ELvis Problem Based Learning project for secondary schools Erasmus Project

Project Title

ELvis Problem Based Learning project for secondary schools

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: Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship); International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

In October 2019 Sophianum organised a symposium on Problem-Based Learning and the way they do this in the Technasium. We invited all the schools in our partnership (ELpartnership) and the schools that we work together with in exchanges and Erasmus+ projects.
Technasium, or the subject O&O is a relatively new way of working for us, whereby clients (companies or institutions) give our students assignments to work on. These assignments are usually ‘problems’ or issues for which they seek a new perspective.

Our students have around 60 contact hours to work on those assignments and come up with a solution or product that they then present to the clients. They are given two assessments. One for process by the teachers and one for the product by the client.
A couple of our partner schools were really interested in working in this way. So, on the final day of the symposium we sat together and made a raw outline of a project that we could do together. This resulted in this ‘ELvis Problem Based Learning project for secondary schools’ or ELvis PBL.

The project consists of three phases in two years.
In phase one, 5 teams of 3(max. 4) students (age 14-17) with Science oriented subjects are formed in all participating schools. These groups will get an assignment from a client. This client can be a company or (not for profit) institution. The assignment could be ‘anything’. The objective is for the students to do research on the problem, guided by a teacher and then work on a ‘solution’ or product they can present to the client at the half way stage of year one. This product should be ‘Science-based design’, without giving any consideration of ‘price’, ‘aesthetic design’ or ‘marketability’. They will make a video presentation that will be shown by a representative of the group during LTTE1.
In phase two, another 5 teams of 3 students, now with Social Science and language oriented subjects, will take over. They will be given a design made by one of the groups in phase one. This design is preferably not one made by a group from their own school, so that they need to contact the other school’s students should they have questions. They will then have to work on the aesthetics, pricing, marketing and advertising of this product, so that they can present the ‘finished article’ (again in the form of a video presentation) during LTTE3. The clients will pick a winner (on the basis of the product); the teachers will pick a winner (on the basis of the process).
In phase 3 (year 2) the groups will be bigger, multi-disciplined and multi-national. So, we will put 2 students from all 4 participating schools together in one team of 8. In this team of 8 there will be 4 students with Science based subjects and 4 with more Social Science based subjects. They will now get the largest part of the school year to produce a solution to a new assignment given to them by one of the clients. This work will have to be done in a virtual environment. It could be eTwinning, but if they prefer to use another safe platform, we will not object. Halfway through the process (in January) they will have the opportunity to meet up and work together face-to-face. They will have to make a video to present what they have done so far, work on their report and work on the product in three days. After that it will be back to the virtual cooperation.
During the final LTTE (no.5) they will get time to finish off their product and work on their final report and presentation, which they will have to deliver on the final (3rd) day.
Again, the client(s) will assess the product and declare a winner and runner-up and the teachers will assess the process and declare a winner and runner-up.
The final Project Meeting, that will start on day 3 of the LTTE will be dedicated to the ‘assessment’, evaluation, dissemination of the results and final report for Erasmus+.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 95505 Eur

Project Coordinator

Sophianum Sg, & Country: NL

Project Partners

• Liceo Scientifico Statale “C. De Giorgi”
• Kopernikusschule Freigericht
• GO! Koninklijk Atheneum MXM