Digital teaching in natural scientific subjects Erasmus Project

Project Title

Digital teaching in natural scientific subjects

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 Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

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

Project Summary

The goal of the project „Digital teaching in natural scientific subjects“ was to focus on the use of smartphones and tablet computers (not only as displaying devices but also as measuring or voting devices)in the lessons of natural scientific subjects (particularly in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Geography). In the project, there were involved students and teachers from the Czech Republic (coordinator of the project), Romania, Italy, Portugal, and Sweden. We took an advantage from the current state when new technologies became a part of young people´s life. Even if these technologies are available to everyone, the students cannot use all their capacity. We can say the same about the teachers who usually have quite negative attitude to new technologies used by young people. The aim of the project was to find a way to get rid of the teachers´ shyness of using new technologies, and, at the same time to support students to use these technologies more effectively. We also wanted the teachers to realize a huge potential of new technologies as they can serve as a measuring device with a lot of sensors.

We altogether worked on creating new teaching materials (worksheets, „inspiromats“, tips) which were all placed into the final product (e-book); and mobile applications which might be used in natural scientific subjects. During the progress of the project we proved that a smartphone contains a lot of detectors and sensors which can be effectively used in the lessons of Physics, Biology, Geography, or Chemistry (e.g. the sensor to measure the intensity of noise or light, GPS sensor, a sensor to measure acceleration, etc.). Continually we found other possibilities and ways of using these sensors in lessons, and, in this way, we found an opportunity to make the lessons of natural scientific subjects more attractive. The proof that we were successful is the amount of students interested in natural scientific seminars at all partner schools.
Our aim was not to make the teachers create the materials for students but to make them work together. So, there was a two-way discovering of possibilities of the digital teaching. And, what is more, as the conference language was English, the language knowledge of both teachers and students improved. Due to this, we were able to implement CLIL methods to the lessons.
Each employed country brought to the project some specific experience or skill (e.g. controlling projects, programming, etc.). The coordinator of the project assumed the biggest responsibility, but the other countries also had some important tasks. Each partner state became a guarantee of one natural scientific subject (Italy of ICT, Romania of Biology, Sweden of Physics, the Czech Republic of Chemistry, and Portugal of Geography). Each partner was also responsible for the mobility (its preparation, realization, accommodation, etc.), for publishing materials, presentation of the project, the quality of materials, etc.
During the progress of the project, we put the biggest emphasis on the attractiveness of the mobilities and their benefits for students and teachers. Before each mobility, the single countries chose any subject matter from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, and ICT. Then, they prepared a presentation, worksheets, a mobile application, and digital devices to this topic. Finally, they presented all these in the form of workshop where the students became teachers of other students. This way of workshops was found very effective, because the students and teachers got the immediate feedback about the materials and their attractiveness. The results of each mobility were the worksheets, lesson plans, and applications, either currently existing or newly made. All created materials are available on the website of the project digitalteaching.eu.

A huge benefit of the project is not only the main dealt topic (new ways of digital teaching in natural scientific subjects), but also the development of ICT qualifications of both teachers and students, improving communicative skills between teachers and their students, improving the language skills, and strengthening the relationships among teachers and students. The project supported the creativity of students, we increased their motivation to study natural scientific subjects, the students tried peer learning on an international level; cooperative, formal, and informal teaching, lessons focused on research, and experience pedagogy. The project elevated the teachers as well, some of them started to be interested in new things again, and they developed their professional skills on the national and international level.
In the project, there were more than 140 teachers and students from 5 partner states employed directly (they attended mobilities), but there were about 500 students and teachers employed indirectly – those who tried our lesson materials in practice. However, the project involved other people as well (website visitors, readers of articles, et

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 122310 Eur

Project Coordinator

Stredni odborna skola a Gymnazium Stare Mesto & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• I.I.S.S. “S. Trinchese”
• Escola Secundária de Loulé
• Colegiul National Anastasescu
• Nordens Teknikerinstitut AB