carmen.burcea@ci-perform.ro

As part of the continuous effort to promote creative and inclusive science education, the FIND STEM consortium (Fostering Innovations and Nurturing Diversity in STEM Education) has officially released its dedicated video podcast episode, offering educators, stakeholders, and the broader community an inside look into the project’s key milestones and methodologies. The newly released episode brings together project coordinators and educational experts to discuss the practical implementation of the FIND STEM framework across partner countries (Greece, Portugal, and Romania). Key topics covered in the podcast include: Shifting from STEM to STEAM: The pedagogical rationale behind integrating the visual and performing arts into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to boost student engagement and creative problem-solving. Gamification & Digital Breakouts: Practical demonstrations and discussions on using interactive WebQuests, digital breakouts, and challenge-based tasks in primary and lower secondary classrooms. Promoting Diversity & Gender Balance: Strategies for dismantling unconscious gender biases in technical subjects, achieving active participation among female students, and adapting digital tasks for inclusive education environments. National Multiplier Highlights: Insights from the national symposiums held in Rafina, Porto, and Pitești, showcasing teacher training feedback and high resource adoption rates across European schools. The video podcast serves as an accessible open-source learning tool for educators, pre-service teachers, and educational decision-makers seeking to modernize classroom practices and adopt inclusive STEAM tools. Watch the official video podcast episode here: FIND STEM Project Video Podcast This video podcast provides a comprehensive overview of the project’s activities, deliverables, and field results, making it an essential resource for educators interested in implementing gamified STEAM learning. https://youtu.be/hNU4sCDGC48

Across Greece, Portugal, and Romania, educators and educational leaders have successfully concluded the national multiplier events for the FIND STEM initiative (Fostering Innovations and Nurturing Diversity in STEM Education)! Under the theme “Arts, Creativity, and Fun Learning Symposiums for STEM”, over 130 teachers, school principals, educational psychologists, and researchers gathered to explore breakthrough approaches that transform traditional STEM into an inclusive, engaging, and gender balanced STEAM experience. Transnational Event Highlights Greece (Rafina): Integrated into a major local community festival reaching over 2,000 visitors, 56 direct participants explored the interdisciplinary “Umi no Kokoro” marine project, hands on engineering challenges, underwater robotics, Virtual Reality (VR), and Digital Breakouts. Portugal (Porto): Delivered across three targeted sessions at CESAE Digital and Escola Superior de Educação do Porto (ESE IPP), engaging 38 academic leaders and VET specialists in inquiry based learning, WebQuests, and gender sensitive teaching frameworks. Romania (Pitești): Hosted by Centrul pentru Inovare și Performanță (CIPerform) at Hotel Ramada, bringing together 39 teachers, school leaders, and guidance counselors from 15 educational institutions and inclusive centers across Argeș County. Workshops focused on shifting from STEM to STEAM and implementing gamified classroom tools. Exceptional Impact & Feedback: Near perfect participant satisfaction scores exceeding 4.8 / 5 across all host countries. 97.4% of participants in Romania and 93.5% in Portugal explicitly confirmed their intent to immediately deploy and share FIND STEM resources within their institutions! Integrating creative arts and play with digital science tools creates lasting opportunities for young learners. A heartfelt thank you to all partners, educators, and participants who made these events a resounding success! Discover our open source tools and guidelines on the project eLearning platform. #FINDSTEM #ErasmusPlus #STEAMEducation #EdTech #DigitalBreakouts #WebQuest #CIPerform #InclusiveEducation     FIND-STEM – Press release 2 EN  FIND-STEM – Press release 2 EL  FIND-STEM – Press release 2 PT  FIND-STEM – Press release 2 RO

