Pequeños científicos program: STEM K5-K12 education in Colombia

This paper presents a Colombian national ST EM program, promoted by a networ k of 10 Colombian universities, coordinated by University of the Andes in Bogotá, Colombia and their engineering and education schools, oriented towards the professional development of science and technology teachers from primary and secondary schools. This initiative, the Pequeños Científicos Program (little scientist) has achieved high national and international acknowledgment. The program seeks to renew experimental science and technology teaching and learning in Colombia. The program introduces active learning applying Inquiry- Based Science Education as the pedagogical approach (IBSE). This paper explores the contexts and reasons that motivate an engineering school to get involved in promoting scientific and technological literacy in K9- K12 levels. It also presents a short description of how the program seeks to promote STEM abilities and knowledge from science education and professional development inquiry workshops.