ECB

Twenty-seven teachers, education specialists and industry experts from across the European Union, gathered in Copenhagen last month to review some of the industry practices proposed by inGenious and participate in training on how to use them. A visit to the futuristic Hellerup primary school, where students dictate their lessons and technology is used in almost all projects, set the scene for discussions on the role of industry in education and the value of the practices inGenious offers.

Feedback from the meeting is being used to help industry design and develop practices that work and to incite more teachers to test industry collaboration as means of making STEM education engaging. A core focus of the inGenious project is to help students understand the relevance of STEM in today’s society.

Microsoft provided the venue for the meeting and presented its DigiGirlz program, which sparked much interest. Through DigiGirlz, Microsoft offers secondary school girls the opportunity to learn about careers in technology, connect with Microsoft employees and participate in hands-on computer and technology workshops.

The teachers were very impressed with the quality of the Microsoft offering and many left with the intention of promoting it in their own schools. inGenious project co-ordinator, European Schoolnet, will be hosting three workshops of this nature annually to gather feedback on the pedagogical relevance of industry practices and to further develop teacher interest in their use. Why don’t you try out inGenious practices in your classroom? Please join us by signing up to the inGenious teacher community.