Promoting Integrated STEM Tasks in the Framework of Teachers’ Professional Development in Portugal

Internationally, a growing number of studies and reports refer to the importance of promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) integration in primary school to address the challenges of the twenty-first century. Teachers are the cornerstone of any renewal of education, but quality professional development is crucial if change is to be realised. We aim to contribute to research by presenting strategies that promoted the efficacy of integrating STEM at primary school in the context of a continuing professional development programme. These strategies may help teachers, teacher educators and policymakers who have a focus on promoting STEM education in schools. We used a qualitative methodology based on content analysis from portfolios of teachers who participated in the programme and included three case studies. We conclude that coaching by university educators, who also visited teachers’ classes, sharing of good practices among the participants and recognition of impact on the students by the teachers were fundamental for their increased motivation, confidence, willingness and capacity to design and implement integrated STEM tasks in the classroom.