Collaborating to Stimulate Creativity and Invention through Science & Art Erasmus Project

Project Title

Collaborating to Stimulate Creativity and Invention through Science & Art

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

‘For once you have tasted flight (creativity), you will walk the earth with our eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return’ (Leonardo da Vinci, circa 1500).

This partnership worked to raise standards in teaching and learning by harnessing the links between STEM and the arts/creativity. The artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci was the inspiration for this project: daVinci/2019. The project aimed to develop a creative and collaborative approach to STEM for pupils across the Primary sector. Although there was a particular focus on pupils aged 8-10 years old, including those with special needs, over 2,000 pupils were involved across the participating schools.

While the focus of this project STEM, there was always an expectation that it would also impact basic Language and Literacy skills and Digital Literacy. The children’s creative abilities were encouraged via an exploration of the art and inventions of da Vinci. All schools in the partnership see the arts as a language that is universally understood. In that spirit, there was a clear intention to encourage and develop the schools’ ability to teach additional languages to promote European identity and belonging.

Key activities and output of this work included:
– the development of an interactive website across the partnerships, highlighting the work that was undertaken and acting as a vehicle for speeding news of the work to parents;
– teaching and learning about the story of daVinci and those inspired by his work;
– staff training on how works of art can be used to stimulate pupils’ thinking skills and creativity;
– pupils engaged in joint science challenges across Europe;
– staff and pupils engaged in a final project displaying how they linked STEM and the arts;
– staff observed good practice in teaching science;
– pupils learned how to code using ‘Scratch’ and produced Christmas cards that combined art and technology;
– staff were trained to code and use this language as a powerful tool to promote logical thought and ICT;
– pupils engaged in international trade as they shared their arts and crafts across Europe in Christmas markets;
– staff were equipped to teach children to embrace enterprise;
– pupils were enthused and taught to use an additional language in context;
– staff were exposed to a range of teaching strategies used across Europe to teach an additional language.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 109350 Eur

Project Coordinator

Whitehouse Primary School and Nursery Unit & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Kempeleen Ylikylän yhtenäiskoulu
• Saint James’s Primary School
• St. C.onleth’s N. S
• CEIP Manuel de Falla
• Istituto Comprensivo A. Diaz Milano