Combating crisis situations by innovative STEM tools and entrepreneurship skills Erasmus Project

Project Title

Combating crisis situations by innovative STEM tools and entrepreneurship skills

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

We are constantly facing natural disasters and other crisis situations that present a constant threat and struggle to humanity on a national and global scale. Based on past experience, humanity is still not efficiently educated nor prepared to combat these types of situations. Hence, a redesign of the educational approach and development of innovative skills with a more prosocial and proactive mindset is needed. In the preparation of the project 3 pillars on how to achieve this have been contemplated: crisis management, entrepreneurial mindset, and innovative STEM tools, namely Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) and 3D printing.

The project focuses on educating primary school teachers aiming at improving their digital/ICT literacy, entrepreneurship skills, and equipping them with tools to motivate and inspire pupils. In this manner, as a secondary target, the education of pupils between 11 – 14 years of age will be considered.

The project will develop a thorough curriculum and handbook for teachers on all three pillars (O1) which will be accompanied by the teachers’ toolkit (O2) composed of three guides that will include theoretical foundations, detailed instructions, practical lessons, real-life cases and other support mechanisms for teachers. A special booklet to help teachers incorporate innovative pedagogical methods in existing lesson dynamics will also be provided. The consortium will also develop a web platform (O3) with e-learning modules in project partner languages. The web platform will offer teachers the possibility of highest possible guidance in knowledge transfer to pupils using purposefully created video content. The platform will also serve as a project-work interface. Lastly, the awarding framework (O4), will be developed and “Crisis Hack” competition will be organized further expanding skills and competencies of teacher and pupils.

The main activities directly correspond to the set objectives including the creation of curriculum, learning and teaching material, development of e-learning platform and award framework. Moreover, dissemination is another important in-focus activity to achieve a broad uptake of our innovations by schools and teachers from the partner countries (the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Greece and Italy). Inclusion of the training activity to pass on the learning units and be able to objectively validate them, and the organization of a Multiplier Event aimed to provide a rich and empowering method of education to teachers and stakeholders of the European national education systems, are also key activities of the project.

Relating to more specific project activities of learning and teaching, we will use learner-centred and teacher-led methodology interlaced with experiential, learning-by-doing methods which ensure stronger immersion into the content and education and higher knowledge retention due to the hands-on and knowledge pass-onwards approaches. In combination with blended or hybrid learning, combining virtual and physical spaces, both teachers and learners will use some of the latest educational tools, enabling them flexible and accelerated learning experience.

Building on a blend of lean and agile project management with critical path analysis, 5 consortium meetings plus regular remote status meetings, effective and transparent coordination and collaboration will be ensured.

The results will comprise of:
– Empowerment and raised confidence of teachers in the field of crisis management, entrepreneurship and growth mindset and use of AR, VR and 3D printing technologies in their lessons
– Increase the use of innovative methods in classrooms by teachers
– Real-life connection with the practical application providing a stronger relation to the topics
– Higher development potential of teachers’ ICT/digital qualifications
– A heightened feeling of importance in active participation and problem-solving in crisis situations
– Better coping mechanisms dealing with crisis situations for teachers due to learning crisis management, and a life lesson for pupils to be able to tackle even the most difficult situations and never give up, but always seek for solutions

The developed curriculum and new pedagogical methods will not only ensure future-proof educational content for teachers but will also inspire pupils to discover new passions. The knowledge from this project will enable pupils to grow up into proactive members of society and be ready to combat crisis situations in a more preventive way compared to observed COVID-19 handling. This encouraged us to prepare curriculum and innovative STEM materials that will equip teachers and pupils to be prepared, to combat fiercely and succeed in the future crisis situations emerging from natural environments as well as man-made challenges, while improving pedagogical and educational systems, educating pupils and upskilling teachers across Europe.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 331599 Eur

Project Coordinator

Camcare Uk & Country: UK

Project Partners

• GoINNO Inštitut
• David Kvaternik s.p.
• ANONIMI ETAIREIA EREUNAS KAI ANAPTIKSIS SISTIMATON KAI IPIRESION
• CENTRO PER LO SVILUPPO CREATIVO DANILO DOLCI