... 173
A40. The robot of emotions ................................. 175
A41. Classroom noise, we programme robot so that it

alerts us whenever we shout ................................... 177
A42. The Morse code ........................................... 178
A43. Recreating a Pacman game using robots ...... 182

Project information
Project title: Empowering girls in STEAM through robotics

and coding
Project acronym: RoboGirls
Project number: 2020-1-HR01-KA201-077760
Project partners Country
University of Zagreb (UNIZ) Croatia
Centre for Advancement of

research and development in
Cyprus
educational technology LTD
(CARDET)
Regional Directorate of Primary
and Secondary Education of Attica Greece
(RDPSEA)
Universidad Autonoma de Madrid
Spain
(UAM)
The Rural Hub CLG Ireland
INNOVADE LI LTD Cyprus
Introduction
The introduction of STEM education in recent years - with the educational
practices it adopts, the cross-linking of scientific fields and the prospects it
creates for the future - has a significant impact on the restructuring of both
educational systems and applied educational approaches internationally. At
the same time, the need of societies for equal access of both genders to the
development of skills but also in the professions related to the scientific
fields of STEM, makes necessary its structured introduction to formal
education.
Education systems and educators need guidance and support to be able to
design and implement STEM training approaches. This guide has been
created to provide teachers with the necessary theoretical framework that
will enable them to understand the scientific and educational approaches,
structured practical instructions necessary for their application in the
classroom and examples of successful STEM and STEAM activities.
The first part of the guide presents the theoretical framework of STEM
epistemology, the interconnections of scientific fields and the promotion of
computational thinking. The importance of encouraging women to
participate actively in STEM scientific fields is documented. Strategies for
the integration of STEM education and support of both genders to engage
in the respective disciplines applied in the partner countries, the European
Union as a whole, but also from international experience, are recorded. All
this is documented with corresponding bibliographic references in scientific
and official documents.
The second part analyses the proposed methodological approaches for the
planning of educational activities, their implementation in the classroom,
control and evaluation of their effectiveness and dissemination of results.
Also, the proposed technological means for the implementation of STEM
activities are presented in direct correlation with the digital toolbox that is
being developed within the project.
The third part of the guide presents selected STEM / STEAM activities (Best
Practices) that can be used either independently or complementary to other
activities used by teachers in their classroom.
Part I
Literature Review
STEM epistemology and application at educational level
1.1 What is STEM?
STEM is an acronym derived from the words Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics. As a term it was first used in the 1990s by
the National Scientific Foundation (NSF) to express actions (political,
scientific, educational practices or programmes) involving and linking one or
more STEM disciplines, (Bybee, 2010). With STEM approaches we do not
have disintegration of the autonomy of the scientific fields but rather the
highlighting of the need and the benefits from investigating problems
through the different perspectives and methodologies that the individual
branches offer us. The application of STEM approaches has an impact not
only on education but also on scientific research, the economy, everyday
life and the evolution of societies.
In education, STEM approaches require and promote a different philosophy
through an innovative way of approaching the educational process.
Through a STEM educational approach, we have the simultaneous
involvement of the four subjects (science, technology, engineering and
mathematics) but also - perhaps most importantly - the direct involvement
of students in all stages of the educational process. Additionally, what is
crucial for the success of a STEM approach is a choice of topics that
correspond to the concerns of the societies in which the students develop
and which are also their own concerns. An integrated STEM approach
should include increasing the understanding of engineering and
construction but also improving students' use of technologies in an
interdisciplinary way. (Bybee, 2010b).
The introduction of STEM education first appeared in the United States of

America and arose from the need to enhance students' literacy in STEM
subjects so that as adults they could choose professions related to the STEM
disciplines (NRC 2012). In the process, alternative approaches for the
application of STEM in education have emerged, different definitions of
what they include, while at the same time we have the integration of other
subjects in the core of STEM subjects. The most widespread approach is the
addition of A to STEM activities and the creation of STEAM, ‘A’ from Art
expressing the interconnection of handcrafts created with art.
We could say that we have a concept that is being reshaped, has evolved
and expanded. Bibliographically there are differences in what elements an
educational intervention should have in order to be included in the STEM
approaches, but also in how it should be applied. According to Psycharis
(2016), “STEM is transdisciplinarity or transversal interdisciplinarity. It
focuses on solving authentic-real problems by choosing concepts,
methodologies and tools from various sciences to solve a problem or create
a construction”. Whereas, according to Glancy & Moore, (2013) the primary
goal of a STEM programme should be the implementation by students: of
inquiry processes from natural sciences, of computational thinking from
technology, of design thinking from engineering and of evidence-based
thinking from mathematics. In addition, transversal ideas / concepts apply
to many cognitive domains and function as links - boundary objects between
the concepts of individual cognitive domains.
According to the literature, there are two ways to integrate STEM into
education: context integration and content integration (Roehrig et al, 2012).
In completing the framework, students first approach the concepts through
one of the subjects and through activities the framework is enriched with,
the perspectives of the different subjects of STEM making the content of the
first subject more understandable (Roehrig et al, 2012). With content
integration we have the integration (merging of the content fields) in a
unique activity of all subjects in order to "study" the phenomena as "big

ideas" from multiple disciplines (Roehrig et al, 2012). Because this approach
must find correlations and the "big idea" as a whole must emerge, we
consider it as connected to the interdisciplinary approach (Psycharis et al.,
2018).
In modern education, a fundamental field is Computational Thinking (CT),
which was introduced as a term by Wing (2006) stating that "CT is a basic
skill that learners must have in addition to the other three basic skills:
reading, writing and arithmetic” (see also Psycharis & Kalovrektis, 2017).
CT includes problem solving, systems design and understanding of the
human behaviour, based on concepts that are also very important to
Computer Science (WS) (Wing, 2006; 2008; 2011).
Initially, CT described a way in which learners think in order to solve
problems. Continuing, in the spirit of Wing, Guzdial (2008) CT is referred to
as a way of thinking about the way we think about "calculations", while
Denning (2011) extended the concept of CT to include problems as
processes whose solution can be rendered in algorithms. Aho (2012) also
considers the mental process included in CT relating to the transformation
of the problem to be solved, so that the formulation of the problem and its
solution can be expressed in the form of an algorithm.
Today, the following are referred to as CT’s basic dimensions:
1. The ability to think algorithmically
2. The ability to break the system into subsystems
3. The ability to think abstractly at different levels of abstraction
4. The ability to generalize solutions to similar phenomena-situations
5. The ability to evaluate the model in order to achieve optimization
Conclusion: It appears from the literature that CT is directly related to

problem solving.
In order to have an effective STEM approach, the interconnection of
subjects is not enough; the pedagogical approach that we apply has a
decisive role. The STEM educational approach is based on Experiential
Learning and applies Problem Solving models, by implementing exploratory
processes, with students working collaboratively in groups.
1.2 Why STEM?
In our age, the influence of science and technology on all aspects of

scientific, social, educational and economic life redefines relationships and
the quality of life for both individuals and societies.
People employed in the fields of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics promote a country's innovation and competitiveness, creating
new ideas, new businesses and new industries and play a key role in the
sustainable development and stability of the economy.
The July 2011 report of the United States Department of Commerce states
that in the past 10 years the increase in STEM jobs has been three times the
increase in non-STEM jobs. Employees with increased skills in STEM
disciplines are less likely to become unemployed than those in non-STEM
fields. In addition, the demand by companies for employees in these fields
is greater than the supply and availability.
The conclusions of the report in more detail are the following:
• In 2010, there were 7.6 million STEM employees in the United
States, corresponding to about 1 in 18 employees.
• STEM-related jobs are projected to increase by 17% between 2008

and 2018, while non-STEM-related occupations are expected to
increase by 9.8%.
• Employees in STEM subjects have higher salaries, earning 26% more
than other employees.
• Finally, graduates of STEM courses enjoy higher salaries, regardless
of whether they are employed in STEM-related occupations.
(Noonan, 2017)
Research data from the United Kingdom (Royal Academy of Engineering,
2016) have produced similar results, according to which, as recorded,
professions related to science, engineering and technology support the
economy as a whole. At the same time, even non-STEM employees were
selected because of their studies in the STEM disciplines. In 2014 the
Confederation of British Industry (CBI) points out that employees with STEM
skills are vital to the future of the country. In the future, employees will be
required to have as many STEM-related skills as possible, such as critical
thinking, logic, mathematical reasoning and numerical analysis, designing
and, more generally, a broader understanding of the scientific method.
1.3 STEM in Education
The STEM approach is an interdisciplinary approach to education that

breaks down traditional barriers between subjects and disciplines in order
to link STEM to digital technology education and STEAM activities to the
arts, humanities and social sciences. The STEM approach constitutes an
interdisciplinary approach to education, which breaks down traditional
barriers between subjects and disciplines in order to link STEM to digital
technology education and, through STEAM activities, to the arts, humanities
and social sciences.
This approach facilitates the combination of knowledge from STEM and

non-STEM fields of study, while also integrating experiential learning. The
STEAM approach enhances the better integration of the STEM disciplines
into the broader political, environmental, socio-economic and cultural
context.
The STEAM approach helps, on the one hand, to address critical shortage in
skills and, on the other, encourages the development of transversal skills,
which promote entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity.
(https://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/higher-education/relevant-and-
high-quality-higher-education_el).
Over the last three decades, curricula developed worldwide combine the
subjects of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in education.
In the course of time, these proposals have become more frequent and
more organized.
Starting from the USA, where since the beginning of the past decade we
have had a systematic integration of STEM approaches, on to other
countries integrating STEM and CT approaches in their curricula, while the
EU systematically promotes the integration of STEM at all levels of
education, both through research and education programmes and through
the policies it promotes.
A report by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
(ACARA) following the implementation of STEM pilot programmes in schools
(Royal Academy of Engineering, 2016), notes that an integrated STEM
approach connects school knowledge with the needs of students’ future
work environments, that students develop collaboration and
communication skills, and that it provides a rich environment for learning
and developing skills that students need as tomorrow's citizens and
employees.
At the same time, among the difficulties presented in the implementation

of an integrated STEM approach is the specialization which the staff
involved needs to have, both in the planning and the implementation
phases, and the requirement for a flexible curriculum without strict time
standards/specifications. (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Authority (ACARA), 2015)
The introduction of STEM approaches entails differentiation in the content
and the methodology of introducing the topics of STEM subjects in order to
make them more attractive for students, and especially girls, as well as for
teachers (Anderson, 2017). The use of digital technologies is probably one
of the most interesting ways to increase their interest in these areas through
the active participation of students. Meanwhile, research data show that
through this approach the use of technology as a means of attracting girls
to STEAM motivates them and is also one of the reasons we see an increased
level of girls' commitment to these subjects, as recorded in many empirical
research studies (Lee, 2012 ∙ Khine, 2019 ∙ Arnold & Reeves, 2014).
The RoboGirls project is fully aligned with the «Innovative Practices in the
Digital Age» priority as it promotes gender equality in the digital sector and
enhances girls' interest and enthusiasm in STEAM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) through the use of innovative educational
approaches and innovative technological tools. RoboGirls aims to reduce
inequalities between men and women in relation to their participation in
the STEAM industry. To achieve this, it starts at school age, giving boys and
girls opportunities to participate in STEAM activities, which will allow them
to get to know these areas and explore the possibility of pursuing studies or
a career in them in the future. To achieve the above, selected activities of
educational robotics, coding, and other applications of attractive innovative
online tools and activities are suggested, such as the use of an online,
gamified simulator with career options for girls to be developed as part of
this project. Teaching robotics and coding - which will be widely used for the
purposes of this project - has countless benefits, in the areas of ICT and
STEAM, but also in student development and learning development.
In addition, the project is in line with the priority "Increasing levels of
achievement and interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics", as its primary objective is to involve girls in STEAM practical
activities using technological tools and practical applications of science and
engineering, which is considered to be an attractive method of teaching and
learning for the 21st century. Robotics, including coding, provides an ideal
platform for introducing many STEAM concepts and activities, giving
students direct, physical, feedback on their actions, helping them to
understand and interact with difficult or complex issues. Through the
proposed activities, the confidence and self-esteem of the students is
strengthened, while the implementation of the activities and the use of the
materials allow them to enjoy the process and feel that they can follow a
relevant career in the future. Robogirls' activities target primary and
secondary schools.
Through participation in the project activities we have enhanced the
personal and professional development of teachers by empowering them,
training them and providing them with integrated tools, strategies and
training opportunities in digital technologies and the use of robotics and
other innovative ICT tools to use in the classroom with their students.
Through the proposed activities, teachers will be better prepared to address
inclusion and diversity through the use of varied and more student-centred
teaching. Teachers also have the opportunity to participate in learning,
teaching and training activities to be trained in the use of robotics and
coding to support the implementation of effective and innovative
pedagogical approaches through modern flexible interactive learning
environments.
Women in the STEM field

Research data and experience from partner countries and
the EU about women’s participation in STEM-related
professions
Each partner country has implemented an extended research concerning
women’s participation in STEM-related professions. Apart from data
gathered by an extensive desk research, there is evidence collected with the
use of statistical techniques, thus a comprehensive questionnaire along with
a focus group process.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, women are the minority of
researchers; they make fewer research scientific papers, get paid less for
their research, and do not progress as much as men in their careers
(UNESCO, 2020). As the UNESCO 2017 report (UNESCO, 2017) points out,
‘gender differences in STEM education participation at the expense of girls
are already visible in early childhood care and education and become more
visible at higher levels of education’. Existing data demonstrate that women
are globally underrepresented in fields of STEM, both in the number of
graduates (especially at Ph.D. level), and in research professions with
gender gaps generally more apparent in disciplines such as mathematics,
engineering and computer science; actually, they vary from country to
country due to the socio-cultural factors (UNESCO, 2015).
In relation to the total labour force, women are underrepresented
(according to Figure 1 below), in comparison to men, in the population of
scientists and engineers, although they are over-represented among the
tertiary education graduates, employed as professionals or technicians.
Inequalities between genders stand out more in science and engineering
occupations at both EU-28 level and country level. In the EU-28, the
difference between the proportions was 1.4 percentage points (4.5% were
male and 3.1% were female). The gender gap has widened slightly since
2013, when the proportions were 4.1% for men and 2.8 % for women. In
2017, six countries had a higher proportion of female than males among the
total labour force. The difference was the highest in Norway (6.7% female,
5.7% male) and Lithuania (4.0% female, 3.1% male). The highest difference
in favour of men was in Finland (8% male, 3.3% female), Luxemburg (7%
male, 2.3% female) and Switzerland (6.8%
Εικόνα 1: Proportions (%) of male and female scientists and

engineers among the total labour force, by sex, 2017 (European
Commission,2018)
male, 3.3% female). Differences of less than 0.5 percentage points can be
seen in our partner countries Croatia, Ireland and Spain, as well as other
countries: Latvia, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Sweden, North
Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey. In Cyprus the difference in percentage
is 0.6 and in Greece the percentages are 2.2% female and 3.5% male.
Despite the fact that IT jobs have increased and there is a shortage of
professionals in the field, women’s participation in the industry is declining.
Women’s underrepresentation in the designing of information systems is
considered to negatively contribute to the implementation of systems
which meet everybody’s needs. Some distorted views that keep women
away from IT are: “computing does not suit women”’, “computing is just
programming”, “computing is very difficult”, “a career in computing
requires many hours of computer use without significant human
interaction”. The lack of female role models, women’s less computer
experience and lower confidence in their capabilities in the field also
present significant obstacles. At home, boys are more encouraged to
become involved with computer science and are more likely to have a tech-
savvy father. With time, some of the above data may be changing but
women’s participation in IT remains low (Papastergiou, 2008).
This study investigated the motivations of Greek students to attend
academic studies in Computer Science (CS) and the impact of family and
school environment on students’ career choices. At the same time, gender
differences were examined in order to identify factors that may influence
boys’ and girls’ career choices. The participants were 358 Upper Secondary
School (Geniko Lykeio) students of both sexes who completed an
anonymous questionnaire. Data analysis showed that girls are less likely
than boys to study Computer Science. Little familiarity with the computer at
home and school is the main factor that prevents a girl. Also, when girls
show interest in Computer Science, this is mainly due to exogenous factors
(good career prospects) and not endogenous (interest in the subject).
Appropriate actions are proposed in order to increase the interest and
participation of girls in IT studies according to the findings. Some of these
are: to help students comprehend the fields of action of the subjects of
Computer Science (e.g. applications that make people’s lives better); to help
them understand that Computer Science is no more difficult than other
equally demanding careers; to improve the curriculum of Computer Science

(so that it becomes more attractive and its activities are in harmony with
girls’ interests); to change programming tools so that they become more
friendly (less coding); to enable students to follow the developments in
technology (e.g. IT conferences); to highlight women’s contribution; to
organize IT summer camps especially for girls; to achieve a continuous
networking of schools with women IT scientists (mentoring); to campaign
for equal opportunities for girls and boys in relation to Informatics
(Papastergiou, 2008).
Goulas, Griselda, & Megalokonomou (2020), in an extensive survey that
took place in Greece (in 123 upper high schools with the participation of
70,000 students), recorded that girls who have a comparative advantage in
the classroom in the STEM group of subjects are more likely to choose these
particular subjects for their studies or career. The results of this research,
among others, help us distinguish which points can be improved by a project
such as "RoboGirls", so that the choice of professional career by girls is made
on equal terms in the future. Based on the literature data, the difference in
the remuneration of men-women in STEM professions is pointed out, but
also that women do not want to choose highly competitive professions. In
OECD countries on average, in 2017, only 30% of new entrants to STEM
undergraduate programmes were women (OECD, 2019).
In the Delaney & Devereux research, an initial interpretation of the
differences in the choice of gender-related type of studies is that women
prefer certain types of studies or certain types of work stemming directly
from their field of studies. A number of recent surveys in various countries
have come up with the following: a. women tend to choose professions
oriented towards working with other people, whereas men are inclined to
choose professions which involve working with things (Kuhn & Wolter,
2020). b. women seem to have a comparative advantage in jobs which
require social and interpersonal skills. (Cortes, Jaimovich, & Siu, 2018). C.
Male-dominated professions are better paid, with women having lower

wage expectations. (Osikominu & Pfeifer, 2018). At the same time, they find
that gender differences in salary expectations are not the only way to
interpret the choice of studies in STEM fields, as their research shows that
there are other characteristics, such as flexibility at work, which also affect
women. An additional motivation for their choices is the opportunities or
difficulties they will encounter in starting a family along with their
professional employment.
Some of the suggestions that can be drawn from the above data and favour
the participation of women in the fields of STEM, are that girls should have
more STEM lessons at school, boost their confidence in mathematics, and
perhaps that the conditions for entry to higher education should be
different for girls than for boys, (already a fact for Cambridge University) in
STEM fields (Delaney & Devereux, 2021).
The Scoreboard of the European Commission «Women in the Digital Age»
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/women-digital-
scoreboard-2020 shows for Greece that women make up only 12.7% of ICT
experts compared to an average of 16.7% in the EU, while they earn 22%
less than men on average (compared to 19% in the EU). In total employment
in Greece in the year 2017, women ICT specialists accounted for 0.4%,
compared to 2.5% of men.
In the EU, 57% of tertiary graduates are women, but only 24.9% of them
graduate in ICT- related fields, and very few enter the sector. Women make
up 13% of the graduates in ICT- related fields working in digital jobs
compared to 15% in 2011 (https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/84bd6dea-2351-11e8-ac73-01aa75ed71a1).
The conclusions that emerged from the Greek focus group on which factors
shaped the participants' study and career choices were: inclination / love
for specific subjects (eg Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry), creative
curiosity, inspiration or encouragement by teachers (the phenomenon of