We are pleased to announce the publication of the third academic article from our project, titled “STEAM approaches, gamification and investigation through the FIND STEM initiative”. Authored by project experts Carmen-Andreea Burcea, Filipa Baptista, and Sarantis K. Chelmis, this paper examines the critical need for structured educational innovation and how the FIND-STEM framework provides concrete solutions. About the Article The publication shines a spotlight on the challenges within educational systems, such as the current lack of formal institutionalization of STEM/STEAM pathways in countries like Romania. This often leaves transdisciplinary efforts fragmented and limits equitable access for all students, a gap reflected in international PISA test outcomes. With labor market forecasts predicting an accelerated demand for highly skilled IT, science, and engineering professionals, the authors argue that establishing early scientific literacy is essential for modern economic prosperity and workplace innovation. Key highlights discussed in the paper include: The article concludes that for transdisciplinary education to deliver a lasting impact, it must be organically integrated into the core curriculum, transforming the teacher’s role from a passive provider of theory into a dedicated facilitator of active exploration. Read the full article here

We are delighted to introduce the second academic article published within our Erasmus+ FIND-STEM project framework, titled “From STEM to STEAM: Developing Transversal Skills through Arts-Integrated STEM Education”. Co-authored by project partners Filipa Baptista (Portugal), Sarantis K. Chelmis (Greece), and Carmen Burcea (Romania), this research paper explores the empirical advantages of the STEAM paradigm. About the Article The publication addresses critical challenges in contemporary European school systems: low student engagement, a lack of real-world learning relevance, and the persistent gender gap in STEM fields. Centred around the target demographic of pupils aged 7 to 14, the authors investigate how authentic arts-based and real-world-oriented approaches can simultaneously bolster domain knowledge and vital 21st-century transversal skills like creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. Key highlights discussed in the paper include: The paper concludes that holistic teacher professional development—combining content knowledge, creative pedagogy, gender awareness, and digital tools—remains the indispensable lever for durable classroom transformation. Read the full article here

We are proud to share the first official academic article stemming from our Erasmus+ FIND-STEM project, titled “Enhancing Teachers’ Capacity for Inclusive and Creative STEAM Education”. Co-authored by project partners Sarantis K. Chelmis (Greece), Filipa Baptista (Portugal), and Carmen Burcea (Romania), this paper examines how structured professional development can effectively transform modern classrooms. About the Article The publication addresses three critical challenges facing European schools today: insufficient teacher preparation for integrated STEAM pedagogy, persistent gender disparities in pupils’ STEM participation, and the underutilization of real-life, digital, and arts-based learning approaches. Drawing on the implementation of the FIND-STEM Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Curriculum, the authors analyze data collected from training workshops held in Greece, Romania, and Portugal. Key highlights discussed in the paper include: The article concludes that building teacher capacity is not just a supporting element of educational innovation, but its primary condition. When educators are equipped with practical tools and creative confidence, they can foster truly inclusive learning environments. Read the full article here

As the FIND-STEM project approaches its conclusion, we are proud to present the sixth and final edition of our newsletter. This issue reflects on an inspiring 18-month journey dedicated to transforming STEM education through creativity, inclusion, and innovation across Greece, Romania, and Portugal. Inside this final edition, you will find: Key Project Achievements: A review of our successfully developed educational resources, including the Continuous Professional Development Curriculum on STEM enhancement through arts integration, the Compendium of Resources on Arts and Creative Approaches, and the interactive WebQuest and Digital Breakout Compendium. Arts, Creativity, and Fun Learning Symposiums: Highlights from our project symposiums, which brought together teachers, educational experts, and community stakeholders to showcase results and share experiences on how the arts promote engaging and inclusive learning environments. A Heartfelt Thank You: A message of sincere gratitude to all the teachers, pupils, experts, and partner organisations whose collaboration and dedication made the FIND-STEM journey such a profound success. Discover how our collective efforts have empowered educators and inspired pupils across Europe by exploring the full newsletter!

