The Cité des sciences et de l’industrie in Paris hosted the IN-STEAM Festival this past weekend, a gathering that brought together students, teachers, and researchers from France, Spain, and Italy. The event, part of the Fête de la science à la Cité, represents a significant advancement for the European project focused on making STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) disciplines accessible and engaging for all students, regardless of their background or specific needs.
The IN-STEAM project (An INnovative pedagogical method for an INclusive STEAM education), funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ program, involves a consortium coordinated by Pleiadi (Italy) and includes the Fundación Descubre (Spain), Traces (France), the Sensociencia team from the University of Almería (Spain), and the Istituto Comprensivo di Montecchia di Crosara e San Giovanni Ilarione (Italy).
During the festival, schoolchildren from the three countries actively participated in workshops and experiments from the ‘STEAM in a box’ initiative. Young participants explored scientific concepts such as flotation, the effect of temperature on materials, the chemistry of red cabbage, and the physical principles of action and reaction. On the second day, students transitioned from learners to presenters, sharing the scientific activities they had worked on in class with the public and their peers, thereby overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers.
In parallel, the festival served as a professional development hub for educators. The museum's Ágora space hosted the final module of the pilot training course on the Experimental Logical Processing (ELP) method, led by the Sensociencia team. The knowledge gained from this pilot will be incorporated into Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to make the methodology freely available to European teachers.
A significant outcome of the event was the official launch of the IN-STEAM Front-Runners Network. This European community aims to connect teachers, researchers, and educational leaders committed to promoting inclusive STEAM practices. Network members will act as ambassadors for the ELP method, sharing best practices and advocating for real changes in classrooms and educational policies. Interested individuals can join the network via insteam.eu/in-steam-front-runners-network/.
The IN-STEAM project, co-funded by Erasmus+, seeks to democratize school education by providing an innovative and inclusive pedagogical method (ELP) for STEAM education. By combining practical experiments with a focus on emotional and social inclusion, the project aims to boost student motivation, particularly among vulnerable children, and empower educators across Europe.