the encouraging and charismatic teacher -role model- who supported them
but also became a model in their education and career decisions),
participation in innovative programmes and groups, the unwavering belief
that these objects offer good career prospects and the catalytic effect of the
family environment (either by offering a role model or by constantly
encouraging their choices)
If we quantify the view of the focus group that men in Greece compared to
women are favoured in the choice of study or career in fields related to the
STEM disciplines, the percentage in favour of this view would be very large.
With few exceptions, women believe that they face barriers due to a
number of factors: gender stereotypes, lack of professional orientation,
reduced engagement in the STEM disciplines (games - computers -
constructions) from an early age, prevention from the family and wider
social environment, obstacles to women's professional careers (delay in
promotions, being sidelined at work or excluded from some projects due to
their gender), lack of support through networks or groups of their
counterparts, with whom they would share common experiences.
A similar situation prevails in Cyprus in the labour sector.
The share of women graduates in STEM- related fields is significantly lower
than men. According to the Gender Equality report 2019, Cyprus ranks
lowest among the EU countries regarding women representation in the
STEM field. In particular, 4% of women, in contrast to 27% of men, work in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Reinking and Martin (2018) discuss the theories related to the gender gap
in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), which begins in
childhood, with defined gender roles for boys and girls from an early age.
During adolescence, students seek acceptance and therefore peer groups’
feedback regarding positive or negative support may influence their choice
of studies. The third theory relies on the lack of STEM Professional women
representatives in the field, a fact that affects girls’ career path decision.
In the EU, gender gap in STEM-related professions is a crucial matter of
discussion since it has been found to affect the GDP, levels of employment
and productivity (European Institute of Gender Equality). Increasing the
participation of women in STEM subjects would contribute to an increase in
EU GDP, EU employment would rise, and productivity would increase since
female STEM graduates often advance into high positions. Higher
productivity would result in higher wages, leading to the closure of the
gender wage gap by 2050.
Even though the gender pay gap recorded in Cyprus is lower (14%) than the
average gap in the EU (16%), it is still a long way to gender equality. Women
face lower hourly earnings, work fewer hours in paid jobs and deal with
lower employment rates.
In Cyprus's case, the educational system is fully aligned with boys’ and girls'
equal treatment. However, the school could not be a place free of social
stereotypes and gender inequalities. As a social entity, it can transfer social
values and establish certain beliefs and attitudes. Boys are more interested
in STEM-related lessons at an early age, which results in following a career
in the field. Girls, on the other hand, are considered to perform better in
theoretical lessons such as Language, History etc. Therefore, women are still
underrepresented in Higher education in the field of Science and
Engineering while they are overrepresented in Health, Arts and Social and
Human sciences.
Since the difference is not due to biological factors, cultural and social norms
seem to influence both boys’ and girls’ perceptions about their abilities, role
in society and career (UNESCO, 2017). The qualitative gender study
conducted by the Mediterranean Institute of Gender studies in Cyprus
(2018), suggests that teachers’ and students’ beliefs can foster gender
stereotypes in the school context. In particular, among other gender

stereotypes, the connection between the caring skills and women/girls,
boys’ practicality and innate strength and against girls’ aesthetic point of
view reproduce the social norms in regards to their preferences and choices
for their professional career. Boys are more likely to become technicians
and engineers, whereas s girls teachers and nurses. The gender gap is wider
in Information and Communication Technologies and Engineering,
Manufacturing and Construction fields. Natural Sciences, Mathematics and
Statistics degrees are more popular among women (Eurostat, 2018).
‘Gender stereotypes’ is considered the most dominant reason for the
underrepresentation of women in STEM- related fields in the case of Cyprus.
Although, in primary education, boys and girls do not have different
attitudes towards STEM, indeed girls often outperform boys in grades and
actual performance in ICT tasks, it is quite interesting that fewer girls
interested in STEM-related subjects at the beginning of upper secondary
education (Zacharia et al., 2020). In schools, STEM subjects are viewed as
masculine and teachers as well as parents tend to underestimate a girl's
abilities, whereas they are encouraged to succeed in reading and writing
tasks. Thus, over the years, the STEM field has become male-dominated and
women do not feel that such an area is attractive or provides support and a
secure environment for women.
According to Aggeli (2018) the school curriculum should serve as a means to
promote gender equality. At the moment in Cyprus, all subjects in at all
educational levels lack women role models. Examples of women in STEM
such as female scientists, engineers and mathematicians would empower
and inspire young girls to follow a STEM career potentially. A systematic
education on gender equality issues is needed to combat gender
stereotypes. Since gender stereotypes are well-established, educators
should get trained on gender equality issues, acknowledging the power of
verbal expression in reducing gender segregation in the classroom.
Lastly and most importantly, the whole educational system is considered a

challenge. Traditional education is followed in the schools of Cyprus. This
conventional learning approach relies on repetition and memorisation of
information concluding with a written or oral evaluation. During the
learning process, learners are encouraged to mainly be active listeners to
the educator's lesson. However, the traditional techniques seem to be
unable to promote and develop the 21st century skills required to raise
active and critical critically thinking citizens of tomorrow. Citizenship
education and social issues are discussed in many occasions but the current
educational system focuses on the student’s academic performance and
less attention is paid to the development of holistic personalities.
Very encouraging results arise from the Eurostat latest report (2018) about
women scientists and engineers in Cyprus. Specifically, women’s proportion
(42%) is rated above the EU average (41%).
Participants of the Cyprian focus group mentioned that even though their
career decision was based on personal preference and interests, they
strongly believe that gender stereotypes exist for women in STEM
professions. In Cyprus, the STEM field is considered male-dominated since
most men choose to follow a STEM profession in contrast to the share of
women. They also stated that gender inequalities weren’t a matter of
concern during their school years. Still, the issue became more visible and
intense in the work environment where women are underrepresented in
the STEM field. Specific examples were given about how men think of a
woman working in STEM and how their approach changes when talking to a
woman. In addition to that, a woman needs to work harder to prove her
abilities to men in critical positions of the field.
In Croatia women are undrpresented in STEM fields. Statistical data of the
Central Institute of Statistics from 2018 show that the representation of
women graduating from college at the level of master's, doctorate or
academy is 66.08%. However, when we look at the data on the

representation of women enrolled in STEM faculties in Croatia is 13%, while
the same figure for the EU is higher and amounts to 17.2%. When we talk
about our Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, the
representation of female students is about 23%. From the above data we
conclude that despite the fact that women lead in the highly educated
sector in Croatia by as much as 16%, they are far less represented in the
fields of STEM science, and especially in the IT sector.
According to the study on women in ICT in Croatia (E-Hrvatska -Žene i IKT
Sektor, n.d.), only 16 % of students in ICT studies are female, far less than
an average of 59% considering all the faculties where they make up the
majority of the student body. Still females are a minority in all educational
levels in ICT, 25% concerning PhD, 35% concerning a Master of Science
Degree and 36% highschool education. For women in ICT it is more likely to
have a faculty diploma than women in other fields. Also, women make up
only 21% of teaching staff in ICT and 47% in general. In ICT women make up
34% of the working body, while in general 45%. The average paycheck is
11% lower for women than men. In ICT specifically, women are paid 13 %
less in Croatia, while 15% in France, and 18% in the UK.
According to (Žene u IT industriji, 2019), reasons for women not choosing
STEM are numerous, among which stereotypes, gender bias and
sociological-cultural complexes. The Commission's study ‘Women in the
digital age’ (2018) (Anonymous, 2018) confirms this trend, with only 24 out
of every 1000 female tertiary graduates having studied an ICT-related
subject — of which only six go on to work in the digital sector. The study's
findings show a decrease in this number when compared to 2011. The study
also found that if more women were to enter the digital jobs market, it could
create an annual €16 billion GDP boost for the European economy (Women
in Digital, 2014). In view of the findings from the study, the Commission
outlined a strategy to increase women's participation in the digital sector,
focusing on: challenging digital gender stereotypes, promoting digital skills

and education and advocating for more women entrepreneurs (Women in
Digital, 2014).
The study (E-Hrvatska -Žene i IKT Sektor, n.d.) also addressed managers'
viewpoint of women and men employees, more precisely their
characteristics such as being fast in solving problems, and professional.
Most employers considered women better in skills such as being
communicative, responsible, organized, cooperative, analytic, focused,
flexible, team workers and creative, while men were considered better
professionals and faster in solving problems. Employers attribute the lack of
women in ICT to the perception of ICT as male occupation (24%), to
preference of male professionals (21%), to men being more successful in
math and informatics (20%), to non-attractive educational programmes
(9%), to women not being able to commit as much as men (6%), to women
not being interested (5%) etc. (E-Hrvatska -Žene i IKT Sektor, n.d.).
The situation of women in the IT industry in Croatia is not significantly
different from the situation in the rest of the European Union. In the ICT
sector in Croatia, οne in seven employees is a woman, and in the European
Union every sixth (Žene u IT industriji, 2019); only 14.3% of employees in
the IT sector in Croatia. Although in Croatia as well as in the EU the
representation of men in the IT industry is still higher, we record an increase
in the representation of women and their interest in the future of the IT
industry. Croatia is trying to encourage girls to become interested in the IT
field in various ways, one of the projects being ‘Become an IT girl too’
(“Postani i TI, Djevojka IT!”, n.d.) where women from various private and
public institutions shared their experiences and views on the position and
representation of women in the IT sector. Another contribution to the
development and encouragement of women to join the IT sector is Croatia's
support to the European initiative and the signing of the Declaration of
Commitment to Women in the Digital World on 15th May, 2019.
In Spain, according to UNESCO data (between 2014 and 2016), only about
30% of all female students choose higher education in the field of science,
technology, engineering and mathematics. At University, the gap seems to
be even bigger. Despite the fact that 55% of University students are women,
only a 13% of the Spanish students who choose a degree related to STEAM
are women (EuropaPress). Although the top positions in terms of female
enrolment are occupied by Health Sciences (70.3%), Arts and Humanities
(61.6%) and Social and Legal Sciences (59.8%), we encounter a serious
problem when we move into the "more technical" degrees. Sciences
continues with 59% of women, which is not an insignificant figure, but
Engineering and Architecture reduces the female presence to 24.8%, 34.2
points below the national average.
The European average of women in scientific research is 30%. Spain is the
fourth country in the European Union in terms of the presence of women in
scientific research, with almost 50% of women scientists. However, progress
has been very slow and costly. Since 2002, this figure has increased by only
11%, with the last few years being the highest. For example, in 2016, women
in scientific research accounted for less than 40%, and in 2019, 41%. This
data, however, is worrying when we look at positions of responsibility. For
example, almost 80% of University Chairs are held by men, leaving just over
20% of women in universities. The majority of women in science are in
health sciences, with 72%.
In Ireland, while there is a general upswing in the number of students
choosing STEM subjects in their College applications, the respective
preference of girls remains low. Figures from a UCD Study reveal that over
40% of boys list a STEM course versus just 19% of girls.
The report also found that there is a substantial gender gap in listing a STEM
course as first preference (22 percentage points) that focuses on the areas
of engineering, technology and mathematics – boys and girls are equally

likely to list science.
Boys are much more likely to do physics, design graphics, engineering,
building construction, and applied mathematics, subjects that are strongly
predictive of later studying STEM in college. Even two years before college
entry, there are systematic gender differences in decision-making that lead
to boys being more likely to choose STEM disciplines.
Unsurprisingly, the trend continues into academia. Statistics from the
European University Institute show that while half of the academic staff at
lecturer-level are female, women comprise a mere 19% of full
professorships. WITS Ireland writes “Since only 1 in 6 engineering graduates
is a woman, the numbers of female engineering professors are even worse.”
In Ireland, currently, there are approximately 117,800 people across the
country who work in jobs that require STEM skills. However, the Central
Statistics Office (CSO) reports that just 25% of these roles are performed by
women. There is also a “marked under-representation” of women
occupying senior-level positions across the various STEM sectors.
A 2019 report conducted by the STEM Education Review Group of Ireland
revealed that there was a significant drop-off in interest in STEM subjects at
Leaving Certificate, especially by women. When we look at specific
industries, 13% of 2018 engineering graduates were women and 12% of
engineering professionals were women in 2019, according to Engineers
Ireland. This reveals a severe lack of representation across graduate and
workforce level. In IT, 21% of ICT specialists in 2017 were women, which had
been 30% in 2004, according to statistics from the European Institute of
Gender Equality.
There is also strong evidence of a leaky pipeline and poor retention for
women in top level jobs in Ireland. The HEA reported that just 1% of full
professors are women and 17% of CEOs are women. Another report,
conducted by Grant Thornton International entitled 2020 Women in
Business, found that 18% of Irish businesses in 2020 still have no women in
senior management roles, an increase from 8% in 2019, and 17% of
businesses have just one woman in a senior management role.
When we look at gender pay gap figures, there are also drastic imbalances.
According to Gender Pay Gap statistics, the average hourly pay was 13.9%
lower for women than men in Ireland 2014. In 2018, the European
Commission released She Figures that revealed the pay gap between
women and men working in scientific research and development positions
in Ireland is the largest in the European Union, with women earning on
average 30 per cent less than men.
Opportunities and Challenges to enhance women's

participation in related fields
In Greece, in order to close the STEM gender gap, further reforms in
education, mentoring and academic publishing are demanded. A few good
practices are summarized by projects conducted in Greece with the aim to
promote gender equality in STEM projects: 1. Integration of STEM fields in
education, actions aimed at enhancing the engagement of girls in STEM
subjects and professions, the introduction of more women in technology
education, 2. Integration in the curriculum of topics aiming at eliminating
social stereotypes, enforcement of equal participation and representation
of women in the labour market, 3. Creation and support of women’s
empowerment programmes which combine guidance along with education
by highlighting the female role.
Application and implementation to formal education of Programmes with a
similar orientation, starting from pre-school education on to the next levels,
setting the requirements for reinforcement of school education in the STEM

field, including axes such as ‘Scientific Education’ to attract more young
people to science by promoting innovative pedagogical methods. A big
emphasis is placed on integrating them all and on addressing the challenges
faced by young people, like Gender Equality for the elimination of
stereotypes, which, as observed, create discriminations against women in
areas such as their careers in science and research fields or role-taking in
institutions and decision-making centers.
The dimension of ‘Science Education’ and ‘Gender Equality’, through the
value framework of Education for Sustainability and the adoption of the 17
UN Sustainable Development Goals – by shaping responsible, active, and
critically thinking citizens to ensure prosperity all over the world – form the
appropriate framework for the development of Curricula for all levels of
education in the fields of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Technology
(European Commission, 2015; Jiménez Iglesias and Pinzi, 2016).
Additionally, as stated in the Report to the European Commission of Group
of Experts on Education in Sciences (Kupper et al., 2015), teaching Science
with a view, among other things, to cultivate citizenship through the
principles of Responsible Research ought to start with pre-school education.
Starting from pre-school education, in Science Curriculum (Hellenic
“Pedagogical Institute”, 2011) it is stated that the purpose of teaching them
is to support the «scientific ‘literacy’» of infants «…so that they can
systematically explore and comprehend basic functions, solve problems,
form critical thinking and make decisions which highlight the
interdependence among science, technology and society», while pursuing
the development of a positive attitude towards science, the systematic
organization of experiences and the awareness of the cultural dimension of
science.
It is, thus, evident that the social dimension of Science is included in the
philosophy of the Curriculum. Educators are encouraged, through various,
suggested activities, to highlight this dimension and it is recommended that
all students should be included. Moreover, in the context of
interdisciplinarity, wherever Science is connected to the “Personal and
Social Development” Learning Area, it is argued that providing pre-school
children with every opportunity to express their ideas is important because
it promotes negotiating and co-constructing concepts, it supports individual
initiatives and collective actions and it is inextricably linked to the
perception each child forms of his/her personal identity.
Familiarization of educators and students with the scientific methodology
and inquiry-based learning adopts educational practices concerning the
students’ practice in the processes of observation and experimental
research, the use of tools and instruments, the formulation of hypotheses,
recording and drawing logical conclusions, but also the students’
collaboration with members of the scientific community, which brings them
closer to various scientific disciplines like Biology, Physics, Mathematics,
Chemistry, Technology, their representatives and the subject itself.
The Greek Focus Group, despite the fact that most of its members had been
involved in STEM projects in the past, ruled almost universally that the
Greek education system does not sufficiently support the introduction of
the STEM approach. The recorded positive points from the implementation
of these activities include: the practice of students in scientific
methodology, the development of critical thinking, the connection of school
knowledge with everyday life, the personal participation of students in the
processes of exploration / discovery and problem solving through the use of
scientific practices, the increase of students' interest and cooperation, the
increased participation of students with learning disabilities, a change of
attitude towards Science, the children's stimulation due to the constructive
nature of several activities that allow direct control of cases, the emergence
of interdisciplinarity.
There was an identification of the group members in the perception that the
culture of the school units, and especially the supportive management of
the schools, are factors that favour and facilitate the STEM approach. If we
wanted to single out one of the many suggestions (some of them implied)
to promote the participation of girls in STEM, then this would be the
existence of a role model.
The Cyprian Focus Group mentioned the following practices to be used in
STEM/STEAM activities for both genders:
• Opportunities for both boys and girls (e.g. participation in STEM

competitions, games).
• Collaborative learning in STEM courses with mixed groups (boys and
girls) Training kids from an early age and engaging them in STEM
practices.
• No discriminations between male and female teachers regarding
the lessons and age of students they teach.
• Integration of technology to increase students' participation and
draw girls' attention (software, online tools, robots, etc.).
• Teacher's behavior and how he/she handles certain situations every
day (not just in STEM classes).
• Provision of female and male representatives in the STEM field.
• The perception that a profession is either female or male should be
eliminated (e.g. a scientist is a man but a cleaner is a woman, not
only male names in Science).
• Interdisciplinary teaching approaches (Problem-based learning,
challenge-based learning, and Inquiry- based learning).
The current primary research was driven by two main research questions:
• What school factors can contribute to encouraging girls’

participation in STEM professions?
• What are the best educational practices that can promote girls'
participation in STEM fields?
In order to address the above-mentioned questions, a field research was
conducted with the participation of primary school teachers and
researchers with experience in STEM/STEAM field and women in STEM
professions. Initially, the participants discussed the underrepresentation of
women in the STEM field focusing on gender discriminations in Education.
Teachers may affect student’s beliefs and attitudes on certain topics either
positively or negatively. This depends on the teacher's mentality and
cultural background. Since a teacher is considered a person capable of
influencing both boys and girls, they can encourage girls' participation in
STEM professions.
A great number of suggestions were made, among others the use of
technology (educational software, online tools, equipment) in the learning
process as a means to increase all students’ engagement and the integration
of interdisciplinary approaches such as the Problem or Inquiry-based
learning approach to teach a new STEM/STEAM concept. Participants paid
much attention to the necessity of providing more women role models who
succeeded in STEM. Collaborative learning in mixed groups is crucial in order
to encourage all students to actively engage and be present throughout the
learning process. Furthermore, reforms in the school curriculum in terms of
the content are also required to shift from the traditional approaches to
new and contemporary teaching methodologies. In this way, teachers will
have more flexibility in preparing and delivering interdisciplinary lessons
and utilizing STEAM and relevant approaches.
In Croatia, the goal is that girls don't feel that some areas are better suited
for boys or others for girls; equality in everyday language is the best tool to
make sure that there is no prejudice relating to some fields of science or
some professions or interests. Therefore, girls that decide to step into the
STEM fields need to be encouraged and that is achieved through different
projects and competitions.
The Girls in STEM (Djevojčice u STEM-u, n.d.) project, aimed for seventh-
and eighth-grade girls, was created with the desire to awaken or deepen the
love of mathematics and natural sciences, and to develop 21st century
competencies such as collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and
communication. There are 2 segments of the project, a knowledge
competition and a mini-research project. Each team consisted of four
students that could participate in just one or both segments. In 2020, a
knowledge competition was held on March 9 to mark International
Women's Day. Knowledge was tested through 20 logical tasks, five from
school subjects, namely biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. Tasks
followed the curriculum, therefore were appropriate for the age of the
participants. In the scope of the second segment, teams carried out a mini-
research project on a topic of their choice, by following the stages of the
research project. After the research, digital posters were made in a tool of
their choice and sent to the organizer. The best works were awarded a prize
on April 23rd, International Girls' Day in ICT. Another activity included in the
project was: celebrating the International day of women and girls in science
(International Day of Women and Girls in Science, n.d.).
The question of attracting females to the ICT industry is also addressed
through panels and mentorship within the Ladies of New Business
conference (“Ladies of New Business,” n.d.).
The Pyxie Dust Project project (Pyxie Dust Project - Početna | Facebook,
n.d.) started in 2014 to transform girls from just consumers of technology
to producers by creating events across Croatia. The project is oriented
towards teen girls aged 13 to 18 who would like to learn to programme and
perhaps build a career in technology by giving them a chance to code &

more.
The Central State Office for the Development of the Digital Society
organized a roundtable discussion at the Student Center on May 21st, 2019,
with the aim of highlighting the importance of the position of women in the
digital society. The round table was intended for girls from the upper grades
of high schools, who had the opportunity to hear the experiences of women
from the IT industry first hand. In addition, it sought to highlight the issue of
insufficient engagement and representation of women in the digital world
as well as to create female role models in the field of ICT among the younger
female population (Žene u IT industriji, 2019).
In Ireland, research reveals that subject choices for Leaving Certificate are
the most important determinant of the portion of the gender gap. While
this may partly reflect the differing subjects that are available in separate
schools for girls and boys, the finding of similar subject choice differences in
mixed-gender schools (and an even larger STEM gender gap) suggests that
availability of subjects is not an important consideration. To the extent that
subject choices have a causal effect on STEM College choices, policy
interventions to reduce the STEM gender gap would need to be
implemented when students are choosing Leaving Certificate subjects
rather than later when they are considering what to study in college.
Role Models/Stereotype: A lack of role models is often cited as a
contributing factor to low female participation in STEM. 83% of girls believe
that Role Models are important when choosing STEM. Research from PwC
shows that 4 out of 5 university students can’t name a single woman
working in tech today. What’s more, analysis from See Jane found that men
made up 62.9% of STEM characters in film, television, and streaming
content versus just 37.1% of women. From a young age, girls are exposed to
negative gender stereotypes around STEM. These stereotypes may be
reinforced through the media (e.g. underrepresentation of women in STEM

roles on TV), education (e.g. no provision of physics classes in secondary
school), or through conversations with influential adults (e.g. family
members, teachers etc.)
Girls Hack Ireland (@GirlsHackIRL) is a programme funded by Science
Foundation Ireland. The aim is to deliver a range of exciting, creative and
supportive workshops to teenage girls aged 13 – 17. The workshops
introduce science, technology, engineering and maths to those who don’t
have much experience in the area. There is special focus on technology –
teaching some coding as well as working with sensors and wearable
technologies.
“I WISH” is a volunteer-led community committed to showcasing the power
of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths to female secondary school
students. It is a showcase event run over 4 days in Ireland where to date
they have hosted 22,000 girls from 26 counties. Thousands of female
students attended the 2020 I WISH conference, opening their eyes to a
career in STEM. The sixth annual conference was held in Dublin with 6,000
female students in attendance.
For Spain the solution could be to place more emphasis on open-ended
assessments that allow students, especially girls, to demonstrate their
competence through word problems or writing, where they feel more
confident. Focusing on the interdisciplinary and problem-focused nature of
STEM is the key. Project-based learning will motivate women in their
personal development as scientists as they will be able to relate scientific
problems to real-life problems. In this way, they will acquire skills that will
enable them to improve as scientists and allow them to see themselves in a
future career in the STEAM field. The emergence of new female role models
will awaken women's interest in the STEAM areas. Teachers can ask for
individual or group work to develop a research about important female
scientists and their contribution to STEAM. It could also be a good idea to

use female mathematicians or scientists’ images throughout the classroom
material. Another suggestion may be for teachers to promote the idea that
brilliance in STEAM areas has to do with training developed through
practice, rather than through an innate ability that may vary between men
and women.
To sum up, we indicate the following as good practices:
• to cultivate horizontal skills e.g. development of social and

communication skills, critical and creative thinking,
• to offer students the possibility to express themselves, to
communicate, to collaborate in teams (Pancratz and Diethelm,
2018),
• to produce a common team product,
• to practice designing and conducting experiments and laboratory
exercises and field work,
• to get involved in problem-solving educational activities and
projects,
• to learn about pioneering women in science, mathematics and
technology and their achievements,
• to learn Science through theatre
https://portal.opendiscoveryspace.eu/en/osos-project/learning-
science-through-theater-855685),
• to formulate a core curriculum that integrates STEM activities in
different subject areas,
• to educate and train teachers to handle matters of unconscious
bias.
Overview of STEM strategies across Europe

