The University of Minho is participating in a European project that aims to build a European Academy for Teachers that will train future teachers and current teachers to integrate maker education into secondary schools, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) areas.

The project, entitled Teacher Academy for Maker Education – TAME (Project: 101194869 – ERASMUS-EDU-2024-PEX-TEACH-ACA) is coordinated by the University of Tallinn (Estonia) and adopts a transformative methodology that promotes the development of skills relevant to lifelong learning, preparing future teachers and teachers to adopt approaches that foster problem solving through computational thinking, practical creation, and technological innovation.
The project brings together institutions from Germany, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, and Portugal, and is supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation. At UMinho, the project is coordinated by Professor Laurinda Leite and also involves Ana Sofia Afonso, António Osório, Floriano Viseu, Helena Martinho, and Luís Dourado, all from the Center for Research in Education, Institute of Education, and Pedro Rangel Henriques and Cristiana Araújo, from the Algoritmi Center and Department of Computer Science, School of Engineering.

The first general meeting of the consortium took place on May 22 and 23 at the University of Tallinn (Estonia) and was attended by Laurinda Leite and Pedro Henriques. The second meeting will be held next November in Braga.
“At that time, the first versions of the training modules for future teachers and teachers in service will be analyzed, as well as aspects related to the implementation of training courses and summer schools, which will begin at the end of 2026 and are part of a work package coordinated by UMinho. Specific conditions will also be agreed upon for the mobility of future teachers, UMinho students, and teachers in service, particularly from schools in Braga, where the maker proposals developed within the scope of the project will be tested,” explains Laurinda Leite.

The goal is to create a sustainable Academy that, beyond the three-year life of the project (April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2028), will continue to offer education and training consistent with the European Commission report entitled “Makerspaces for Education and Training: Exploring Future Implications for Europe” and to develop the skills set out in the European Framework of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning. This development is important not only for the education and training of young people, but also for their integration into the world of work, which in the near future will require professional skills that are difficult to anticipate.