Culture, coexistence and language through STEM for a boundless future Erasmus Project

Project Title

Culture, coexistence and language through STEM for a boundless future

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Energy and resources

Project Summary

The project deals with the content of culture, coexistence and language through MINT for a boundless future.
In former times Styria – also known as Štajerska wasn’t separated by a border, but the later bordered areas have always played an important role for the inhabitants. The people lived together and helped forming the culture, customs and stories. Closer connections have arisen not only through economic interests, but also at spiritual levels, with the residents jointly designing the festivals and plays related to the environment. Since the end of the First World War, Styria has been divided into two states. The former “Lower Styria” (Štajerska) is now the Eastern part of Slovenia. This is approximately one third of the territory of Slovenia. After the end of World War I Lower Styria and Styria have been seperated almost a century and developed very differently. Both, Austria and Slovenia, are now part of the EU. The connections are again getting intensive and well maintained in some places in Austria. Many Slovenians still speak German very well. In some cultural events, the separation in Austria and ex-Yugoslavia led to different stories but sometimes other cultural activities. The exchange has remained in the background, but European Union has reawakened common life on the border. Children get to know the history of old Styria through stories, courses, visits to museums or various lectures. Subsequently, they are to be used to identify their common roots and similarities and, as a result, to take a future-oriented and further common path through STEM. With technological progress, the demands on young people on the job market are also changing. The four specific disciplines of Stem (mathematics, computer science, science and technology) are increasingly in demand in a modern society and open up diverse professional and personal opportunities for young people. The STEM disciplines are practiced across borders through diverse access for girls and boys in the Austrian and Slovenian partner schools.
Participation at the Safer Internet Day and other external competitions are also part of the project. The many workshops and teaching outcomes, that are carried out during the project, are carried out in the second language or bilingually. Great emphasis is placed on acquisition of vocabulary and expanding language development and language skills in the second language. Likewise, the use of new media will be promoted during the project period. The topics and contents are discussed at regular intervals with the pupils in the foreign language classes at the respective schools. They are prepared or followed up by the foreign language teacher. A dissemination of the project is given, both in the school building through presentations on pin boards, window decoration, on school’s homepage, etc. In addition, this is provided via the regional media but also via the project-internal Twinspace of eTwinning. Hereby as many people as possible outside of the participating schools can be reached and informed about the project and its implementation.
The project’s end results are acquired skills with sustainability in the areas of appreciative social interaction with one another and with strangers. Despite the limited knowledge of the foreign language, fluently communication is possible. Knowledge about one’s own and cross-border region is expanded. The pupils get an insight into the historical craftsmanship as well as the STEM disciplines (mathematics, computer science, science and technology) and in in further consequence they develop their digital competences according to the European Digital Competence Framework.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 30000 Eur

Project Coordinator

Volksschule Straß in Steiermark & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Volksschule Lichendorf
• OSNOVNA SOLA SLADKI VRH
• OS Rudolfa Maistra, Sentilj