STEM strategies in partner countries
In Greece, in the context of the National Digital Strategy (2016-2021 –
Hellenic Ministry of Digital Policy, Telecommunications and Information,
General Secretariat for Digital Policy,
http://www.epdm.gr/el/Documents/EP_MDT/GR-Digital-Strategy_2016-
2021.pdf), which is the roadmap for the digital development of Greece, the
reinforcement of students' digital skills is referred to as a "vital priority".
With regard to school education, the National Strategy proposes the
development of educational approaches, such as STEM, for the cultivation
of skills and development of students' inclinations and talents in the fields
of Science, Mathematics, Technology and Engineering, among others, and
through the organization of student competitions in technological
innovation and digital skills. Also, Eurydice National Country Report sets as
school priority the promotion and acquisition of skills and competencies, by:
addressing underachievement in Maths, Science and literacy through
effective and innovative teaching and assessment; promoting
entrepreneurship education; fostering critical thinking, especially through
teaching STEM-related subjects, as well as science in environmental and/or
cultural context (Eurydice National Education Systems, ONGOING REFORMS
AND POLICY INITIATIVES (https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-
policies/eurydice/content/ongoing-reforms-and-policy-developments-
27_en, January 2021 ).
In Croatia, The School for Life (Škola Za Život - Program “Škola Za Život” Je
Jedan Od Prvih Koraka, n.d.), an experimental program carried out by the
Ministry of Science and Education, started in the school year 2018/2019. 48
primary and 26 secondary schools from all counties in Croatia participate in
the “School for Life”. The experimental programme is conducted in the 1st
and 5th grade of primary schools and in the 7th grade for the STEM subjects
of biology, chemistry and physics. In secondary schools, it is conducted in
the 1st grade of grammar school in all subjects and in the 1st grade of four-
year vocational schools in general education subjects. It also conducts
applies digitalization of the classrooms: every classroom should be
equipped with tablets. The aim of the experimental programme is to check
the applicability of new curricula and forms of working methods and new
teaching aids with regard to the following objectives: 1. increasing students’
competencies in problem solving; 2. increasing student satisfaction at
school and motivating their teachers. The use of information and
communication technology includes efficient, appropriate, timely,
responsible and creative use of information and communication technology
in all subjects, areas and at all levels of education. Children and young
people are supported for independent, conscious, creative and responsible
learning and the realization of educational expectations. Using technology,
independently or with the support of teachers and parents, they decide
where, when and in what way to learn, which greatly contributes to the
development of a sense of responsibility, a sense of self-integrity and a
digital identity. The four domains of this cross-curricular theme
(Međupredmetne Teme – Škola Za Život, n.d.) are interconnected and build
on each other to ensure the systematic development of general digital
literacy for children and young people. Domains can be easily linked to the
contents of different subject areas and other cross-curricular topics. In some
components they overlap, but each domain has its own characteristics and
affects the development of specific knowledge, skills and attitudes related
to the use of ICT. They are: A. Functional and responsible use of ICT B.
Communication and collaboration in the digital environment C. Research
and critical evaluation in the digital environment D. Creativity and
innovation in the digital environment. Some of the results (Kratki Prikaz
Rezultata Inicijalne Analize Upitnika – Škola Za Život, n.d.) of the
experimental trial from 11.12.2018.- 24.2.2019. where there were 3957,

54,5% female and 45,5% male students taking part: • 90% of students heard
for ‘School for life’ most of them have smartphone and computer and 85%
of the students are easily using technology • 94% 5th grade students
recognized that there is something different in the school programme, 70%
is for 7th grade and 1st grade high school students • 90% of students prefer
group projects • 90% of them think that the teachers take good care of them
and that they feel free to ask them for help. There are also STEM
scholarships (Stem stipendije | FAQ, n.d.) that are state scholarships
awarded by the Ministry of Science and Education to full-time students,
Croatian citizens, citizens of the European Union with registered residence
in the Republic of Croatia who have approved alien status in the Republic of
Croatia, and persons in accordance with the International and Temporary
Protection Act enrolled in higher education institutions in the Republic of
Croatia for undergraduate university, integrated undergraduate and
graduate university and undergraduate professional studies in STEM fields
of science.
In Cyprus STEM is an interdisciplinary teaching approach that integrates
four disciplines: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM
education promotes experiential learning through problem solving
processes.
The PISA international survey (2018) indicates that Cyprus is among the
countries with a higher percentage of low achievers. In particular and
according to the OECD’s report data (Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development, 2018), Cyprus scored below the average in
both Mathematics (43rd/78 countries) and Science (47th/78 countries).
Based on the European report on Education (2019), Cyprus has one of the
lowest proportions of science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) graduates in the EU.
The share of women graduates in STEM- related fields is significantly lower

than men. According to the Gender Equality report 2019, Cyprus ranks
lowest among the EU countries regarding women representation in the
STEM field. In particular, 4% of women, in contrast to 27% of men, work in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Thinking of the scientists over the years, it is a list of men (e.g. Pythagoras,
Hippocrates, and Aristotle) with fewer women (e.g. Curie, Mead). A recent
study showed that women are perceived as less similar to a scientist figure
than men are, and that they possess fewer of the characteristics necessary
to be successful scientists than men do (Carli et al., 2016). This happens due
to different stereotypes held by people about women, particularly in
scientific fields considered to be more masculine than feminine. Evidence
indicates that girls have been entering the STEM field at an increasing rate
over the last years. However, major gender inequalities still exist, despite
large efforts made over the past decades to narrow the gender gap in STEM
(UNESCO, 2017). UNESCO’s latest report shows that less than 30% of the
world’s researchers are women. In higher education, only 35% of all
students enrolled in STEM-related fields are female. Also, the Nobel Prize
has been awarded to women 58 times since 1901 and men 876 times.
Reinking and Martin (2018) discuss the theories related to the gender gap
in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) which begins in
childhood. The social environment consisted of families and friends, frames
boys’ and girls’ gender roles at an early age. During adolescence, students
seek acceptance and therefore peer groups’ feedback regarding positive or
negative support may influence their lessons choices. The third theory relies
on the lack of STEM Professional women representations in the field, a fact
that affects girls’ career path decision.
Women continue to experience gender bias, even if they outperform men
in undergraduate STEM classrooms, while men continue to be perceived as
equal or better students in physical science courses (Bloodhart et al., 2020).

This happens due to the stereotypes that have been formed in regard to
men’s and women’s inner abilities and talents. In accordance with that, the
well-established belief that boys perform better in math than girls, can
affect women's mathematical confidence and contribute to the high
quitting rate from STEM university classes. On the other hand, if women
persist in STEM the same way men do, women’s participation in the STEM
fields will increase (Ellis, Fosdick & Rasmussen, 2016).
With the aim to bridge the gender gap, the newly formed Deputy Ministry
of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy in Cyprus expressed its strong will
to promote the qualitative participation of girls and women in the STEM
field. The committee believes that women's development in STEM skills will
set the foundation for women to likely follow a relevant career path in their
lives and enhance the availability of experts in the field, meeting the
increased employment needs in the ICT area in a digital society.
In Spain the main strategy implemented is ChicaSTEM, an initiative that
seeks to promote learning and interest in the STEM field among girls and
young women, making initiatives related to the promotion of scientific and
technological vocations among younger girls visible. These activities are
mainly based on information and dissemination provided by women who
are dedicated to these subjects, without involving students to generate
interest on their part towards the STEAM field. In the Community of Madrid
there is an educational plan called STEMadrid aimed at promoting teaching
these subjects (EducaMadrid, 2016). To this end, a network of schools has
been created in order to work together to carry out projects in the field of
science, technology, science and mathematics. Among other activities,
prizes are awarded annually to those centers that carry out innovative
initiatives in STEM teaching.
In both cases, the absence of a concrete plan to promote STEAM lessons is

striking, with little incentive to develop innovative proposals.
Contribution to the STEM curriculum

The educational system in Greece is centrally designed and followed by all
schools, leaving them a small degree of autonomy. The curricula for all
schools are common and taught from specific textbooks. Respectively,
schedule programmes give a limited number of teaching hours and those
only in the lower classes of primary education, in which teachers have some
amount of freedom as to the subjects they will teach according to the needs
of their class. In recent years, the amount of curriculum of most school
subjects has been limited so as to enable teachers to apply alternative
approaches. It is in schools participating in research programmes that there
is greater freedom. These schools are offered the opportunity to apply and
try alternative approaches. In the current curricula of both pre-school and
primary education in Greece, as well as in the educational material that is
common for all schools, while there is an interdisciplinary direction, we do
not have interdisciplinary methodological approaches. (Hellenic
“Pedagogical Institute”, 2003). At the same time, there has been a
development of more modern curricula which describe activities that
correspond to the philosophy of STEM education, however, there is no
officially structured integration in schools. (Ηellenic “Institute of
Educational Policy” (IEP). 2014.; Patrinopoulos, Iatrou, 2019).
In Croatia, the school curriculum (Kurikulumi – Škola Za Život, n.d.) was
revised and partially restructured a few years ago, as a part of the School
for life (hr. Škola za život) experimental government programme. The
programme puts an emphasis on increasing students' satisfaction at school,
their competencies in problem solving, and motivating teachers to
implement new methods and teaching aids, especially in the STEM areas.
In Mathematics some of the topics covered by the official curriculum include

numbers, algebra and functions, measurements and units of measure,
probability and statistics, the development of a sense of space and
geometry, as well as connecting with topics of other subjects and
development of algorithmic thinking and ability to abstract the real world.
Informatics became an obligatory subject in Croatia in 2018. Main goals of
the subject are improving computer literacy in young learners, development
of the ability to select and apply the most appropriate technology to solve a
given problem, development of critical thinking, innovation and
computational thinking, as well as basic computer and internet security and
responsible communication in a digital environment. There are four main
topics: information and digital technology, computational thinking and
programming, digital literacy and communication, and e-society.
Science (1st-4th grade: Nature & society, 5th-6th: Nature) from 1st till 4th
grade pupils have a Science subject called 'Nature and Society' where they
learn to ask questions about nature and changes that are happening around
them, discovering the connection and interdependence of processes and
phenomena in the natural and social environment, exploring and caring for
the world in which he/she lives, getting to know oneself and one's
relationship to others and the environment, information, critical thinking
and responsible action, respect for the equality and rights of all people and
acceptance of diversity. In 5th and 6th grade “Nature and society”
transforms into “Nature”, and finally splits into Physics, Chemistry and
Biology in the 7th grade. Nature has four main topics of interest:
Organization of nature, Processes and interactions, Energy and Natural
scientific approach.
Biology: in 7th grade students have to learn, among others, about the
evolutionary overview of the living world, survival and interrelationship of
living beings and the environment. Physics: starting at 7th grade (age 12-
13), Physics develops the ability of pupils to explain physical phenomena

based on conducting and evaluating an experiment or research, and their
ability to interpret the scientific data gathered from the experiments.
Chemistry: Teaching and learning Chemistry are carried out through many
organizational areas. Technical education is a subject taught from 5th to the
8th grade of primary school. Through 35 hours per school year, students
learn about three main topics: Creations and technologies, technology and
quality of life (the relationship between people, technology and nature,
sustainable development, traffic safety) and designing and documenting.
In Cyprus, the school curriculum includes the subjects of Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at all educational levels.
Beginning with primary education, in the mathematics curriculum (MOEC,
2016) students explore mathematical concepts in an engaging way that
stimulates their interest. Emphasis is given on problem solving and
technology. Science education (MOEC, 2016) aims to the acquisition of
knowledge and the construction of concepts that are connected to the real
world. In this way, students will be able to form interpretations of the
phenomena observed around them. A priority is also the development of
life-long learning competences.
The subject “Design and Technology-Digital technologies” aligns with the
STEM education philosophy. Its mission is to provide knowledge and
promote the 21st century skills while integrating scientific processes (MOEC,
2016). The subject integrates theory with practice, enabling students to
implement main scientific principles. As for the axis “Digital Technologies”,
the lesson includes the development of "Computational Thinking", through
the active involvement of students in activities using relevant software and
robotic tools. The development of computational thinking is considered a
basic skill for all school subjects, either separately or in an interdisciplinary
approach, but also for solving real problems of everyday life. Primary
schools are also equipped with robotics (e.g. rob pro-bot, InO-Bot. EGG-
BOX, LEARN&GO) and programming software (e.g. Scratch, Algo Raptor,

Kidspiration, Virtual Labs electricity etc.).
In secondary education, the Mathematics curriculum (MOEC, 2017) focuses
on the usefulness of mathematical concepts in everyday life and in the
workplace. Furthermore, it focuses on gaining valuable knowledge required
in the modern information society. In the context of Science/Physics (MOEC,
2017), the lesson follows the Inquiry-based approach, where students learn
to appreciate the accuracy of observation and description, their ability to
design and test their own solution to a problem and the communication of
information and explanations. The Design and Technology subject (MOEC,
2017) aims to transfer knowledge through projects and develop skills
combining technological knowledge and scientific composition.
In upper secondary education, students may choose to attend the
secondary technical and vocational education and training that incorporates
Engineering lessons as well. ICT subject is also part of the educational
curriculum in secondary education aiming to prepare students for the
Information society (MOEC, 2017).
In Spain, in 2013, there was a change of legislation in Spain, with a new
education law, LOMCE, modifying several aspects of the previous law.
Although it does not specify or make STEAM education explicit, it does
dedicate a section to basic competences, one of them being mathematical
competence and basic competences in science and technology, but in no
case is there any reference to art or the possibility of STEAM learning.
The subjects related to STEAM in the educational curriculum in Spain would
be mathematics, technology, plastic arts, biology, physics, chemistry,
economics, music, ICT, technical drawing, art history, geography, among
others. There is no curriculum, not even in primary education, that
promotes STEAM learning, integrating each of the areas in a global learning
of the subjects.
In Ireland, the Primary School Mathematics Curriculum for Junior Infants to

Sixth Class was introduced in 1999. It comprises of five strands: Number;
Algebra; Shape and Space; Measures; and Data. Spanning the content are
skills that pupils should develop, such as implementing, problem solving,
communicating, and reasoning. In 2011, the Department of Education and
Skills launched a strategy document; outlined in this document is a range of
measures designed to raise standards in literacy and numeracy, from early
childhood to the end of second-level education (18 years). Science has been
a compulsory subject for all primary school pupils since 1999 (Government
of Ireland, 1999b). In the Primary School Science Curriculum (PSSC),
emphasis is placed on the development of scientific content knowledge.
STEM in Junior Certificate: The Junior Cycle Science curriculum was
introduced in its present form in 2003 and included the assessment of
practical work. It is a general science course involving Biology, Chemistry,
and Physics and is offered at two levels, Higher and Ordinary. Although the
course is not compulsory, it is taken by c. 90% of students, with a slight
gender imbalance in favour of boys. All Junior Cycle students take
mathematics at Higher, Ordinary or Foundation level. There are four
technology subjects offered at Junior Cycle. They are all offered at Higher
Level and Ordinary Level. The technology subjects are assessed by means of
a written paper and a project-based component, however technical
graphics is assessed by means of a written examination paper only.
STEM in Leaving Certificate: There are five Leaving Certificate Science
subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physics & Chemistry, and Agricultural
Science. Each of these subjects is offered at two levels, Higher and Ordinary.
There are four Leaving Certificate Technology/Engineering subjects:
Engineering, Construction Studies, Technology, and Design and Computer
Graphics. Mathematics is compulsory, only a small (albeit increasing)
proportion of these students takes Higher Level Mathematics in the state
examinations.
National Initiatives promoting STEM EDU (summary of

results)
In Greece, although the official curricula do not support the implementation
of parallel activities, there are initiatives for the implementation of STEM
programmes, either through formal school structures or, additionally, as
extra-curricular activities organized by entities aimed at limited groups (e.g.
parents’ associations). Such are Science and Robotics groups implemented
in model and experimental schools or in schools which have operated as
pilots within European programs, e.g. The Educational Priority Zones
(Patrinopoulos M. 2017; Patrinopoulos M., Kefalis Chr. 2017). It should be
noted that there is a large number of activities which apply STEM
approaches without describing them as such. All these activities are limited
to a small number of schools and are not systematically integrated into the
school routine.
Since 2009, an educational robotics competition has been taking place,
based mainly on the use of the LEGO framed arrangements and it has
recently been approved by the relevant Ministry. The students who excel in
this competition participate in the International Robotics Olympics and have
received distinctions several times. In addition to that, an Open Technology
Competition has been held since 2019, which, through the development of
an open source and the use of open technologies, aims at “the introduction
to education of materials and software that open new horizons, the
encouragement of students’ creativity, the absence of barriers to their
ingenuity and initiative, without forcing them and their families to use
specific ‘closed’ products” (https://openedtech.ellak.gr , 2021). But robotics
is only one part of STEM and in recent years we have had the
implementation of activities that combine plug with unplug STEM. All these
activities usually take place outside school hours, mostly on the initiative of
students’ parents, while in some cases the respective actions are sponsored
by large companies or institutions.
In the last quarter of 2017, the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP), as
national coordinator for Greece of the European project H2020: «Οpen
Schools for Open Societies – ΟSOS», proceeded to a call of interest in order
to select schools wishing to participate in the pilot phase of the OSOS
project, which began to be implemented in the school year 2017-2018 and
continued for the next two years (http://www.iep.edu.gr/el/europaika-se-
ekseliksi/osos). The main axis around which the project moved were the
subjects of STEM, divided in key topic sections which strengthen both the
connection of natural sciences to technology, mathematics and
engineering, as well as with modern social concerns and responsible
research. For the pilot phase of the project, there was a selection of 10
schools of pre-school, primary and secondary education, which also acted
as multipliers/coordinators during the extension of the project to 90 more
schools of the country during school years 2018-29 and 2019-20 (Hellenic
‘Institute of Educational Policy’ (IEP), 2017).
In 2020 the Institute of Educational Policy launched the pilot
implementation of the "Skills Workshops" in 218 schools throughout
Greece. One of the areas of activity within this project is STEM
implementation in schools. Research on STEM approaches (Smyrnaiou,
Petropoulou, & Sotiriou, 2015; Kotsifakos, Kostis & Douligeris, 2017;
Psyharis, 2018; Psycharis & Kotzampasaki, 2019) both in formal and non-
formal education in Greece has shown positive results of these approaches,
for example that they promote and improve the educational process,
enhance student performance in programming and that most teachers and
students welcome the prospect of integration of STEM methodology in
teaching. The above figures highlight a rising dynamic in introducing STEM
activities to the educational process in Greece. However, it is found that
implementation of STEM activities is fragmented and isolated without
systematic and long-term implementation in schools (Patrinopoulos, Iatrou,