A New Vision in Education: The FIND-STEM Regional Symposium Brings Innovation, Art, and Creative Learning to Classrooms in Argeș On June 3, 2026, the Ramada Hotel in Pitești (Onix Hall) hosted a landmark event for the local educational community: the “Arts, Creativity and Fun Learning Symposium for STEM”. Organized under the framework of the European FIND-STEM project and co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ program, the event gathered teachers, school counselors, and education specialists eager to transform how technical subjects are taught in schools. Exchanging Best Practices: Moving from STEM to STEAM In an ever-changing world, traditional education requires interdisciplinary approaches that boost student motivation and engagement. The symposium provided participants with innovative pedagogical tools grounded in experiential learning, inquiry-based strategies, and creative digital resources. From interactive panel discussions on gender equality in technology to hands-on workshops featuring Digital Breakouts and WebQuests, educators directly experimented with the project’s framework, exploring how to bring these fun, arts-based concepts into their daily teaching. What Did the Participants Say? 💬 The true impact of an educational initiative is best measured through the eyes of those who bring the classroom to life every single day. Explore the section below to read the feedback, insights, and testimonials from the teachers and specialists who joined the FIND-STEM Symposium and are now ready to cascade the magic of creative, hands-on learning down to their students!

We are thrilled to announce the release of the fifth edition of the FIND-STEM newsletter, marking a major milestone in bringing innovative, creative, and interactive STEM methodologies directly into classrooms across our partner countries. This edition focuses on the rollout of Activity 3 (A3): The WebQuest and Digital Breakouts Compendium on STEM enhancement for pupils. Inside this issue, you will find: The Dynamic Digital Compendium: Learn about our newly developed resources, which include 9 WebQuests designed to connect STEM topics with real-life challenges and 9 escape-room-inspired Digital Breakouts aimed at fostering problem-solving and collaboration. 15 Exciting STEM Topics: Explore the diverse subjects covered by the compendium, ranging from Sustainable Cities and Artificial Intelligence to Robotics, Climate Change, and Virtual Reality. All resources are interactively available in English, Greek, Romanian, and Portuguese. Practical Initiation Sessions: Read about the successful training sessions organized for 39 teachers across Greece, Romania, and Portugal. These sessions provided hands-on guidance on how to integrate the WebQuests and Digital Breakouts into everyday classroom environments. What’s Next – Classroom Implementation: Discover our upcoming steps as at least 30 teachers begin implementing these innovative tools in their classrooms, set to reach approximately 300 students across our partner countries. Explore the full newsletter to see how the FIND-STEM project continues to transform STEM education through interactive digital tools!

We are excited to share the fourth edition of the FIND-STEM newsletter, highlighting the latest milestones and achievements in our journey to strengthen innovative and inclusive STEAM education across Europe. In this issue, you will find: CPD Training Success: Highlights from November, when 75 dedicated teachers from Greece, Romania, and Portugal successfully completed the two-day Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Training course. Teacher Feedback: Insightful reflections and inspiring testimonials from participants who gained the tools and confidence to implement practical STEM activities in their everyday classrooms. 2nd Transnational Project Meeting: A summary of our recent partner meeting held on January 21, 2026, in Rafina, Greece. Hosted by the 1st School of Rafina, project partners aligned on key next steps, including the advancement of WebQuest and Digital Breakouts resources, dissemination strategies, and preparations for upcoming project symposiums. Dive into the full newsletter to see how the FIND-STEM project continues to build strong collaborations and empower educators!

The FIND-STEM project recently reached another milestone with the successful completion of the teacher training course in Estarreja, Portugal. Hosted at Escola Secundária de Estarreja, the program engaged 21 experienced educators from the Agrupamento de Escolas de Estarreja in a comprehensive professional development journey. A Comprehensive Approach to STEAM Delivered across two sessions in November 2025, the eight-hour training provided a deep dive into innovative pedagogical strategies. The curriculum was structured into six specialized modules designed to modernize classroom practices: Voices from the Training: What Teachers Valued The qualitative feedback from the participants highlighted the practical and collaborative nature of the FIND-STEM approach: