In the week of October 2024 I held a session at JUMP Academy in Soverato combining TICO and STREAM education with participants from Poland and Latvia. The three-day program, held over the course of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, focused on combining TICO (Technology, Innovation, Communication, and Outdoor Education) with STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education. My objective was to equip the teachers with practical tools and strategies to enhance their teaching practices and better prepare their students for the future.
The session kicked off on Tuesday morning with an exploration of what it means to be an innovative teacher. As we all know, Innovation in education is not just about using new technology, but also about fostering creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability. We discussed various ways in which educators can rethink traditional classroom practices, encouraging the participants to reflect on their own teaching styles and how they could possibly foster a more dynamic, student-centred learning environment.
Later, we concentrated on communication strategies—another important part of the TICO model. We discovered that effective communication goes beyond the transmission of; it also involves engaging students, encouraging collaboration, and building strong teacher-student relationships. Practical techniques were shared to improve verbal and non-verbal communication, aiding the teachers to become more effective facilitators of learning.
On Wednesday our session took place both in the morning and afternoon. In the morning, we focused on integrating technology into the school curriculum. I guided the participants through various tools and platforms that can be used to enhance learning, such as interactive apps, educational software, and collaborative online tools. The emphasis was on how to incorporate these tools into existing curricula without overwhelming students or distracting them from essential learning goals. The afternoon session went from theory to practice, with a hands-on STREAM activity. Participants were given the opportunity to engage in a practical activity that combined the STREAM elements. The activity was designed to not only deepen their understanding of STREAM but also give them a tangible idea of how they could implement similar projects in their own classrooms.
On Thursday morning, our attention was projected towards the often-overlooked aspect of outdoor education. We explored how taking learning outside the traditional classroom environment can foster creativity, improve engagement, and support holistic development. Nature provides a rich, immersive learning experience, and incorporating outdoor activities into lessons can help students connect theoretical concepts to real-world situations. We brainstormed ways to integrate outdoor education with STREAM and TICO, using nature as a background for learning in areas such as science, technology, and art.
Author: Isabel Di Cello, JUMP Trainer