2019).
In Croatia: ŠUZA, UniZG FER "From school to science and the academic
community" is the official popularization of science programme of the
University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER).
The Programme is intended for primary and secondary education students
and their teachers, but occasionally includes events for younger children as
well as a general public. Through visits to schools, educational workshops
for students and teachers and events (open day, exhibitions, popular
lectures, etc) at the Faculty the programme aims to raise interest in STEM
among young learners, their teachers and parents. Ruđer Bošković Institute.
Around 20 scientists from the Institute organize several programs every
year trying to introduce STEM field hose projects are Ja raSTEM! (Ja
RaSTEM!, n.d.) – Interdisciplinary programme of innovative teaching for
gifted primary school children, JOBSTEM (JOBSTEM, n.d.) – professional
aspirations by STEM occupations during primary school, STEM. RASTEM.
ISTRAŽUJEM. (STEM. RASTEM. ISTRAŽUJEM. – Zaklada Znanje Na Djelu,
n.d.)– with the goal of introducing pupils and teachers to the STEM field and
its use in everyday life, Scientific Challenge with MICRO:BIT (Izradi! |
Edukacijski web portal Croatian Makersa, n.d.) and Chemgeneration
(Chemgeneration, n.d.) – workshops with the focus on chemical
experiments. Croatian Robotic Association (HROBOS, n.d.) The Croatian
Robotc Association organizes summer schools for primary and high school
students, robotic workshops across Croatia and education for teachers and
professors.
Croatian Association of Informatics (Hrvatski Savez Informatičara, n.d.) As
part of European Programming Week Croatian Association of Informatics
organizes lectures on the topic of quantum computers, programming
language Python, artificial intelligence etc. In winter schools for youth they
offer participation in different workshops: from Logo, Python, C++ to basics
of algorithms, Rust, Godot and similar. They are responsible for informatics
competitions and olympics in Croatia.
The JobSTEM project, which was the first Croatian scientifically reviewed
project in the STEM area, investigated STEM career aspirations in primary
school pupils. The project consisted of a longitudinal study carried out over
the three years’ time with students aged 10 to 15. It involved three cohorts,
tested at three different points in their education, and additionally, an
experimental intervention with STEM related workshops in half of the
included schools. The project results showed, besides others, that Croatian
students have gender-stereotyped beliefs about the suitability of STEM
domains and future career in STEM, thinking that it is more suitable for boys
than for girls (www.Jobstem.Eu).
Croatian Makers is a Movement of the Croatian Institute for Youth
Development and Innovativity which focuses on organized activities,
teacher education, content development and equipment donation in the
STEM field. Their mission is to empower all children in Croatia and the region
to develop STEM competencies. Some of their projects include: introducing
coding to the Croatian educational system and communities (STEM
revolution/ProMikro), organizing competitions in robotics (Croatian Makers
Robotics League, The MakeX), bringing free coding and robotics classes to
less developed communities (STEM car) etc.
The ‘STEM revolution’ programme started as an Indiegogo crowdfunding
campaign, with the idea of a mass introduction of BBC micro:bit devices in
the Croatian schools. Many schools enrolled in the project, received the BBC
micro:bit pocket computers and organized different activities for their
pupils, using the provided material, or creating their own. The project
enabled a large number of children to become acquainted with
programming and algorithmic thinking, improving their digital skills and
competences.
Code club Croatia - Programerko is a part of the World Code Club network -
was founded by Croatian NGO Programerko in 2016, and is an umbrella
project for many programming workshops held by volunteers all over
Croatia. At the moment around 150 Code clubs are active in Croatia, with
the mission "to provide each child with the skills, confidence and
opportunity to shape their world".
The "Croatia makes project" was started by STEMI, a Croatian company that
creates educational hexapod robots of the same name, and an NGO,
Programerko, that coordinates Croatian Code Club network. The goal of the
project is to increase interest in technical culture and in natural and
scientific areas of human activity among young people. The project aims to
create a number of new Code clubs and teach many pupils the basics of
programming and robotics through Scratch and hexapod robots. The project
was backed up by Croatian Association of Technical Culture, Faculty of
electrical engineering and computing, as well as many ICT companies in the
region.
Gender 4 STEM, 2020. The Gender4STEM project "aims to tackle the low
representation of girls in STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics) and subsequently women in STEM careers". The project
goal is to create learning material and learning platforms and to provide a
number of training courses to teachers in order to teach them how to tackle
existing stereotypes in STEM and debunk them. The overall goal of the
project is to increase the number of girls who choose STEM education and
plan STEM careers.
The Science Picnic (Znanstveni piknik) is a science popularization project by
Croatian NGO Profesor Baltazar, which is organized in the form of the
science fair. The main idea of the Science picnic is to popularize science and
art, but also to boost interest of young people in choosing science as their
life vocation. The first Picnic was held in 2012 with more than 9000 visitors,
with numbers increasing every subsequent year.
Festival Ζnanosti is a Science popularization event organized in Croatia since
2003, in the form of a science fair. The goal of the project is "to bring science
closer to the public by informing it about activities and results in the field of
science, improving public perception of scientists, and motivating young
people to research and acquire new knowledge". The Science Festival is the
biggest science fair in Croatia, happening simultaneously each spring in
more than 30 cities in Croatia. The Festival is organized by the four biggest
Croatian universities as well as Nikola Tesla Technical Museum and the
British Council.
Visnjan Science and Education Center is an institution that provides support
to highly motivated children and their educators in the field of natural and
social sciences, technology, environmental protection, art and culture
through education, programmes and projects. Together with Visnjan
Astronomical Society, the Educational centre coordinates a number of
different scientific, hobbistic and educational projects including different
summer school activities and youth camps.
Croatian Association of Technical Culture (Natjecanje mladih tehničara). The
competition of young technicians is an annual competition organized and
conducted by the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, the
Agency for Education and the Croatian Association of Technical Culture, and
is one of the oldest competitions of the kind in Croatia (it has been organized
for the last 62 years). The competition has several thousand contesters each
year, and is conducted on the basis of regular, elective and extracurricular
programmes of technical culture and programmes of additional classes
contained in the Croatian National Education Standard and programmes of
special technical competencies acquired in extracurricular and
extracurricular programmes of technical culture. The competition is
organized in 12 different categories, from model making through electrical

engineering and electronics to robotics and photography. Every year
Croatian Association of Technical Culture organizes summer schools for high
school students in which they work on a project assignment, for example:
binary clock controlled by microcontroller or various technical creations
made with 3D printers. In the summer schools, the participants also acquire
basic competencies for the design and management of the robotic
structures.
FLL Croatia, Croatian Robotic Association - FIRST LEGO League Croatia is the
local round of the FLL international robotics competition. The organizer of
the competition is the association "For Inspiration and Recognition of
Science and Technology", abbreviated as FIRST, while in Croatia, it is
organized by the Croatian Robotics Association. Each year, the competition
gathers around 150 competitors with 30 mentors, who compete in four
intertwined categories: robot game, technical interview, project, and core
values.
WorldSkills Croatia is a part of the Croatian Agency for Vocational Education
and Training and Adult Education (AVETAE). The Agency represents Croatia
in WorldSkills International and WorldSkills Europe competitions and
organises the selection and participation of Croatian teams for EuroSkills
and WorldSkills competitions. WorldSkills Croatia promotes the importance
of vocational skills as a basis for the growth of the economy, and aims to
increase the attractiveness of vocational education and training, inspiring
young people to select vocational professions as a desirable career choice.
In Cyprus, in an effort to address the issue and promote STEM education in
schools, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth announced the
implementation of “STEM schools” programme which has already been
implemented in primary education (2019-2020) and is being implemented
in secondary education (2020-2021). More specifically, the “STEM schools
programme promotes students’ participation in creative and skillful design

inquiry processes, focusing on reasoning, reflection, critical thinking,
collaboration and strategic use of technology, core 21st century
competencies. The programme was integrated as an afternoon school
activity and directed by permanent experienced teachers in the STEM field,
in a total of nine primary schools. In secondary education, the programme
is still underway. Even though the official results and performance report
has not yet been published, the involved parties' initial feedback is
encouraging.
Furthermore, the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, directed by the Ministry of
Education, is responsible for the in-service training and the professional
development of teachers at all levels. It organizes and delivers in-service
training for all subjects and cross-subject areas, educational technology,
educational research and also school-based development. Aligning with the
new pedagogical approaches, STEM education has been a focus of interest,
undertaking large-scale pilot implementations in schools around Cyprus
(ATS STEM, STEAME).
In regards to private initiatives, the Grammar School is the first school in
Cyprus, from the private and public sector, to incorporate STEM into its
curriculum and has been implementing this since 2015. STEM programmes
provide students with an important advantage for admission to universities
worldwide. Students wishing to apply for this programme are selected
based on their academic performance and examination.
Acknowledging the importance of STEM education, CARDET shares a long-
lasting experience in the area of education with a great number of
STEM/STEAM projects. Among the most remarkable ones, is the “Girls Into
Global” STEM project, a cooperation of ten countries. The project addressed
gender bias in STEM subjects and careers, aiming to increase the
employment potential of all young Europeans, but especially girls, by
improving their interest and engagement in STEM subjects, linking them to

a wider awareness of global issues. To achieve its goals, the project invested
in the professional development of teachers (teaching and training material,
a teacher toolkit).
Also, IN2STEAM (Inspiring Next Generation of Girls through Inclusive
STE(A)M Learning in Primary Education) project aims to enhance, encourage
and foster an innovative educational approach that integrates STE(A)M
learning (applying art and design principles to science education) into
primary education through gender-inclusive methods and resources to
promote a positive change of attitudes towards non–stereotypical choices
in education in order to attract more girls into the STEM field. In order to
empower teachers in STEM related topics, a training course on STEAM
education was developed and over 40 in-service teachers in all partner
countries have participated so far. Within the year, the project is expected
to implement STEAM labs and engage students and especially girls in STEAM
activities. SAPPHIRE is an ongoing project that aspires to develop a STEM
education platform to provide open educational resources to young people,
teachers, educators, youth workers etc. It will accommodate teaching
material such as lesson plans, digital toolkits, training courses and self-
learning sections, including learning and self- assessment tools. Its main
objective is to empower the learner’s creativity and entrepreneurial skills by
generating inspiring work spaces, increasing key competences, organizing
educational and social events and providing personalized services to
support them grow. It will be used for knowledge building and sharing,
aiming to help young people understand and study STEM related topics. The
STEM education platform will create opportunities for European cross-
border collaboration.
Last but not least and in order to expose higher education students to
female role models in STEM, FeSTEM project (Female Empowerment in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Higher Education) will
develop a gender-sensitive STEM curriculum for HE students to use, so as to

create meaningful material that will act as mentoring models for
encouraging girls and women to remain active in STEM.
In Spain, numerous projects are being developed to encourage girls’
vocation towards STEAM. On the website of the National Institute of
Educational Technologies and Teacher Training (INTEF), a project called
ChicaSTEM (Ministry of Science and Innovation, 2021a) has been created to
promote initiatives to overcome the gender gap in the STEM field. These
include the #girlsgonna project (Ministry of Science and Innovation, 2021b),
which is supported by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology
(FECYT) and the Everis consultancy firm. It is an online educational project
that teaches programming skills to primary school students aged 7 to 12
(from 2nd to 6th grade). It consists of online workshops in which video
games are created inspired by the work of relevant people, although
underrepresented in STEM, tutorials to support teachers, as well as access
to resources and activities on women and the Maker World, Artificial
Intelligence and Creative Programming.
Another interesting project is Inspira STEAM (2021), promoted by the
University of Deusto since 2015, which addresses the barriers that hinder
young people's access to professions related to the field of science and
technology. Its pioneering nature lies in the fact that it is taught by female
mentors, or women professionals from the STEM world, who work in
various fields: academia, business, management and research, among
others.
The project "I want to be an engineer" (Polytechnic University of Cartagena,
2021) aims to promote scientific and technological vocation among girls in
compulsory secondary education.
STEM Talent Girl is a project promoted by the ASTI Foundation (2021) that
aims to empower girls in Secondary Education and and Baccalaureate to
pursue STEM careers. It offers an online training programme on the most

promising professions of the future and a support service, which extends to
the university stage, with masterclasses, workshops and tutoring sessions
with mentors.
The "Aquae STEAM" project, implemented in 50 schools in Spain, aims to
awaken the interest of primary school girls in careers related to science and
technology. It also offers teacher training, a support programme and
educational resources. The interest lies in integrating LEGO resources into
the teaching methodology and in using webinars of relevant women in the
scientific field to promote the professional development of teachers.
RetoTech (2021) is an innovation project based on the development of
technological projects through programming techniques, robotics and the
creation of applications. Technovation Girls (2021) is an entrepreneurship
programme with the collaboration of FECYT and the Ministry of Science and
Innovation. Its aim is to reduce the technological gender gap. Students from
the Carlos III University of Madrid act as mentors for a team of five girls and
teenagers, aged between 10 and 18, for three months, so that they can put
their knowledge into practice in the development of an application that
improves aspects related to health, education, equality, peace and the
environment.
In Ireland there are numerous strategies in place to promote STEM
education, as well as events such as Science Week, Maths Week and BT
Young Scientist which all go a long way to promote STEM education
amongst young people.
BT Young Scientist: In 1965, the first ever Young Scientist exhibition was held
at the Mansion House in Dublin and it attracted 230 entries. The early Young
Scientist Exhibition involved individual student competitors, but in 1976
groups were introduced for the first time. Aer Lingus sponsored the
competition up until BT took over in 2000. In 2019 3,773 students from 374
schools entered projects for the 2019 BT Young Scientist & Technology
Exhibition. It was the chance to represent Ireland at the European Union
Contest for Young Scientists (Ireland has won this 12 times).
Science Week Ireland is a week-long event in Ireland each November,
celebrating science in our everyday lives. The Science Week programme
includes workshops, science shows, talks, laboratory demonstrations,
science walks and other science-related events. It is a collaboration of
events involving industry, colleges, schools, libraries, teachers, researchers
and students throughout Ireland.
Maths Week Ireland is an all-island initiative and a partnership of
institutions and groups promoting positive attitudes towards maths and
highlighting the importance of maths in our lives since 2006. It is
coordinated by Calmast at WIT. Calmast is the Waterford Institute of
Technology’s STEM Engagement Hub. Running for 15 years as a
collaborative partnership of organisations including all the universities,
institutes of technology, with professional bodies, visitor centres and more.
Maths Week engaged directly with over 400,000 people in 2019, making it
currently the world’s largest maths festival. There are great things available
to the people of Ireland which promote STEM education and with numbers
increasing annually for these events it would suggest that young people
have an interest in these subjects, which could make them consider
choosing a STEM Career in later life.
Different EU projects aim to resolve the gender gap in STEM such as:
The EQUAL-IST project explores why there are such high levels of gender
imbalance in the IST research sector, and what can be done to improve this,
starting at university level.
The PLOTINA project set out to develop, implement and evaluate gender
equality plans in each participating RPO, tailored to the specific challenges
and state of play in each individual case.
The Horizon magazine page carries out the European Commission's
"Women in Science", a programme carried out at European level, to
promote the participation of women in science. It can be found by clicking
on this link: https://horizon-magazine.eu/key-themes/women-science.
Gender 4 STEM aims to tackle the low representation of girls in STEM
education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and
subsequently women in STEM careers.
CALIPER project’s goal is to make research organizations more gender equal
by increasing the number of female researchers in STEM, improving their
career prospects and integrating a gender dimension in research.
Gender socialization in STEAM Learning

Currently, less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide are women.
According to UNESCO (UIS, 2019) data, between 2014 and 2016 only about
30 per cent of all female students choose higher education in the field of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Worldwide,
female student enrolment is particularly low in the field of information and
communications technology (ICT), at three per cent; natural sciences,
mathematics and statistics, at five per cent; and engineering, manufacturing
and construction, at eight per cent.
Long-standing gender biases and stereotypes continue to keep girls and
women away from science-related sectors.
From birth we are educated under the mandates of gender, differentiated
in relation to sexual attributes. Although the words sex and gender may
seem similar, they are conceptualised differently. Sex refers to the biological
differences between men and women in terms of reproductive organs,

physiological functions and genetics (Martínez, 2012). The representative
words for each of the sexes are male and female. However, gender refers to
the social construction of women and men, whose representations respond
to the words feminine and masculine (Oberst, et al., 2016). This social
construction varies depending on time, place and culture (Ministerio de
Ciencia e Innovación, 2011).
Gender is constructed on the basis of what are known as roles and
stereotypes. These roles are attributions and expectations constructed by
social learning that answer the questions of "how one should behave as a
man or a woman", "how one should appear to others" and "how others are
expected to perceive one's gender" (Oberst et al., 2016). According to these
social norms, men present themselves to the world as decisive, proactive,
protective and strong. Women, on the other hand, are seen as sensitive,
caring and out of the more technical tasks (Carbonell and Mestre, 2019).
Thus, models of being a woman or a man are dictated to us within the
patriarchy, through different mechanisms of socialisation.
Gender socialisation, then, is the learning process by which dominant
beliefs, values and behaviours of a society are transmitted, where gender
relations are constructed and different roles are assigned. In this way,
gender-specific tasks are internalised and assigned to each gender, and
roles and stereotypes are attributed.
In education, the gender gap and inequality has always been notorious,
although it is true that there is less and less inequality. Women as young as
6 years old may feel less able than men (Bian, Leslie and Cimpian, 2017).
This idea can be represented, according to data obtained in the European
survey conducted by Opinionway and commissioned by the L’Oreal
Foundation in 2015 (quoted in Noguera, 2019), in the public's perception of
women's capabilities. It shows that 63% of those surveyed (out of a total of
1,000 respondents in Spain) believe that women are not capable of

occupying the most responsible scientific positions (Noguera, 2019).
It is well known that, until not so long ago, the role of women was reduced
to the home and childcare, which meant that they did not have access to
the same wisdom as men. Only a few "brave" women dared to to contest
the model attributed to them, especially by religious institutions, and
cultivated their knowledge.
In Europe, between the 15th and 18th centuries, the Holy Inquisition started
what is known as the "witch-hunt" (Miller, 2018). Women in particular were
accused of having contact with the Devil, the eternal enemy of God, and
were burned or hanged. These "witches" were no more and no less than
wise women, with knowledge of healing herbs, contraceptive methods,
wet-nursing and healing skills.
Although women today have access to education, gender stereotypes still
prevail. These assert that women are more skilled in art and languages,
while men are more skilled in logic and science. Remember that gender
roles and stereotypes are false beliefs that influence the way we are
educated, so they end up becoming a reality. This is called the Pygmalion
effect.
What is it? Let's take a real example: when a boy and a girl are born, they
have the same abilities. The boy, as he grows up, receives toy cars, rockets,
ships... They familiarise him more with the field that, by role, he should be
able to master. As for his studies, he will be more encouraged to pursue
science and technology because he has developed the aptitude and
confidence to do so. On the other hand, the girl receives toys such as
kitchens, dolls, prams... And she becomes familiar with home and care.
During her development she has to face statements such as "science is a
man's business" and she herself assumes that this is true, therefore she does
not develop her talent for science and technology.
The Matilda Effect

