LUMA Centre Finland will launch a national programme focusing on developing STEM education for 6 to 16 year-olds. The programme aims to improve student’s knowledge and skills and to strengthen the joy of discovery and learning in STEM subjects.
The Ministry of Education and Culture has chosen LUMA Centre Finland’s proposal as the start of a national development programme to strengthen STEM skills in children and youth aged 6 to 16 years old. School teachers will also be an important and influential target group in addition to the students.
The programme is scheduled to take place between 2014 and 2019. Initiated by the Minister of Education, Ms. Krista Kiuru, the national quest to improve STEM skills forms a part of a programme to develop the future of basic education in Finland.
“According to the latest national and international surveys the STEM skills of Finnish youth are declining. This trend is alarming because mathematical thinking and logical problem solving skills form an essential part of the foundations of learning. It is necessary to take action to improve students’ engagement and joy in learning,” minister Kiuru emphasized.
The LUMA Finland programme will find novel and innovative tools and approaches to teaching practices, methods and learning environments. The programme will be based on current research and it aims to provide practical action guidelines that can be employed in schools nationwide.
LUMA Centre Finland welcomes ideas and suggestions from teachers, students and researchers. For example, Finnish STEM teachers will have a significant role in shaping the new programme.
For more information, please contact
• Director General Eeva-Riitta Pirhonen, Ministry of Education and Culture +358 02 953 30258
• Director Jari Rajanen, Ministry of Education and Culture , +358 02 953 30268
• Director, professor Maija Aksela, LUMA Centre Finland, +358 050 514 1450
Text: Maija Pollari. Photo: Veikko Somerpuro.