Professional development for STEM teachers is a continuous, lifelong process. Ongoing professional development keeps teachers up-to-date on new research on how students learn, emerging technology tools for the classroom, new curriculum resources, and more. The best professional development is ongoing, experiential, collaborative, and connected to and derived from working with students and understanding their culture.

Erasmus+ offer opportunities for professional development activities to staff working at all levels of education. The aim of Erasmus+ is to contribute to the Europe 2020 strategy for growth, jobs, social equity and inclusion, as well as to the aims of ET2020, the EU’s strategic framework for education and training.

With Erasmus+, training opportunities are available to staff working in education, both in teaching and non-teaching capacities. Erasmus+ supports training both at education institutions and at relevant organizations operating outside the sector. Catalogue of courses contains professional development courses designed for school teachers and staff.

Mrs Argyri Panagiota (Mathematician, M.Sc, M.Ed, Phd candidate) and Mrs Arnaouti Eirini (English Teacher, M.Sc, Phd) of Evangeliki Model High School of Smyrna will be participate in Erasmus+ KA1 training course  titled ‘Game-based learning course about theory and practice of Serious games & Gamification’ from 21/04  to 25 /04  in Helsinki (Finland) and 26 /04 to 28/04 in Tallinn (Estonia).

This training course is included under Erasmus+ KA1 strategy plan of Evangeliki Model High School of Smyrna for ‘European innovation as a subject of training of Greek educational staff’.

The main topics of training course are

• Game-based learning and gamification in schools
• Best practice approaches to game-based tools and methods in school education
• Suitable start-up games for classroom.
• Serious Games production by game industry in Helsinki metropolitan area
• Game-based learning and gamification in Estonian schools – how and why?
• Added value of Serious Games in teaching, studying and learning processes
• Responsible and safe use of game-based learning & gamification
• Mobile devices and tools in game-based learning

The community for schools in Europe, eTwinning, promotes and cultivates the cooperation of students and teachers to European schools with multiple educational and social benefits. The community in eTwinning  portal provides educational material for STEM lessons, examples of good practices by teachers applying innovative teaching methods. You could join in our group eTwinning community for more information (video, photographs, and presentations).