What is known as the "Matilda effect"? This term is used to recognise
situations of gender discrimination in the field of science. It refers to the lack
of recognition and credit given to the work of women, compared to men,
even when they are putting in the same or even more effort and work.
The term was coined in 1993 by Margaret W. Rossiter (Clemente, 2017). It
was in honour of Matilda Joslyn Gage, an activist, freethinker, prolific author
and pioneer in American sociology who was one of the pioneers in the fight
for equal opportunities between men and women.
Unfortunately, this phenomenon is not a thing of the past. Today, women
continue to suffer from this invisibility and lack of recognition, not only in
the workplace but in all aspects of life.
A review of data from the different STEAM areas shows that there is still a
very deep gender gap in these fields today. In Europe, it is estimated that
less than 30% of scientific research personnel are women (Educaweb, 2019).
Although the percentage is still low, more and more women are becoming
interested in these disciplines. Spain, for example, is the fourth European
country in terms of the percentage of women scientists, with almost 50% of
women in research (Roa, 2011). The evolution is very positive, in 2019 it was
41% and in 2016 it was less than 40%. However, since 2002, the presence of
women in scientific disciplines has only increased by 11%. This is even more
notable in university chairs, where 79% are men (Omedes, 2021).
In technology, on the other hand, women studying computer science or
technology represent 20% of the European average. If we turn to the labour
market, we find similar data, with only 15.6% of technology jobs being held
by women (El.Diario.es, 2020).
It is curious to see that 34% of university students are women, but only 25%
of them enroll in engineering. Only 3 out of every 10 people involved in
research are women. Despite the discouraging data, in Spain women

represent 26.4% of the engineers and scientists in high-tech companies in
the market. In comparison with the rest of Europe, this percentage places
Spain in the 4th place in terms of female representation in science (UE
Studio, 2019).
We might think that the artistic disciplines are the exception to the gender
gap, but this is not the case. The good, and bad, thing about the fact that
there are so many types of artistic disciplines is that the presence of women
is greater in some and almost non-existent in others. In terms of, for
example, film producers, the female presence is less than 35%. If we go to
sound and musical composition, it does not exceed 15%. However, in the
literary or singing disciplines, women have a greater presence. In
photography, unfortunately, the female presence is reduced to 10%.
Finally, in mathematics, we still have a lot to do for girls and young women
who feel demotivated, due to stereotypes, when it comes to studying
mathematics. Many girls feel incapable of studying mathematics or think
that they are bad at it. This is evident from the fact that only 35% of teaching
and research staff in the area of mathematics are women (López, 2019).
To put an end to this reality and to highlight the presence of women in
STEAM, 11th February has been declared ‘International Day of Women and
Girls in Science’. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in
order to achieve full and equal access and participation in science for
women and girls, and to achieve gender equality and empowerment.
In addition, with the aim of encouraging the participation of women in
science careers, different campaigns have emerged, such as the one created
in 2021 called “No More Matildas”. The objective of the campaign is to draw
attention to the lack of female role models in science and the persistence of
stereotypes.
In addition to campaigns, projects such as Robo Girls have started to emerge

focusing on women's participation in the science sector. Apart from this
project, other European projects have also been developed with the aim of
1(#NoMoreMatildas, 2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGiyCl8aZW0&t=1s
making visible and promoting the participation of women in science, such

as STEAMY WONDERS, E-STEAM and FemSTEAM Mysteries.
In the case of STEAMY WONDERS, it is an Erasmus+ co-funded project with
the main objective of promoting the participation of women in science
careers. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics)
are still mostly male-dominated careers. This project, through a
compendium of Interactive Infographics, aims to motivate girls in STEAM
careers, as well as to develop their capacity in each of the areas that are
integrated and to make visible some of the world's leading women in the
world of science. To know more information about the project, click on the
following link.
E-STEAM it is an Erasmus+ cofounded project which aims to establish
correlations between schools and the labour market to foster creative and
meaningful participation of women in STEAM education through a

mentoring programme. To this end, the project develops a virtual platform
with resources to provide practical and innovative solutions to complement
school curricula. To find more information about the project, click on the
following link.
Thirdly, FemSTEAM Mysteries is a Role-Model Game-Based approach to
gender equality in STEAM. It is an Erasmus+ cofounded project and its aim
is to give importance to the role of women in STEAM. In addition to
combating gender stereotypes among students and teachers, it aims to
inspire young people, through play-based STEAM pedagogy, to become
interested in science careers regardless of their gender. The project also
aims to improve the acquisition of key skills and competences for STEAM
studies and careers among students and to improve teachers' ability to
address gender equality in STEAM. To get more information about the
project, click on the following link.
Apart from celebrating Women in Science Day and making use of resources
provided by the European projects mentioned above, as teachers, we can
also apply other strategies in the classroom to encourage women's
participation in STEAM-related careers. These are some examples of
approaches that teachers and educational establishments can consider in
order to improve their sensitivity to this issue:
Reinforcing the presence of women in educational content by showcasing
examples of women's achievements in the STEAM subjects and learn about
interesting women's names such as Rosalind Franklin (Science), Amelia
Earhart (Technology), Hedy Lamarr (Engineering), Gerda Taro (Arts) and
Katherine Johnson (Mathematics).
Promoting the incorporation of women into higher education, in science
and research related subjects through more inclusive recruitment, a more
objective and equal opportunity internal promotion process, and more

highlighting of the achievements of female talent.
Promoting activities to eliminate and eradicate gender stereotypes at all
levels. In this way, although they do not necessarily have to be activities
focused on STEAM areas, they will have a direct influence on women's
interest in these areas, as they will encourage them to feel capable of
studying them and to feel part of the scientific world.
Changing general teaching methods and performance assessment, as well
as strengthening training based on transversal competences from the
earliest stages of education. This will not only respond to the needs of the
labour market of the future, but will also mitigate gender differences that
may exist in skills development, in most cases caused by unconscious social
beliefs and behaviours.
Including the development of interpersonal competences such as dialogue,
negotiation and conflict resolution skills and other social and cross-cutting
skills in in-service teacher training.
Awaking interest in the scientific fields at the earliest levels of education
through specific workshops, or by creating programmes to attract women
to business schools, or by promoting coeducational faculty in charge of
designing and delivering training at higher education levels, especially those
related to STEM education.
Raising awareness among families and the general population to educate in
equality, while promoting training in technology and new key skills for the
labour market for children, regardless of their gender
Conclusions
Research shows that there is under-representation of women in the STEM
sector in the European Union. Through Desk Research, which was
conducted in all partner countries, but also with the use of relative focus
groups consisting of members carefully selected, the points where
specialized intervention is required were revealed. We believe that the
weakness of countries’ education systems to ensure equality in women’s
participation in the STEM fields, can be covered with careful planning. In
addition, with the appropriate changes, we can turn women's participation
into a comparative advantage for European education systems.
Education, which has the leading role, must care for the integration of STEM
projects in the curriculum. Research has proven that women’s engagement
should begin at an early age, in order to act as a catalyst in building a positive
mental model that will lead them to engage in STEAM fields. Further
requirements are: the use of language and attitudes that promote the equal
role of men and women in STEM fields, mentoring, cultivation of digital skills
for everyone, active participation of universities in promoting mechanisms
that will implement equality in education, soft skills development,
highlighting of the achievements of women scientists, avoiding the creation
of stereotypes about the innate abilities of children, raising awareness in
families to promote technical-oriented professions without gender bias,
creating workshops (inside and outside school) for STEAM education that
will attract girls.
These changes are not limited to the field of education, but require a
comprehensive effort for involvement, with actions to support women
extending to the workplace, so that combining career with family is possible
for those who wish it.
A comprehensive effort for women’s involvement is required in order to
close this gender gap and guide women to a positive disposition towards a
STEM-related career.
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Part II
Creating a gender-neutral learning environment
Collaborative inquiry-based pedagogical process

The application of the STEM approach in education as an innovative element
involves not only the interconnection of subjects but also the educational
approaches that are implemented; these are based on exploratory
approaches whereupon, through the solution of real problems, students
apply methodologies and practices of engineers and scientists so as to
address them through different perspectives, taking into account a set of
parameters necessary when solving them, such as sustainability, technical
feasibility, environmental, economic and social impacts that the proposed
solutions may have.
Through the implementation of STEM interdisciplinary approaches (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), the goal is to prepare students to
master and apply basic concepts and methodological practices of the STEM
disciplines but also to enable them to see that there are "transversal
concepts” across the scientific fields, which are applied and can interpret
phenomena and situations that they encounter or will encounter in their
lives. In "integrated" STEM education, emphasis is given to the basic
concepts that constitute the core of science and the interconnection of
science and school with everyday problems / concerns in students' lives. The
educational models followed in STEM training are based on experiential
learning, which is implemented through exploratory approaches,
collaboration and problem solving.
STEM implementation through pedagogical approaches

A number of pedagogical inquiry-based / problem-solving approaches can
be used to integrate STEM into the curriculum. These could be considered
as "in-between" approaches between disciplinary-based learning (STEM
through a discipline-specific approach) and integrated interdisciplinary
approaches (STEM through integrated approaches), for example:
• Focusing on truly authentic problems, offering students opportunities

to make connections between subjects and to develop problem-solving,
diagnostic and critical thinking skills, including research, hypothesis
testing, analysis, synthesis and strong abstract reasoning for achieving
solutions to real problems
• Setting a design activity at the beginning or end of a task so that
students can apply the acquired STEM knowledge to complete an
assignment because purposeful design and inquiry’(PD&I) combines
technological design with scientific inquiry in the context of
technological problem solving (Sanders (2009) in Asunda, (2014)) (Ng,
S. B., 2019).
• Problem-Based Learning (PBL), learning based on conduction of
research and application of knowledge and skills for the development of
a sustainable solution to a defined problem. Crucial to the success of PBL
is the choice of open-ended (often interdisciplinary) problems and the
available support in guiding the learning process and informing at the
end of the learning experience. Meanwhile, the teacher supports the
process, without providing ready-made possible solutions or even
information about the problem but expects students to work in order to
collect data and suggest solutions (Savery, 2006).
• Projector Inquiry-based learning similar to problem-based learning, as
learning activities are organized around a common goal, but the role of
the educator, both as a mediator of learning and as a provider of

information, is stronger, while the learner's role in setting the goals and
parameters is less defined. (Ng, S. B., 2019).
The inquiry approach

The application of inquiry approaches that Dewey described as: "an active,
persistent and careful consideration of every perception or supposed form
of knowledge in the light of the evidence on which it is based and the further
conclusions to which it leads" (Dewey, 1933).
The choice of approaches based on active student participation is also
supported by modern educational research; it is characteristic that
according to the meta-analysis of data from 225 surveys related to active
learning in STEM-related fields, it is evident that teaching models based on
active learning maximize learning performance and minimize student
failure, compared to the teacher-centered model of lecturing. Whereas, the
time of active participation of students during the lessons is also crucial,
with the increase of the time being associated with the improvement of the
learning performance. (Freeman, et al., 2014)
Literature records differences in the proposals for application of exploratory
learning in the educational practice. These differences are traced both in
the methodological steps proposed, as well as in the roles of the educator
and the students in the context of exploratory processes (Asay & Orgill,
2010; Bell et al.).
In all cases, inquiry is a teaching approach that presupposes the interest of
students so that they actively participate in the learning process. To achieve
this, students should be interested in the topic and thus begin to reflect, ask
questions, search and seek answers. The teacher does not offer ready-made
solutions or questions but their role is supportive and guiding. The result is
that each student discovers and creates the paths that will allow him / her
to build their own cognitive grid; they also develop attitudes and skills that
would be impossible to acquire based on the teacher-centered way of
learning and teaching. The course followed requires the application of
student-centered approaches that allow students to advance to exploratory
learning processes through collaboration. At the same time, research data
have shown that with exploratory learning we have optimization of
students' cognitive and research skills but also strengthening of their self-
esteem in the field of their scientific abilities ". (Gormally, Brickman, Halla,
& Armstrong, 2009). In a classroom where the STEM approach is applied
through exploratory processes of crucial importance, it is the involvement
of students in solving authentic problems formulated in an open way so that
they can accept multiple solutions through the experiential involvement of
students.
The main characteristic of STEM is the use of science, mathematics,
technology and engineering knowledge to solve every-day or even social
problems, thus rendering the learning of science, technology, engineering
and mathematics more substantial and contextual. STEM literacy is defined
as:
• Knowledge, attitudes, skills [and values] for identifying questions

and problems in real life situations. Interpretation of the natural
and man-made environment and drawing conclusions based on
evidence about STEM-related issues.
• Understanding the characteristics of STEM disciplines as forms of

human knowledge, exploration and design.
• Awareness of how the STEM disciplines shape our material,

intellectual and cultural environment.
• Willingness to participate in STEM-related topics, with the concepts

of science, technology, engineering and mathematics as
constructive, interested and thoughtful citizens. (Bybee, 2013)
Research has proved that an interdisciplinary curriculum focuses on
students and improves higher-level thinking, problem-solving skills as well
as maintaining these skills (Fllis & Fouts, 2001; King & Wiseman, 2001; Smith
& Karr-Kidwell, 2000).
With the integration of STEM training, we have an improvement in problem
solving and the search for innovative solutions and ingenuity, while
cultivating rational thinking and technological literacy. Studies have shown
that the integration of mathematics and science has a positive effect on
students' behaviour and interest in school (Bragow, Gragow & Smith, 1995),
on motivation to learn (Gutherie, Wigfield & VonSecker, 2000) but also on
achievements.
Problem solving
Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is an interdisciplinary method focused on the
students themselves, which aims to train them to become good problem
solvers in the real world: for example, to have knowledge of many industries
and be able to be effective at different levels (Newman, 2003). The term
"real world" does not aim to define learning in or out of school, but rather
to emphasize the essence of the problem, solution and learning, as well as
its connection to the larger community, making it more interesting to
students. (Asunda and Mativo (2017).
After all, real problems are rarely solved in a single direction by a single
person. In a PBL activity, students have to work together and come up with
a solution to the problem on their own, and, given that a key feature of this
interdisciplinary method is that the focus is on the students themselves, this

results in even more motivation (Savery, 2006).
An indicative example is a study exploring the effects of two teaching
experiments that focus on exponential modeling activity which refers to the
solution of the drug concentration problem in the human body (Kosyvas,
2017b). Results show that students, while solving the problem, developed
mathematical abilities, which are divided in three modelling cycles:
arithmetic, geometry and algebra. The constructions of mental images of
students about the notions of monotony, rate of change and supremum
(least upper bound) play a vital role. It is important to note the teachers’
focus on mathematics rather than on realistic situation and the students’
difficulties in the transition from recursive to the general type of geometric
series.
Problem solving involves collaborative learning and finding a solution to a
problem, while the process and the final product are more defined from the
beginning. Students work on a project for a long time - a project that will
find a solution to a complex question or problem. The role of the teacher is
more active here, because there can be multiple obstacles.
Challenge based learning
Challenge based learning is an active methodology in which learners are the

protagonists of their own education and they are presented with a series of
challenges from the real world. However, they are only given a "big idea", a
social problem they have to deal with. Then they choose a goal that will help
them to promote the solution of this social problem (eg lack of interest in
mathematics, low turnout in the elections). As a result of completing these
challenges, students get experiences, making their actions and activities
more significant, also acquiring the skills needed for the 21st Century.
As in Problem-Based Learning (PBL), there is a final product in Challenge-

Based Learning (CBL), although this product is defined in the process rather
than in the beginning, with a focus on the use of ICT in data collection and
sharing of results.
According to the Challenge Institute (2018), the Challenge Based Learning
Framework consists of three interconnected stages (engage, investigate and
act):
Note. Adaptation from Challenge Based Learning (2018). Framework

The first engaging phase consists of a process in which students question
themselves about a big idea, helping them to learn about a specific topic
and find a possible solution.
The second phase will lead students to find the solution to a problem
through several guiding questions.
Eventually, the final phase consists of the emergence of different solutions.
Students will have to implement these solutions and reflect about the
impact of their actions.
Therefore, taking all these three phases into account, students will be
engaged and encouraged to investigate about a particular topic and to act
accordingly and reflectively.
According to this same publication (Challenge Institute, 2019), Challenge
Based Learning differs from other more traditional approaches in the role
that educational staff and institutions play during the process. Teachers, for
example, are no longer information containers, but they become
collaborators that will help students to improve their knowledge and skills.
On the other hand, as has been said before, students are the protagonists
of their own learning process.
Moreover, the classroom will no longer be the only space where the
learning process takes place, since there are plenty of communication tools
that will allow students to access information even outside school.
This methodology will provide teachers with a good opportunity to tackle
gender inequality and to reduce gender stereotypes that are still present in
the educational system. For example, we could introduce the fact that only
about 30 per cent of all female students choose higher education in the field
of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (UIS, 2019). From that
topic, students will have to analyze the problem, investigate and generate
different hypotheses that will lead to possible solutions. This problem could
be presented in the form of a digital breakout in which students will have to
solve different challenges and questions to advance to the next sections.
One possible example could be the story of a young girl who wants to
become a scientist but has to face and overcome different challenges in
order to achieve her dream. Through the completion of this digital breakout,
students will be able to reflect on the problem and develop their critical
thinking skills.
Thinking based Learning

Thinking based learning is an active methodology that allows students to
think and reason by themselves also creating their own learning. Therefore,
this methodology does not involve memorizing or learning basic notions
about a subject or concept, but putting into practice and assimilating the
necessary procedures to generate and develop knowledge (Aula Planeta,
2019).
Benefits that Thinking Based Learning offers:
• It promotes active learning
• Helps students to achieve a deeper and more meaningful
knowledge
• It is highly versatile
• It offers a more effective evaluation
• It develops lifelong skills and abilities
According to Robert Swartz (2018), pupils will not only be trained to learn
knowledge, but they will also be educated to become good thinkers, so that
they not only use this thinking in the school environment, but also in their
everyday experiences.
Thinking-based learning requires that teachers help students to perform
different types of higher-order reasoning, as well as important thinking
routines (Higuero, 2019). These thinking routines are understood as tools
that help to generate concrete movements of thought, helping learners to
initiate, discuss, explore and manage their thinking (Del Pozo, 2005 en
Higuero, 2019).
Mindmaps and graphic organizers could be good examples related to
Thinking based learning, helping students to think creatively and make
connections.
Gholam (2019) provides an example of a visual thinking routine based on

the choice of a colour, a symbol and an image to deal with the topic of
gender bias in science. After reading an article related to the topic, students
would have to choose one of these elements to represent the main ideas of
the article. In the given example, the colour pink was chosen to represent
that partiality in science and the need to change the situation; the switch of
colours from blue to pink was selected as a symbol to face the
misconception that blue is for boys and pink is for girls; and finally, the
weighing scale was chosen as an image representing the need for gender
equality.
Design thinking
The purpose of this methodology is to offer a thinking scheme capable of
generating solutions by introducing a human perspective and
understanding the human needs involved into all steps of the problem-
solving process, specially trying to tackle complex problems that are
unknown or that are not well defined (Friis and Siang, 2021).
The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (quoted in Berk, 2016)
proposed the existence of 5 different stages:
Note. Adaptation from Berk, S. (2016). Designing for the Future of

Education Requires Design Education. Art Education, 69(6), 16-20
The first phase consists of understanding the problem at hand in an
empathetic way, by observing and communicating with different people to
understand their experiences. In this way, students will be able to put their
thoughts and assumptions aside.
The second phase consists of defining the problem, gathering the
information obtained during the previous phase and analyzing it.
The third phase is to generate ideas creatively, getting as many ideas and
solutions as possible.
The fourth phase consists of creating or prototyping a product to investigate
possible solutions to the problems seen in the previous phase.
The fifth phase consists of testing the final product using the solutions
identified in the prototyping phase. The results obtained in this phase can
be very useful to redefine different problems or solutions.
These five phases are not sequential and do not have to follow a set order
and can occur in parallel or even be repeated.
Design Thinking can also be used to address gender issues. One example
could be based on an adaptation of the exercise proposed in an article by
D’Amato, Connors and Cho (2018) to design equality in the work
environment. Students could explore and research about the percentage of
girls choosing science, technological and mathematical degrees and try to
identify the hidden reasons for women not to choose them and the
challenges they normally face when doing so. After that, students could
brainstorm possibilities to address these challenges and come up with
several solutions. Unfortunately, it would be difficult to test their ideas, as
it would take a long time to implement and evaluate their effectiveness, but
they could be discussed and evaluated, and also suggestions and

recommendations could be made for their improvement.
Cooperative Learning
Cooperative learning is a type of learning that requires the active and direct
participation of students as part of a cooperative team to achieve a common
goal. In this way, students work together to maximise both their own
learning and that of all members of the group.
According to Johnson, Johnson and Holubec (1994), cooperative learning is
the didactic use of small groups in which students work together to
maximise their own learning and that of others.
Johnson and Johnson, the fathers of cooperative learning, create the
concept of positive interdependence as a mutual dependence between two
or more individuals to achieve a common goal. This results in an interaction
that promotes learning depending on the degree to which individuals
encourage and facilitate each other's efforts to learn.
This positive interdependence arises when each member of the group
becomes aware of the link between their individual work and the work of
others, and that success in achieving their goals depends on the work of all
members, i.e. the ultimate goal of the task cannot be achieved if one
member fails.
Positive interdependence enables students to understand the value of
action taking collectively. It emphasizes the importance of the involvement
of all members for group success.
In order for the group to be successful, it is necessary that all members of
the group assume their individual share of responsibility for achieving the
group's goals. They must commit themselves to taking responsibility for
their own goals.
In this model, teachers, being in charge of our students' learning, must be

the ones to guide and orientate our students in their personal and academic
development. The teacher will have to keep the leadership of the group, but
will help them to discuss the solution to the problem and come up with
creative and participative solutions. He/She gives a global vision, inviting the
participants to generate their own objectives. Evaluation is at the service of
learning and goes in several directions. It encourages the group to organize
itself and ensures that everyone participates. The atmosphere is
constructive, creative and friendly. Such an example is two classroom
activities designed to encourage collaborative inquiry when teaching about
trigonometry. The context of the authentic workplace favoured the
involvement of the whole class to explore the problem and helped the
students to reflect creatively and cooperatively on the concepts associated
with solving the non-routine Solar-panel problem (Kosyvas 2017a).
Cooperative learning can be a useful tool to deal with gender equality. One
example that could be applied in the classroom could be the research and
investigation of different female role models in the STEM field and the
creation of an interactive resource explaining their achievements. It is
important that during the activity each student is assigned with a specific
and equative task and role, and to encourage them to assist and help their
classmates whenever they need it, since, as has been said before, all
members of the group share the responsibility for achieving the group's
goals. This kind of cooperative learning activities could be a good tool to
create a more comfortable environment in which each of them do not need
to compete, and girls could be aware of their own potential in the STEM
field.
Integrated STEM
Regarding the integration of STEM education (Integrated STEM), research
reports benefits such as improved problem-solving by students, innovation
and ingenuity, rational thinking and technological literacy. Studies have

shown that the integration of mathematics and science has a positive effect
on students' behavior and interest in school (Bragow, Gragow & Smith,
1995), on motivation to learn (Gutherie, Wigfield & VonSecker, 2000) but
also on achievements.
With all the potential benefits of integrated STEM education, it is important
to identify how educators can teach effectively while teacher support
issues, teaching practices, teacher effectiveness and materials required to
implement an integrated STEM programme are vital and should be taken
into account (Nistor et al, 2018).
The basic steps of this STEM methodology could be summarized below:
STEP 1: OBSERVE - ASK
This stage is based on questions such as:
❖ What is the problem?
❖ How have others solved this problem?
❖ What are the limitations / guidelines?
❖ Who can help me solve this problem?
STEP 2: COLLECT
❖ What information will I need to solve this problem?
❖ What resources do I have / need to solve this problem?
STEP 3: IMAGINE
❖ How can I solve the problem?
❖ Have I found an "out of the box" solution?
❖ Do I have more than one solution?
STEP 4: PLAN

❖ What materials do I have / need?
❖ What steps will I take to solve the problem?
❖ What could go wrong?
STEP 5: CREATE
This stage is based on findings / decisions such as:
❖ I will test my plan.
❖ I will take notes of my process / observations.
❖ I will draw / take pictures as I work, for reference later.
STEP 6: IMPROVE
This stage is based on findings and questions such as:
❖ I will reflect on my design.
❖ What changes can I make to improve my plan / solution?
❖ What do my data say about my first attempt?
❖ I create another plan and restest it.
❖
(Foti, Rellia, 2020)
The IBSE approach

One of the most common methods used in STEM educational approaches is
IBSE (Inquiry-Based Science Education) which uses ways of activating
students such as: heuristic technique, critical thinking, problem-based
learning, experiential learning, project-based learning and established
learning. The range of approaches covered by the IBSE method is presented
in the following table published by the Center for Excellence in Inquiry-
Based Learning (The Universtity of Manchester, The Centre for Excellence in

Enquiry-Based Learning (CEEBL).
ΙBSE
Problem Based Small scale Projects and
Learning investigations Reasearch
Encouragement of
Exloration of senario Field work of case
research- basec
driven learning study adapted to
approach to projects
experience disciplinary contexts
and processes
According to the advocates of the method, students' interest in science

decreases when they perceive science as a difficult subject and not as a
challenging one. In traditional science teaching practices, students often
seek to memorize large amounts of information rather than understand the
relevant principles and procedures. Furthermore, information is often
disconnected from real life and is therefore considered meaningless by
students (Durando et al, 2019).
The IBSE method is a relatively new teaching approach and views on the
outcome of this method vary considerably, from very positive to skeptical.
Some research shows that the IBSE approach increases students' motivation
to learn and supports their interest in science. Similarly, the results
described in the literature show that students can apply the knowledge they
receive through the IBSE method in their real life.
According to Rocard et al. (2007) the IBSE method is described as an

educational approach in which knowledge is constructed by solving a
specific problem in gradual steps. The IBSE method represents a creative
educational approach.
According to Cincera (2013), the success of the method depends on factors
of the broader context of teaching, on the skills of the teacher and especially
on the degree to which the teacher embraces the method. In addition, they
may differ depending on the students' basic knowledge and skills. Teachers
not only communicate information, but create the right environment for
knowledge, questioning and problem solving. The first three steps of this
method are mobilization, formulation of questions and experimentation
where the student:
• experiments through challenge on a topic,
• obtains a variety of information from various sources,
• categorizes the information obtained,
• evaluates the reliability of information sources,
• formulates questions,
• seeks answers and connections based on pre-existing knowledge
and experience,
• compares his/her questions and opinion on a particular topic with
those of his/her classmates, based on bibliographic sources.
This method is followed by the formulation of a hypothesis related to the
inquiry, according to which students follow general criteria (eg
methodology) by which the hypothesis is either verified or rejected.
The next steps of the method are the experiment and its design including
• preparation,
• conduction,
• observations,
• note-taking,
• data analysis,
• return to the case,
• conclusions,
• decision making,
• presentation and correlation of the results, and finally evaluation.
Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL)

In order to meet the challenges of 21st century learning, (OESD, 2003)
Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) is considered a sustainable approach to
promoting the knowledge and skills that students need so as to understand
the relevant facts and phenomena in their life, both in the present and in
the future. IBL (Inquiry-Based Learning) should enable students to
understand basic scientific concepts (ie "big ideas"), acquire scientific skills
and develop approaches to finding solutions to problems. All students
should be able to learn independently and collaboratively.
Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) has proven to be a useful tool for promoting
STEM research among girls and boys from a very young age (Tindall, Hamil,
2004). It is effective when integrated into an attractive and relevant
curriculum. Through this approach, students go through experiences which
offer them the opportunity to ask questions, collaborate, think critically,
solve problems, communicate and discover new knowledge.
By developing their own inquiring mind, students explore material, ask
questions, investigate, record and present their work. By thinking about
what they have done, the exploratory process allows them to create new
theories or ideas about how the world works (IBE-UNESCO, 2003). Such an
example is the combination of inquiry learning activities and authentic
workplace problems and common real-life situations which can enhance the
students’ mathematical argumentation (Kosyvas, 2016). The study - in terms

of the European Project MASCIL- revealed that the inquiry activity of
students helped to reflect the formalism and the highlighting of human and
social dimension of mathematics as well as that coupling inquiry learning
with authentic workplace situation is a challenge to improve the teaching of
mathematics in high school.
When Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) is used as an approach to gender-
responsive STEM education, science activities are designed to address the
needs and interests of both girls and boys and build on their existing
knowledge, so that all children can see the relevance of science to everyday
life.
Through the IBL approach, girls and boys have equal opportunities to
participate in activities, ask questions, conduct experiments and evaluate
results, while at the same time using the IBL method as an approach to
gender-responsive STEM education encourages girls and boys to ask
questions, investigate real issues that affect them or the community and
make their own discoveries (Harlem, 2013)
In the framework of inquiry-based teaching and learning, there are different
levels of inquiry. Heather Banchi and Randy Bell (2008) described four levels
of learning based on inquiry in science: confirmation inquiry, structured
inquiry, guided inquiry and open-ended inquiry.
A. Confirmation Inquiry: In the confirmation process, after the teacher has
taught a specific or scientific topic, he / she develops questions and a
process that guides the students in an activity where the results are already
known. This method is useful for reinforcing concepts that have already
been taught, for teaching students how to follow procedures and for the
correct collection and recording of data, as well as for confirming and
deepening students' understanding.
B. Structured Inquiry: In structured inquiry, the teacher provides the initial

question and an outline of the process to be followed when answering the
question. Students are expected to explain their findings by evaluating and
analyzing the data they collect.
C. Guided Inquiry: In guided inquiry, the teacher provides students with the
theme only. Students are then responsible for planning and following their
own procedures to answer the question and then communicate their results
and findings.
D. Open inquiry: Students develop their own questions, design and follow
their own procedures and communicate their results and findings. This type
of inquiry is usually typical of scientific reports, where students ask their
own questions.
Thinking and learning procedures are enhanced by experience, observation
and interaction with other students. By integrating the IBL method into
STEM teaching in a gender-responsive way, both girls and boys have the
opportunity to direct their learning and communicate what they have
learned through real experience.
Students deepen and consolidate their learning when given the opportunity
to apply such learning in a meaningful context. Inquiry-based learning
serves as a platform for all children to engage in practical inquiry about
solutions to STEM problems. It transforms traditional classrooms from
teacher-centered to student-centered.
The educator’s role

The educator in a classroom where exploratory approaches are applied,
depending on the model he / she chooses, does not act as a carrier of
knowledge, but as a facilitator of the students by supporting and
encouraging them. The educator intervenes only when necessary,

supporting his / her students to develop problem-solving and collaboration
skills. (Savery, 2006)
During the implementation of the STEM approach, the educator

collaborates with the students, highlighting the stimuli that will lead to the
students' reflection, arousing their creative curiosity and asking the
questions that will allow the formulation of the students' assumptions.
He/She poses challenges with clear instructions that leave freedom to
students' creative thinking.
The different pedagogical approaches are directly related to whether these
processes will be open or closed in relation to the degree of students'
autonomy, which could be classified as Open, Guided and Structured. In
order to understand the deviance among them, the different practices are
presented in the following diagrams.
During the orientation of the students, depending on the approach, we see
that:
Students explore a scientifically oriented question
Open Guided Structured
Students choose
the question from
a selection
Students are asked
Students ask their supplied by the
the question by
own questions teacher or from
the teacher
resources
provided by the
teacher
While investigating the answer to the questions that have been asked:
Students follow an inquiry/ exploratory / experimental

process to reach the evidence that answers their questions.
Open Guided Structured
Students choose the

Students determine evidence and data Students are
for themselves the from a selection provided with the
meaning of supplied by the evidence and the
evidence and data educator or from data by the
collection resources provided educator
by the educator
The choice of approach depends on the choices of the educator, the learning
environment, the topic, the age and the experience of the students in
respective procedures, the general tendency being to move gradually
towards the implementation of open procedures.
Despite the potential benefits of STEM training, it is important to keep in
mind that it is necessary to support educators in implementing these
approaches to teaching practices by assessing their effectiveness, but also
by making available the materials needed to implement a comprehensive
STEM programme.
Design of appealing scientific or mathematic activities for

girls and boys
Some general strategies for bridging the gender gap could be:
At central planning level, hidden gender bias in curricula and the spread of
stereotypes about gender roles lead to unequal education for girls and boys.
In order to create a fairer learning environment for all students, textbooks
and educational material should be fair in presenting gender, include many
remarkable female figures, and not symbolize women in stereotypical
gender roles or in a negative way.
Also, in the curricula and educational material there should be a
presentation of men and women who challenged their society's ideas about
gender and changed their communities in substantial ways. It may also be
helpful to include in the curriculum people who do not conform to gender,
so as to help students with these identities feel represented and accepted.
At school level
Schools should be a welcoming place for students of all genders. To
strengthen the role of schools in these issues, we could follow these steps:
Learn about gender bias: School principals and educational coordinators can
start by encouraging educators to project their own perceptions, thus
becoming aware of their own gender biases and learn to deal with students
in ways that are consistent with their identities.
Create a neutral environment: Make sure gender acceptance is present in
texts, written and visual cues, and other symbols, such as registration forms,
student information systems, and administrative regulations. Teachers and
school principals should develop gender advocacy policies for privacy and
disclosure, student records and information systems, use of names and
pronouns, dress codes, facilities and activities that prevent gender
segregation, harassment and bullying (Orr and Baum, 2015).
At classroom level
Change classroom culture: One of the best ways to deal with gender
discrimination in the classroom is to inform students about it. We talk to
students about implicit bias, or beliefs we may have about ourselves or
others because of sexist messages we have received. We report that many
people have these prejudices but this does not mean that they are bad
people. The important thing is that each of us should consider such
discriminations as our own and try to reverse them by recognizing that a
person's abilities are not related to his or her gender.
We empower students to believe in their ability to realize their dreams
regardless of their gender identity - and that their gender is a strength,
never a weakness. We also use language in the classroom that includes
transgender and non-binary students, such as the use of a student's first
name and pronouns, even if they are different from school records.
Sometimes our language can reinforce gender assumptions. We
acknowledge the language we use in the classroom and avoid making
assumptions about someone's ability, profession or personality based on

their gender.
For example, we can include a female worker or soldier, a male secretary or
nurse, and other occupations that are usually related to a particular gender.
Also, when referring to the group as a whole, we should avoid using gender
in terms such as "guys", which can make female students feel excluded.
Instead, look for gender-neutral pronouns like "everyone".
Similarly, we should not refer to stereotypes such as "boys do not cry" or
"girls do not fight". This language is the basis that can limit students'
understanding of gender roles.
It can also be helpful to avoid generalizations about gender in the classroom,
such as assuming that boys are stronger and girls are quieter.
Combating gender stereotypes:
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
defines as gender stereotypes generalizations about the characteristics and
roles that men or women should have or perform (UNHCR, 2020). These can
limit children's opportunities to learn and grow. We can fight gender
stereotypes with the following actions:
• Raise awareness of the tendency to grade boys higher than girls in
subjects such as math, science, engineering and technology. This
helps to fill the gender gaps in these areas and promote gender
equality among young mathematicians, scientists, engineers and
technologists (Robinson-Cimpain, Lubienski, Ganley and Copur-
Gencturk, 2014).
• While teaching a text or film, ask students to identify and analyze
gender stereotypes and expectations in the story and use texts or
stories that prove that value and happiness do not come from
physical appearance.
• Demand from students to think critically about how authority

structures benefit from gender stereotypes and what people can do
to resist. Familiarize students with real people or characters who do
not have stereotypical professions or who positively challenge
gender stereotypes, such as nurses and female scientists or male
curators. Use books and content that includes LGBTQ characters or
those that do not conform to standard gender stereotypes.
• Explain the context: If you hear students use phrases such as "you
play like a girl" or " a man", it is important to point out the social
implications of these statements and not just warn against using
such phrases.
The struggle and history of gender equality are similar to struggles and
histories of race and religious equality. Understanding how individuals and
groups are marginalized through more basic cultural tools such as language,
depending on your students' level, is more important than having "clear
rules" to "protect students" from prejudice.
Classroom distribution and group work:

• It is common for boys and girls to separate when choosing friends
or where to sit. Teachers sometimes encourage this by asking girls
and boys to form separate files in the corridor or even by organizing
separate sports activities for each group.
• By creating a dynamic seating chart, you can split cliques of boys or
girls and encourage both groups to interact with each other.
• Create joint teams of boys and girls in small group projects.
• The assignments can be purely academic, with activities on gender
equality and, directly or indirectly, STEAM activities. Working
together, girls and boys can - if well supported - better understand
the nuance of individual behaviors by breaking away from the "girls"
and "boys" stereotypes.
• Projects can also be created to explore concepts of and about
gender and cultural equality, or to work in selected spaces and
communities so as to nurture the development of a healthy human
interdependence.
These trends do not apply to every teacher or every group of students, but
they are worth considering as you try to limit gender bias in your teaching
methods. Gender inequality is only one aspect of a much larger issue of
equality in education.
However, by making efforts to avoid allocating traditional gender roles in
the classroom, you can better prepare students to seek knowledge and
participate more fully in discussions and other learning opportunities in
many areas, regardless of gender.
We all need to work to become more aware of any gender-related trends.
We need strategies to help us reflect on and change any biased practices,
and we must commit to combating gender bias in the educational material.
Specifically, during the implementation of activities we could distinguish

three main areas for promoting the participation of girls and boys in STEM:
(a) designing guidelines to encourage discovery by doing and experiencing
activities related to children's everyday lives,
(b) participation in programmes that expose girls and boys to relevant, real
- life experiences, and
(c) enhancing girls' and boys' perceptions of their ability to excel in STEM
careers.
STEM tools
Tools used for STEM education can be instructional/learning, or evaluation.
Choosing the right tools can be challenging as there are a lot of different
aspects and criteria that need to be considered. Most widely spread criteria
are: subject, course type, student level, cost and versatility, with versatility
being associated to cost.
Learning tools
There are two main types of learning tools used in STEM, digital and analog.
Choosing which you use mainly depends on the teachers’ preference and
budget as both can be used to teach different subjects, students of different
levels, and both unplugged and plugged activities. Digital tools mostly
include computers, tablets, smartphones, electronic toolkits and
educational robots. Because of their prevalence, computers and tablets are
most common. Their range of use has been spread with the current research
into gamification and online learning, creating a large number of
educational games, programming languages for children, websites, web and
mobile applications, video tutorials and MOOCs (massive open online
courses). Electronic toolkits are popular in both K-12 and
undergraduate/graduate education because of their versatility. The base
electronic component for K-12 are mostly Arduino simple circuit boards,
while in recent years significant area has been occupied by the micro:Bit,
which provides an inexpensive platform with a large number of sensors,
function keys and a screen, offering a wide variety of programming and
support capabilities, while for older students Raspberry Pi or more specific
PCB module depending on the intended use of the kit. Educational robots
are gaining momentum in the last couple of decades, with LEGO
Mindstorms being the most popular. The use of Mindstorms is spread along
generations, but because of the price and the need for a robot for each
student or pair of students is not commonly used in formal education. There
are cheaper educational robots that are used more frequently in formal
schooling, like mBot or Thymio. In higher grades, electronic kits are also
used for building robots as well as usage of 3D printing. Analog tools can be
whatever is available of everyday objects, and suitable for the activity, for
example: piece of paper, dice, crayons, blocks, puzzles, posters, cards.
Evaluation of STEM learning

Through "integrated STEM" approaches, an important issue that is often
raised is evaluation; according to (Gao et al., 2020), because the STEM
interdisciplinary approach includes many areas of knowledge, evaluation of
the "integrated" STEAM approach should:
a) evaluate the engagement of the trainees, in addition to their knowledge,

skills and attitudes, in working practices, too; in other words, their
engagement in the practices of Scientists and Engineers as well as, if we may
add, Artists,
b) ensure that the learning outcomes align with the type of integration, for
example that they depend on the interdisciplinary approach which was
followed, and look for ways to evaluate not only perfomance in the
individual cognitive areas but in "STEAM integration" as well.
The evaluation of the students’ progress in STEM is not usually based on the
typical evaluations of knowledge i.e. written or oral exams and homework.
This is because knowledge and skills acquisition in STEM education is not as
straightforward as ex cathedra formal schooling. In STEM education, the
gaining of skills like problem solving, critical thinking, information
processing is crucial. There has been some progress in automated
evaluation of students’ skills, knowledge and motivation, but it is still costly
and most teachers choose to use some of the traditional tools for evaluation
i.e. portfolio and rubrics. Informal STEM education can be assessed by
informal means e.g. science fairs and competitions.
Research shows better outcomes when the final outcome of the course is
stated at the beginning of the course. Also, students perform better when
they get feedback. The above-mentioned evaluation tools meet these
criteria, and promote self-regulated learning. Rubrics show the intended
outcomes and scoring criteria while the student is responsible to fill in the
processes and final results they got from an assignment or an activity.
Portfolios show the final results for different projects learned/made in a
course. Science fairs are common in formal and informal learning, and can
have different guidelines. Students usually have general directions to the
scope of the fair and they need to create an appropriate project. Science
fairs are usually judged, with individual projects getting recognition.
Competitions in STEM are organized at different levels i.e. school, country,
world. The most popular are FIRST LEGO League (which includes robotics
competitions as well as scientific projects made by the teams), World Robot
Olympiad (robotics competition for students of different ages), RoboCup
Junior, European Union Science Olympiad (which includes experimental
work in physics, chemistry and biology), International Young Naturalists’
Tournament (young students need to solve and debate problems in physics,
chemistry and biology), International Young Physicists’ Tournament,
International Mathematical Olympiad, European Girls’ Olympiad in

Informatics and more.
Suggestions for evaluation

Evaluation in STEM activities is a process that is determined not only by the
final result but also by its continuous monitoring and updating through
formative evaluation processes.
Additionally, formation of a collaborative atmosphere in the classroom is of
importance and particularly the perception that the students themselves
have of their own learning and operation of their group.
In this context, students are asked to be actively involved in evaluating their
own actions as well as their classmates’ within the group; the following
Rubric could be indicative of this process:
Indicative Evaluation/Assessment rubric

SCO
4 3 2 1 RE
CATEGORY Name of
each team
member
Contribution He/She regularly He/She usually He/She He/She rarely
provides helpful provides useful sometimes Provides useful
ideas to the ideas to the provides useful ideas to the
team and class team and class ideas to the team and
discussions. A discussions. A team and class Class
very strong team discussions. A discussions.
responsible member who satisfactory He/She may
member who tries hard. team member refuse to.
contributes a who does what
lot of effort. is required.
Solution He/She He/She He/She does not He/She does not
actively seeks improves suggest or try to solve
and proposes solutions to the improve problems or
solutions to problem solutions, but is help others
problems suggested by willing to try solve problems.
others solutions He lets others
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which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of
112
the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2020-1-HR01-KA201-077760]
suggested by do the work

others.
Attitude He/She never He/She rarely He/She criticizes He/She often
criticizes the criticizes the publicly the has a publicly
project or project or others’ workof others. critical attitude
others’ work in public. He usually has a towards the
in public. He/She often has a positive attitude project or
He/She positive attitude towards work. others’ work.
always has a to tasks. He often has a
positive Negative
attitude to attitude towards
tasks. work
Focused Remains firmly Focused on Focused on Rarely focuses
focused on work and what work and what on work and
work and what needs to be needs to be what needs to
needs to done most of done at some be done. Lets
be done. the time. Other point. Other team others do the
Highly team members members job.
self-directed. can count on sometimes have
this person. to complain,
push and remind
to keep this
The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and
the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2020-1-HR01-KA201-077760]
113
person to work.
Working He/She almost He/She usually He/She often Rarely listens,
with Always listens, listens, shares listens, shares Shares or
others Shares and and supports and supports Supports the
Supports the the efforts of the efforts of Efforts of
efforts of others. others, but others. Often
others. He/She He/She does not sometimes isnot a not a "team
triesto keep cause "teamplayer". player"
peopleworking "disturbance" in
welltogether. the team
(ΜΟΕ, 2006)
The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and
the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2020-1-HR01-KA201-077760]
114
https:/www.robogirls.eu
Conclusions
Regardless of the STEM introduction model, the procedures followed are
based on inquiry-based learning. In this case, students develop the ability
to learn how to learn through the process of exploration, experimentation,
drawing conclusions and generalizations, with active personal participation
in the cognitive process.
Research shows that an interdisciplinary and comprehensive curriculum

provides opportunities for more relevant, less fragmented and more
encouraging experiences for students (Furner & Kumar, 2007; p.186).
Most of the exploratory approaches originate from the Scientific Method

and, depending on the speaker, we have different methods that are applied
with different number of individual steps and names.
In all cases we see that initially we have activation of the students' interest
in the subject we will study, their reflection and the formulation of
questions / inquiries which they try to answer through their actions (search
for information, experimental, discovery processes); following that, based
on the data obtained from the investigation, the conclusions answering the
inquiries that have been made are synthesized. Completion of this
procedure/ consolidation is achieved through extension / generalization of
the conclusions to other situations / phenomena / technological
applications.
When applying STEM approaches, the teacher encourages and collaborates
with the students, arousing their interest and highlighting the stimuli that
will lead to the students' reflection; he/she provokes the questions that will
allow the formulation of the hypotheses / research questions by the
students. He/She promotes the equal representation of the genders both
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an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the
Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information
contained therein. [Project Number: 2020-1-HR01-KA201-077760] 115
through the role models and examples he/she promotes and language
he/she uses, but also through the roles that the students will take on.
He/She sets the challenges with clear guidelines that leave students free to
think creatively and facilitate them to carry out exploratory / experimental
processes. He/She starts a discussion to broaden observations and draw
conclusions. He/She supports consolidation by gradually leading students to
generalization and transferring and application of knowledge to natural
phenomena in everyday life and technological applications.
Therefore, effective gender-responsive STEM teaching should include
inquiry-based courses where all children, both girls and boys, have the
opportunity to conduct hands-on investigation that encourages critical
thinking and problem solving. Lessons should not be prescribed: the teacher
should play the role of the facilitator, providing sufficient guidance and
supervision for students to be successful (Moore and Roehrig, 2012).
The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the
contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which
may be made of the information contained therein. [Project Number: 2020-1-HR01-KA201-077760]
116
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124
Part III
Activities booklet
125
Creativity, design thinking and constructions

A1. Eiffel Tower STEM Challenge
Goal: Children through the experimental process, engage with simple
materials in a construction activity and see how they can build the Eiffel
tower.
Age: 5-8
Type of activity: unplugged
Materials: Craft sticks with "grooves", a hot glue gun, toothpicks, metal clips
and paper plates
Description: Each group makes their own construction, using only
toothpicks, only staples, only sticks or a combination of these materials,
while the teacher helps the students with the use of a liquid glue gun.
Figure 1: My Tower
References: http://preschoolpowolpackets.blogspot.com/2016/01/Eiffel-
Tower-STEM-Challenge.html
126
A2. Chain reactions

Goal: Through the experimental process, children engage in a construction
activity with simple materials and see how they can make a "bomb" of chain
reactions with smart levers and experiment with dynamic and kinetic energy
Age: 5-8
Description: In the form of a challenge, children experiment by making the
first smart lever, placing two sticks on both sides of a cube (the cube must
be close to the end of the sticks). They place a rubber band around the end
of the sticks, as close to the cube as possible, and a second rubber band
around the other end of the sticks, to hold the lever (it is the POINT of
DETONATION).
They place the smart lever on the desk or on the floor. They make a second
smart lever but now they omit the second rubber band. They place its open
end between the sticks on the first smart lever, next to the cube. To ignite
the construction, they remove the rubber band at the POINT of
DETONATION while pushing down the free end of the sticks.
References: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=zAwN1Z187ls
127
Figure 2: Chain reactions
128
A3. We build cardboard bridges

Goal: Engage children in a construction activity with simple materials, so
that they can determine the strength of various construction structures
Age: 8-14
Materials: Cardboard box, Ruler, Scissors, Cutter, Stapler or cellophane
tape. The cardboard should be cut into rectangular pieces sized 40x10 cm
or 20x10 cm.
Description: In the form of a "challenge" the teams are asked to work as
engineers who undertake to design and build durable cardboard bridges,
using as little raw material as possible. The teams design, build and test the
strength of the bridges they have built, distinguishing the most durable
structures.
Figure 4: Samples from bridges built by students.

References: http://1dim-olympic.att.sch.gr/?p=751
129
A4. Bridges that open

Goal: Students develop strategies for problem solving, they learn with
simple materials and means to build machines / devices which use different
energy sources and bring different results, and also how to use simple
machines.
Age: 10-14
Materials: Cardboard boxes, ropes, various connectors, pistons (syringes),
DC electric motors, cables, batteries, thread spools, cables, batteries and
simple materials available at school. Stapler or cellophane tape.
Description: In the form of a challenge, groups of students are asked to
design and build with simple materials a bridge that will open its central
part, trying and using different ideas / mechanisms that allow them to set
their bridge in motion. They choose solutions that combine durability,
technological originality, architectural approach, and functionality.
References: http://1dim-olympic.att.sch.gr/?p=751
Figure 5: Bridge that opens using pistons (pneumatic)
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Figure 6: Sample bridge that opens with an electric motor.
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A5. Mechanical hand out of cardboard

Goal: The use of tinkering with things and educational robotics as teaching
and learning tools in school curricula encourages students to participate in
guided discovery, problem definition and problem solving. DIY is a fun and
exploratory way to approach problems, a way of learning based on creativity
and collaboration.
Age: 5-10
Materials: cardboard, rubber bands, straws, adhesive tape or cellophane
tape, nylon string or cord, glue (or hot glue, with the help of an adult),
scissors (or cutter, with the help of an adult), pencil or pen, ruler
Description: The activity focuses on observing a thing in the real world,
understanding how it works and constructing a model that can reproduce
its movements or behaviour. In this lesson plan, the teacher asks the
students to look at one of their hands and understand its movements, in
order to construct a prototype (model) that can reproduce its function. The
activity can be included in a science lesson or in a technology lesson, in
which students learn that machines and robots can help people with various
things, such as handling hazardous liquids.
After cutting the cardboard in the shape of a hand, we use adhesive tape to
attach a rubber band to the bottom of each finger and make sure to fasten
the tip of each rubber band. We stretch the rubber band slightly and then
fasten the other end to the top of the finger. The side with the rubber bands
is the back of the hand. Then, we turn the cardboard over and stick a small
piece of straw to each phalanx with glue and a larger piece of straw under
each finger. Finally, we cut some pieces of string, tie them to the top of each
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rubber band and then put them in the straws. The fingers will be bent by
pulling the strings and will return to a relaxed position with the help of the
rubber bands.
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1c095iTIqs&ab_channel=harriscoun
typl
Figure 7: Mechanical hand out of cardboard
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Student’s knowledge, attitudes, and preferences
A6. What do students think?

Goal: Retrieve students’ perspective regarding programming and robotics.
Age: 9-14
Type of activity: plugged
Materials: Google form survey
Description: To find out the common misconceptions, prejudices and
aspects that do not appeal to the female population of students, a survey is
designed to access students’ perspective regarding aspects of interest in the
domain of technical subjects, such as programming and robotics, and
consequentially technical professions. Furthermore, a survey can access
various robot design preferences, in terms of colour, shape, functionalities
etc.
References: Vieira, A. S., & Couto, M. J. V. (2020). Gender differences as
influence factors to choose computer science as a professional career
option. IEEE Revista Iberoamericana de Tecnologias del Aprendizaje, 15(3),
205-210.
Connie D. Bain & Margaret L. Rice (2006) The Influence of Gender on
Attitudes, Perceptions, and Uses of Technology, Journal of Research on
Technology in Education, 39:2, 119-132, DOI:
10.1080/15391523.2006.10782476
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A7. Meet a robotics engineer or a programmer

Goal: Introduce students to the profession and basic terminology
Age: 9-14
Materials: Different robots/YouTube, printed pictures of famous robots
Description: This activity is held as a Q/A with a robotics engineer or a
programmer. Students are encouraged to ask questions. A professional
discusses topics concerning the profession, education required to become a
robotics programmer, daily tasks, technology involved, terminology etc.
Some of the questions that the professional asks students are: What is
robotics? What is a robot? What is the purpose of robots? What can robots
do? What fields utilize robots? What does a robot consist of? Do robots
move and how? Can robots be controlled? How are robots controlled? What
is programming? etc. Different robots can be showcased to familiarize
students with different appearances and functionalities of robots. An
alternative to showcasing real robots is playing different YouTube videos.
Furthermore, pictures of different famous robots from the media culture
are showcased. Students are expected to recognize the robot showcased.
To facilitate creative and critical thinking about famous robots in
comparison to real-life robots, robots are discussed for their characteristics
and functionalities, what makes them robots and what does not. After
hardware, the software aspect should be introduced, and a programming
practice could be performed. Questions discussed are What is a command?
What is a programme? What is an algorithm? What is a loop? etc. Next,
students should come up with a scenario that a professional should
perform. By programming a professional’s actions, students practice
algorithm thinking. Misconceptions and mistakes noted in the session are
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marked on the board to destigmatize making mistakes but rather point out
what has been learned from that. At the end of the Q/A scenario students
could work in groups to make a poster about what they have learned about
the profession, put down what they consider cons and pros of working as a
programmer with robots, draw a robot they would want to build, etc.
References:https://leaderconnectingleaders.com/junior-designing-robots-
badges/
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A8. Programming and robotics vocabulary

Goal: Familiarize students with robotics and programming vocabulary
Age: 9-14
Materials: worksheets
Description: Firstly, students are given a word search worksheet to
familiarize them with the terms related to programming and robotics. E.g.,
data, input, output, variable, algorithm, programmer, command,
programme, programming language, syntax, bug, debugging, loop, function
related to programming and hardware, software, robot, mobile robots,
static robots, power, robotics, sensor (ultrasonic, colour, touch, gyro),
motor. Followed by a presentation and discussion led by a tutor about the
terms to explicitly introduce the new knowledge. Afterwards, students are
given a diagram depicting a robot’s actuators, sensors, controller, a PC, and
a person and should sort the terms in brackets according to where they
belong. Lastly, students are given a crossword with definitions of previously
introduced terms to question pupils’ understanding. The crossword is not
completely blank but has hint letters. Students are expected to fill in the
crossword. Instead of the crossword, for younger students a matching
worksheet could be designed.
References: https://wordmint.com/
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A9. Unplugged programming and algorithmic thinking

Goal: Introduce algorithmic thinking
Age: 4-11
Materials: worksheets
Description: Unplugged programming activities can be designed in various
ways, e.g. one way is to use arrows to collect items in a maze, connect dots
of the house, or draw a pixelized robot by moving on the 2D grid etc.
References: https://www.codespeaklabs.com/blog/unplugged-coding-
activity-little-artist-inside-your-computer
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ycp_MT9AIMMPWAaIqiFQIdYdSdmVBgx
m/view
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A10. Science Word Puzzle Searches

Goal: Encourages students to explore the vocabulary of STEAM and Science
subjects
Age: 6 to 13 years
Materials: access to the internet and website to print out the word searches
and use them in the classroom.
Description: This resource comprises an extensive library of science-based
word searches that can be used with students to introduce key science and
STEAM concepts and then use the word searches to improve and expand
vocabulary.
References: https://wordsearchwizard.com/topics/science/
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A11. Read a book about coding

Goal: Introduce coding to young students
Age: 7-8
Materials: Choose a book about coding
Description: The teacher chooses a book (e.g. Hello Ruby: Adventures in
Coding) to introduce the knowledge and skills behind coding. This specific
book focuses on pattern recognition, computational thinking, and higher-
level concepts vital to understanding coding. There are also several tie-in
apps, online games, and additional information that will help your young
Ruby fan learn more about taking a fantastic voyage into the wild world of
writing software.
References: https://www.readbrightly.com/childrens-books-to-introduce-
coding/
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A12. Decoding and coding a message

Goal: Introduce the functionality of a compiler
Age: 8-14
Materials: worksheets, carton sheets, drucker buttons, beads, strings
Description: Each student is given the worksheet with blank spaces above
the symbols and should decode the message by using a Caesar Cipher disc
or a table. All the messages put together tell a story about a scientist related
to programming or robotic history. The story is read aloud, each segment by
its decoder at the end of the activity. After decoding the story, the task is to
code the personal and secret message for another student at the workshop
naming student’s one virtue by using the disc with characters designed by
the student coding the message, followed by making the bracelet with
beads denoting that each word describes a person. A parallel between the
syntax of a programming language and the decoding of a message using a
Cipher disc should be introduced by a tutor. Another approach is to code
answers to questions related to robotics for students to decode.
References: https://www.twinkl.fr/resource/t2-t-258-crack-the-code-
activity-sheet
https://www.freeprintableonline.com/printables/worksheets/kids-
worksheets/decoding-message-using-shapes-kids-activity-worksheet
https://girlswhocode.com/assets/downloads/craft-prod/downloads/Girls-
Who-Code-at-Home-Binary-Bracelets-Activity.pdf
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A13. Robot mosaic

Goal: To engage children in a tactile exercise intended to discuss robots and
their features.
Age: 8-14
Materials: LEGO bricks, LEGO base plates, template
Description: Students are given Lego base plates to fill with Lego bricks of
different sizes in designated colours while they listen to a story about a
robot and programming related topic. After the plates are filled out, they
are conjoined to a mosaic forming a robot. Now the features and abilities of
a robot from a mosaic can be discussed based on its appearance.
References: Amanda Black. Amazing Brick Mosaics Fantastic Projects to
Build with LEGO Blocks You Already Have
8: Mosaic template of a robot

from the book: Amazing
Brick Mosaics Fantastic
Projects to Build with LEGO
Blocks You Already Have by
Amanda Black
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A14. Use mixed-reality environments (VR, AR) to teach

coding
Goal: Combine digital and physical worlds to teach coding
Age: 9-12
Materials: Access to the internet, computers, tablets or any other mobile
devices
Description: Since coding skills are considered crucial for nearly all
industries, educators need to find a way to build student's coding
knowledge while students create their own virtual or augmented world.
Preliminary evidence from a research conducted at the Georgia Institute of
Technology, suggests that Virtual and Augmented reality platforms may
support students in learning coding as they can perform better on
assessments.
Examples of such AR platforms are: CoSpaces Edu
(https://cospaces.io/edu/ ), Tynker (https://www.tynker.com/ )
References: https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2019/02/k-12-
teachers-use-virtual-and-augmented-reality-platforms-teach-coding-
perfcon
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A15. Decoding resistance of a resistor and testing with a

power circuit
Goal: Introducing hardware found in every robot and a practice of decoding
Age: 10-16
Materials: worksheets, resistors, batteries, wires, bulbs, alligator clips,
(lamp: plastic casing for the battery, decoration: bows, buttons, bolts,
sticker, spiral wires)
Description: Before the practical part students are introduced to resistors,
their purpose, and the meaning of colour stripes markings. Tasks include
reading resistor values but also designing their own resistors with coloured
pencils on a sheet of paper. Self-designed resistor drawings are then
exchanged among students as a task from one to another, solved and
discussed. Next, students are given the materials to build a simple lamp
looking like a robot, eyes are represented by bulbs. The exercise includes
trying out different resistors, combining them in a parallel and in a series
circuit. By inspecting the brightness of the lights, girls hypothesize about
some resistors having more resistance than others, or how the circle design
impacts the light. By inspecting the actual value of resistors through reading
the lines, girls prove or disprove their hypothesis.
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Figure 9: Revealing resistance from the book: Easy

Electronics by Charles Platt
Figure 10: Robot-like night light

from a book: Awesome
Robotics Projects for Kids 20
Original Steam Robots and
Circuits to Design and Build by
Bob Katovich
145
A16. Makey-Makey kit

Goal: Promotion of creativity
Age: 8-12
Materials: Makey-Makey kit, computer/tablet
Description: The Makey-Makey kit is an electronic invention that allows you
to take everyday objects and combine them with the internet. Using the
alligator clips attached to any conductive material, students can control the
keyboard of their computer, such as the space bar, arrow keys and left click
of the mouse. The Makey Makey kit can be used to develop a computer
game or to support students with disabilities. The kit promotes creativity
and problem-solving skills.
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWPKJF5enkk&ab_channel=Vat19
http://www.makerspaceforeducation.com/makey-makey.html
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A17. We build our own quiz game

Goal: The construction of a game that allows practice on simple electrical
circuits, micro:bit programming with the use of selection and repetition
structures, use of the game they created for the consolidation of concepts
and practice in other cognitive subjects
Age: 10-14
Materials: Cardboard and A4 size paper, cables with crocodiles, foil,
cellophane tape, micro:bit, scissors
Description: Students build an electrical circuit using strips of foil that
branch out at various points.
They then create sheets with
questions, pictures or other
information and place them so
that when properly matched,
the circuit closes.
To check their results,
students use the micro:bit to
calculate their correct
Figure 11: Sample circuit using
answers. A sample of a aluminum foil cables.
relevant programme and a
simulation of the device can be found in the adjacent link, but you can
improve it to better meet your requirements.
References: https://makecode.microbit.org/_5C33uXKoYYKq
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Figure 12: Game sample.
148
A18. Squishy Circuits

Goal: Teaches students the basics of electrical circuits
Age: 8 – 11
Materials: Squishy Circuit Kit
Description: Squishy Circuits use conductive and insulating play dough to
teach the basics of electrical circuits, blending play and learning. The kits
teach problem solving and engineering concepts and inspire creativity and
independent thinking.
References:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.teachersource.com/downloads/lesson_pd
f/Squishy_CircuitsClassroom-NGSSAlignment.pdf
149
A19. E-textile robot and bracelets

Goal: Using art in promoting STEM topic such as robotics
Age: 9-14
Materials: LED-s, Lilly pad button board, Lilly pad coin cell battery holder,
conductive thread, buttons, seed beads, sew-on snaps, felt
Description: This activity proposes making a robot or a felt bracelet with
LED-s and other accessories.
References:
Bracelets: https://www.instructables.com/e-textile-cuff-creation/
https://www.instructables.com/Ultimate-Felt-Bracelet-with-LEDs
http://technolojie.com/chibitronics/
Robot: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/239535273901740791/
https://www.imagineourlife.com/2012/04/22/led-robot-quiet-book/
Advanced: Making Simple Robots Exploring Cutting-Edge Robotics with
Everyday Stuff by Kathy Ceceri (Chapter 5 pg 153 FiberBot, E-textile Arduino
Robot) https://www.instructables.com/Robotic-E-textile/
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A20. Motorized colouring bot

Goal: Students learn how to make a simple circuit
Age: 9-12
Materials: Switch, 9 VLT battery connector, DC motor, cylinder body to
create the robot (paper roll or paper cup), colour pen (or markers)
Description: Students build their own drawing robot while learning how a
simple circuit works. For the simple circuit, students will need a power
source (any type of battery or battery pack), 2 insulated wires, a light bulb,
and a light bulb holder. This activity enables students to explore a new
drawing method by combining Science and Art.
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M6UNJ6PJRU&ab_channel=DIYproj
ects-stepbystep
151
A21. Lego Art Machines

Goal: Allows students to build a robot that draws as it moves
Age: 9-14
Materials: Motor: LEGO M-Motor with rechargeable battery block, markers,
pen holder (experiment with pipe cleaners, binder clips, and rubber bands,
etc.), LEGO pieces offer lots of possibilities for investigating motions,
mechanisms, and linkages and Paper
Description: This activity takes a classic tinkering exercise i.e. scribbling
machines and combines it with LEGO. Through this activity, students can
make art machines with a LEGO motor. This project is an opportunity to
explore linkages, pattern-making, iteration, and how small changes can
have a big impact on its motion. It is accompanied by a series of
demonstration step-by-step videos.
References: https://www.exploratorium.edu/tinkering/projects/LEGO-art-
machines
152
A22. Make music while coding

Goal: Perform higher levels of programming skills through music
Age: 10-15
Materials: Sonic Pi software, computer/tablet
Description: Sonic Pi is an open-source programme that allows students to
create new sounds in a live coding environment. The teacher can have
students create their own sounds and melodies.
References: https://sonic-pi.net/tutorial
153
A23. Is mathematics the solution?

Goal: Students identify and use the linear function to solve problems in
everyday life. The interconnection of experimental data from real
arrangements received from the computer, their mathematical processing
to predict and solve problems of everyday life.
Age: 11-14
Materials: PC, ultrasonic sensor in connection with either Arduino or LEGO
Mindstorm or any other interface device is available.
Description: For the experimental procedure, containers with a fixed cross-
section will be used. At the top of the container and at a height of more than
15cm, we place the ultrasonic sensor, so that it targets the surface of the
liquid. We place the device under a tap that supplies the container with
water at a steady flow rate. Through the sensor we take measurements for
the change of the distance of the free surface of the water from the sensor
in relation to time. Students, with the help of the computer, create the
diagram of the height of the water (h) in the container with time [h = A-E,
A- initial indication of the sensor, E – values recorded by the sensor].
Students then replace the container with a different cross-section cοntainer
and repeat the process by keeping the flow steady, observing and explaining
the variation in the slope of the graph.
If possible, students use a container of variable cross-section and create a
graph of the height of water in the container in relation to time and they are
puzzled about the change in the slope of the graph.
The same process can be carried out using a Liquid Level Sensor and an
Arduino.
154
References:
https://youtu.be/o5Qo_I0TdOY
https://youtu.be/07G1xSvs0s8
https://youtu.be/n7WRi5U5lQk
155
A24. Raising young programmers

Goal: Encourage young children to start practicing with programming
activities
Age: 9-16
Materials: Thomas Suarez TED talk video
Description: In order to encourage students' participation in programming
activities, it is important to activate their motivation for the topic. The
reality is that nowadays, despite the fact that a very high percentage of
children play video games, very few create them. Thomas Suarez's video in
a TED Talk aims to start to encourage the interest of younger students in the
subject of programming. In this video, 12-year-old Thomas Suarez tells his
experience after having created 2 programmes with Apple devices.
Although it does not mention software that will be used in the classroom,
the video can help students to see themselves in Thomas Suarez's shoes and
to want to be like him.
It is important that after watching the video there is a common space where
students can express how it made them feel and their interest in the topic.
References:
https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_suarez_a_12_year_old_app_develop
er?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedco
mshare
156
A25. Scratch - online programming language

Goal: Introduce programming language
Age: 8 -16
Materials: Scratch online software, computer/tablet
Description: Scratch is a free programming language and online
community. Students explore the potentials of Scratch to create stories,
games, and animations. They may also create their own interactive game,
narrate a story or explain a certain concept.
References: https://scratch.mit.edu/
157
A26. Young videogame programmers

Goal: Learn how to create a videogame using Scratch following basic
instructions.
Age: 9-16
Materials: Scratch online application, videogame tutorial
Description: In this activity, students will learn how to create simple
videogames using Scratch commands. To do so, teachers will make a
previous selection of a videogame for beginners which they think will be
attractive for their students, for example, the Cat and Mouse chase game.
Once selected, they will create a video with the final appearance of the
game students have to create and a step-by-step tutorial with the necessary
actions to carry out in order to programme the videogame. Teachers can
create their own tutorials or search for them online (Cat & Mouse Game).
Students, who have previously been introduced to the different types of
Scratch commands and their functions, will first watch the video to get an
idea of the type of videogame they have to create and, subsequently, they
will follow the steps of the step-by-step tutorial to create their own
videogame. The creation of the game will be free, so everyone will be able
to choose their own people and scenarios to adapt it as much as possible to
their own likes.
References: https://scratch.mit.edu/
158
A27. Making music

Goal: Lear how to basically program using Makey-Makey, assigning different
sounds to different actions
Age: 9-16
Materials: Makey-Makey, Scratch
Description: Makey-Makey is a board similar to a game console controller
that simulates a keyboard or mouse. It must be connected to a computer,
in order to be able to give the different previously programmed commands.
This way, when someone touches, for example, the left arrow on the
Makey-Makey keyboard, the action programmed on the computer for the
left arrow will occur. This pre-programming can be done with different
programmes such as Scratch or Arduino.
Figure13: Makey-Makey.
159
In addition to the keyboard, the Makey-Makey has crocodile clips that

attach, on the one hand, to the controls on the board and, on the other, to
any object we want to use, converting it into a keyboard or a mouse. In this
way, when we touch the object in question, the connection with the control
of the board will send a signal to the computer and it will respond on the
basis of what has been previously programmed for that key.
For this activity, students will create a piano keyboard out of bananas. To do
this, they must first programme the piano on the computer using Scratch.
They will have to create a structure very similar to the one shown in this
example: Makey Makey Piano Remix.
Once they have programmed the keyboard, the students will connect the
bananas to the controls on the board using the tweezers. Each time the
different bananas are touched, the different sounds of the keyboard are
played, and songs can be created.
References: https://makeymakey.com/
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/2543877/
https://youtu.be/rfQqh7iCcOU
160
A28. How to train your inside programmer

Goal: Training programming skills through different activities
Age: 9-16
Materials: computer/tablet, access to the internet
Description: Before students undertake a complex programming activity
proposed by teachers, it may be a good idea for each student to train their
programming skills at their own pace through games and activities specific
to their likes. The Hour of Code and similar website provides a wide variety
of activities that students can do on their own by following a set of
instructions.
This activity will allow students to advance autonomously in their learning,
adjusting the learning process to their likes and levels of knowledge.
Example of learning activity is Flappy Game. Students will be able to create
their own flappy game through a progression of different activities that will
explain to them how the different commands work, introducing new
different commands in each of the activities. This coding activity is based on
drag and drop coding.
Students will learn how to code different actions such as changing scenes,
scoring points, ending the game, and moving on the y axis.
161
Figure 14: First level of the Code your own Flappy Game activity
https://studio.code.org/flappy/1
The other example is Minecraft Game. This collection of coding puzzles will
allow students to acquire a basic concept coding. The level of these puzzles
presents a progression of difficulty and different block coding commands
that students will learn step by step.
Students will learn how to interact with the environment, moving around
the landscape and interacting with different objects and elements. For that,
they will have to drag and drop different blocks that will contain different
commands.
References: https://hourofcode.com/es/en/learn
http://compute-it.toxicode.fr/
https://blockly.games/
https://www.codemoji.com/play/
https://code.org/
https://studio.code.org/flappy/1
https://studio.code.org/s/mc/lessons/1/levels/1
162
https://studio.code.org/download/mc (offline version)
A29. Moving bee

Goal: Introduce students into directional language and programming
Age: 3-6
Materials: mobile phone or tablet with application
Description: Before starting with
the lesson, the teacher will
introduce students to directional
language through programming and
will do a practical example, so that
all students know how the
application works.
After that, students will work in
small groups and will try to go over
the different levels on the app
collaboratively. Teachers will
ensure that all students participate
in the process and that they discuss
it within the group before
Figure 15: Example of a Bee-bot
introducing the different
level
commands. https://apps.apple.com/es/app/be
e-bot/id500131639
References:
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tts.beebot
IOS: https://apps.apple.com/es/app/bee-bot/id500131639
163
A30. Becoming acquainted with Artificial Intelligence

Goal: Students get to know what AI is, where we encounter it in everyday
life, the perspectives it creates but also the concerns that emerge.
Age: 11-14
Materials: Cardboard, Markers
Description: Students come close to the concept of AI, recognize AI
applications that we use in our everyday life. They discuss the possibilities
offered by the use of artificial intelligence, think about how a machine can
learn and record the pillars of AI. At the same time, concerns are raised as
to how AI could help improve people's lives, biodiversity on the planet, but
also the projection of positive and negative role models, the position of
women as projected by artificial intelligence systems e.g. from digital
assistants such as Alexa, Siri, Cortana…, stereotyping, but also categorizing
people based on machine algorithms. Overall, we have a process of
reflection, critical approach to AI but also knowledge of the possibilities that
open up through AI.
References: https://youtu.be/UdE-W30oOXo
https://www.onassis.org/whats-on/festival-you-and-ai-through-the-
algorithmic-lens/artworks/voicing-erasure
164
A31. Training our computer

Goal: Students recognize the machine learning processes of a machine. They
programme devices so that they can be trained and "make" decisions based
on the data fed
Age: 11-14
Materials: A computer with camera, Internet connection
Description: Students, by using the https://machinelearningforkids.co.uk
application, create a machine learning project by training the machine
(computer programme) to recognize various objects, based on examples
that will feed it. Students then use the computer's ability to recognize
objects to create an interactive game in Scratch.
References: https://machinelearningforkids.co.uk
https://scratch.mit.edu
165
A32. Chatbot programming

Goal: Introduce basic programming in Scratch
Age: 11-16
Materials: Computers
Description: Programming of a chat bot in Scratch about robots. Making up
scenarios where robots are or should be used according to girls’ perspective,
how they should look to be more appealing to girls etc.
References: Making Simple Robots Exploring Cutting-Edge Robotics with
Everyday Stuff by Kathy Ceceri (Chapter 4 pg 115-123)
https://www.codespeaklabs.com/blog/code-a-chatbot
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/72991186/
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hour-of-Code-Activity-
Lets-Play-with-the-ScratchJr-Kitten-3516112
166
First steps into programming robots

A33. Making shapes with code
Goal: Students are introduced to coding while learning the shapes
Age: 7 - 10
Materials: An Indoor or outdoor space, chalks or tape
Description: Students work in couples. One takes the role of a robot and the
other the role of a guide. The guide provides certain instructions (move a
step up/forward/down, turn to your left/right) and the student-robot is
called to follow them in order to create a shape (square, rectangle, circle,
triangular etc.). The student-robot performs and the guide makes the
outline of the shape using chalk or tape. At the same time, students may
explore the concept of area and perimeter of the different shapes.
References: http://www.kodable.com/learn/math-and-coding-activity-
make-shapes-with-code/
167
A34. Basics of robotics

Goal: Familiarize students with robot assembly and basic programming
Age: 9-14
Materials: Lego Spike Prime, assembly instructions, programming
instructions worksheets
Description: This activity proposes holding a robotics workshop using LEGO
Spike Prime to introduce building and programming a robot. Designed
assemblies would include various designs such as robots resembling a
human or animals (dog, cat) rather than vehicles. Programming exercises
for an animal design would be writing programmes for a robot to move,
react to petting by producing a sound, wag its tail etc. On the other hand,
programming exercises for a humanoid design would include programming
a robot to perform a dialogue of introduction instead of the student. For this
purpose, different sensors are used to trigger the sentences recorded by
students.
References: https://education.lego.com/en-us/lessons
168
A35. Interviewing a robot

Goal: Explore the changes in technology
Age: 9-12
Materials: Computer, projector
Description: The teacher presents the interview of Sophia, the Artificial
Intelligence robot. Following the interview, students are called to air their
emotions about Sophia and express their initial thoughts. Teacher and
students discuss technological progress, what they think and how they feel
about the robot and the changes in technology and how they imagine the
future.
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=781MlkxyqI&t=133s&ab_channel=Te
chInsider
169
A36. Adorable walking robot

Goal: One motor walking robot with a bow
Age: 9-14
Materials: DC 3V – 6V dual axis gear motor, battery holder with one AA
battery, wooden or metal sticks, super glue or hot glue
Description: The robot is made
using only one DC 3V – 6V dual axis
gear motor and battery holder
with one AA battery but it can walk
like a human. The robot's legs are
made of wooden or metal sticks,
or any other recyclable material.
The axis of rotation of both left
and right legs must be shifted so
the robot is able to walk. All parts
are joined together using super
glue or hot glue. To develop
engineering skills, students can
use different materials, different Figure 16: Walking robot
angles of motor or different shifts
of rotation axis and check which solution satisfies best the task. To make the
robot special, students can add a bow or tie to it. A workshop of making a
bow or tying a tie is the added value of this activity.
References: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SofESg-mLc
170
A37. Use Bee-bot/PRO-BOT to teach Mathematics

Goal: Introduce and practice mathematical concepts
Age: 8-12
Materials: Bee-bot/Pro Bot
Description: Both are programmable educational robots that allow simple
programming or writing more advanced commands (move forward,
backward, turn left and right, repeat a command, to turn 90 degrees left
and right). Students are introduced to coding and computational thinking.
The teacher can use the robot to teach mathematical concepts (e.g. shapes,
angles).
References: https://blog.teaching.com.au/5-mathematics-bee-bot-lesson-
ideas-for-the-classroom
171
A38. Robotics4Good
Goal: Introduce robotics and coding to students in post-primary schools
Age: 13+
Materials: Online modules that are accessed through a PC/Laptop and
internet connection
Description: Students are introduced to robotics and coding and actively
explore how technology can be used to tackle social issues through a robot
design challenge. Training and blended resources are provided for teachers
to support the delivery of this programme. Students explore social
innovation and how robots are used to solve local and global problems. This
aspect consists of a 1hr lesson delivered by the teacher typically in a face-
to-face format. Students then complete 3 x online coding modules
programming a virtual ‘TrashBot’ to clean up the ocean using drag and drop
code commands in a 3D simulated environment. These 3 modules are
typically completed over 6-8 classes of approx. 40 mins each. To promote
the Sustainable Development Goals, students can take part in a Social
Innovation Challenge – designing a robotic solution to a social issue that
relates to one of the SDGs.
References: https://www.youngsocialinnovators.ie/programmes-
initiatives/robotics4good/
172
A39. Robots on the road

Goal: Introduce students to the profession and basic terminology
Age: 9-16
Materials: Ozobot, road templates, coloured special markets
Figure 17: OzoCodes. https://juegosrobotica.es/ozobot/
Description: Ozobot is a robot that works by reading different colour codes.
173
Teachers can create a circuit where one or more Ozobots follow lines and
execute commands. To do so, teachers need to establish a starting point
and an ending point (it can be the same one) and trace a black path to go
from one point to the other.
During this path,
teachers will create
options like the ones in
the picture bellow
with the blanks in
white colour. In order
to complete the
circuit, students need
to fill the blanks with
the corresponding
colours to the action
the robot needs to do
to continue the path.
Figure 18: Ozobot Challenge.
https://juegosrobotica.es/ozobot/
References:
https://youtu.be/zm_H8HXWFZ4
https://juegosrobotica.es/ozobot/
174
A40. The robot of emotions

Goal: Recognition and expression of emotions, introduction to
programming
Age: 4-11
Materials: Micro:bit, Lego Spike Prime, Codey Rocky or similar set
Description: Programming the robot so that when we change its position
(lay it down, lift it up, shake it) a different icon is formed on its screen. We
place the robot in front of the face of a stuffed animal or a poppet and use
it as a prompt to discuss emotions, giving children the opportunity to
recognize them and safely express their own. A sample of a relevant
programme and a simulation of the device can be found in the adjacent link,
but you can improve it to better meet your requirements.
References: https://makecode.microbit.org/_J8aMcmAj2e2j
https://education.lego.com/en-us/lessons
https://www.generationrobots.com/media/makeblock/codey-
rocky/SampleofTeachersBook.pdf
Figure 19: The Lego Spike Prime program
175
Figure 20: The micro:bit simulation program
176
A41. Classroom noise, we programme robot so that it

alerts us whenever we shout
Goal: Introduction to robot programming using selection structures
Age: 9-14
Materials: Micro:bit (v.2) or Codey Rocky
Description: We worry about the noise in our classroom. We use a micro:bit
(v2) processor to let us know how loud the sounds are. A sample of a
relevant programme and a simulation of the device can be found in the
adjacent link, but you can improve it to better meet your requirements. The
activity can be done using Codey Rocky or similar robot or electronics set.
References: https://makecode.microbit.org/_3FYLk7fbqFer
https://www.generationrobots.com/media/makeblock/codey-
rocky/StudentsBook.pdf
http://didacta.hr/index.php?umet=41&jezik=2
177
A42. The Morse code

Goal: During the activity, students will learn
to create secret messages using the Morse
code. By learning how to create and send
secret Morse code messages, students will
have a basic knowledge of what Morse code
is. They will discover the Morse code
alphabet in a fun and entertaining way and Figure 21: Morse code
machine
have fun coding micro:bit with this simple
code. Micro:bit programming and the use of microelectronics can attract
students and give them useful skills to deal with various kinds of problems,
as well as to develop critical thinking and computational skills.
Age: 7-12
Materials: 2 crocodile clips, small speaker (piëzo) or headphones, micro:bit,
USB cable and a battery pack (if available v.2 of micro:bit does not need
cables and a speaker because it is built into it), computer with access to
makecode.com, Morse code worksheet, pencil.
Description: Once you have gathered all the necessary material, you will
need to create the code in micro:bit by accessing makecode.com website.
Once the code is stored in the micro:bit you can connect the crocodile clips
to your micro:bit and to your speakers or headphones. The end of the cable
must be connected to P0 (zero terminal) and the other cable must be
178
connected to GND
(earthing). The other
ends of the cables must
be connected to the tip
of the headset or piëzο
and the cables on your
headset or piëzο must
not come into contact.
After first checking if the
Morse codes are
transmitted by pressing
Figure 22: Materials
the A button, the B
button and the AB buttons together then you can try to write your name
and "translate" it into Morse code.
The same activity can be done using Lego Spike Prime, Fischertechnik,
Thymio, Arduino, VIDI-X or any other electronics or robotics set. The code
can be transmitted using sound or light (LED) using similar code.
References: https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/Jalal_Mansoori/morse-
code-communication-using-arduino-f339c0
https://vidi-x.org/radionice/
179
Figure 23: Sample Program for Arduino or Vidi-X using light.
Figure 24:Figure
Sample Program
SEQ Figurefor micro:bit using
\* ARABIC24: makecode
Sample
Program for micro:bit
180
Figure 25: Morse code
181
A43. Recreating a Pacman game using robots

Goal: Using a game of Pacman will not only help students understand the
objectives of programming, but also motivate students to programme
Age: 9-16
Materials: Robots (Thymio, Lego Spike Prime or Fischertechnik)
Description: An old computer game of Pacman is realized by using robots
such as Thymio, Lego Spike Prime, Fischertechnik. Robots utilized are
programmed to imitate a Pacman and the Ghosts in a maze. For younger
students, robots can be pre-programmed and controlled by using a remote
control.
References: Rao Madhav. An implementation of Pacman game using robots.
Indian Journal of Computer Science and Engineering. 2(6) 2011.
182

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Comprehensive Guide for Educators

Athens, July 2021

Regional Directorate for Primary and Secondary

Coordinator: Dr Georgios Kosyvas

Project information ........................................................ 9

Literature Review ......................................................... 12

STEM epistemology and application at educational level

1.1 What is STEM? .................................................. 12

Research data and experience from partner countries

Overview of STEM strategies across Europe .............. 43

STEM strategies in partner countries ...................... 43

Creating a gender-neutral learning environment ....... 80

Collaborative inquiry-based pedagogical process ...... 80

STEM implementation through pedagogical

The IBSE approach .................................................. 95

Learning tools ...................................................... 108

Suggestions for evaluation ................................... 111

Activities booklet ........................................................ 125

Creativity, design thinking and constructions .............. 126

A1. Eiffel Tower STEM Challenge ........................... 126

A2. Chain reactions ............................................... 127

A3. We build cardboard bridges ............................ 129

A4. Bridges that open............................................ 130

A5. Mechanical hand out of cardboard ................. 132

Student’s knowledge, attitudes, and preferences ....... 134

A6. What do students think? ................................. 134

A7. Meet a robotics engineer or a programmer .... 135

A8. Programming and robotics vocabulary ............ 137

A9. Unplugged programming and algorithmic thinking

A10. Science Word Puzzle Searches...................... 139

A11. Read a book about coding ............................ 140

A12. Decoding and coding a message ................... 141

A13. Robot mosaic ............................................... 142

A14. Use mixed-reality environments (VR, AR) to

A15. Decoding resistance of a resistor and testing with

A16. Makey-Makey kit ......................................... 146

A17. We build our own quiz game........................ 147

A18. Squishy Circuits ............................................ 149

A19. E-textile robot and bracelets ........................ 150

A20. Motorized colouring bot .............................. 151

A21. Lego Art Machines ....................................... 152

A22. Make music while coding ............................. 153

A23. Is mathematics the solution? ....................... 154

A24. Raising young programmers......................... 156

A25. Scratch - online programming language ....... 157

A26. Young videogame programmers .................. 158

A27. Making music ............................................... 159

A28. How to train your inside programmer .......... 161

A29. Moving bee .................................................. 163

A30. Becoming acquainted with Artificial Intelligence

A31. Training our computer ................................. 165

A32. Chatbot programming .................................. 166

First steps into programming robots ........................... 167

A33. Making shapes with code ............................. 167

A34. Basics of robotics ......................................... 168

A35. Interviewing a robot .................................... 169

A36. Adorable walking robot ............................... 170