Experiments – the best learning science Erasmus Project

Project Title

Experiments – the best learning science

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 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); Natural sciences

Project Summary

Project “Experiments – the Best Learning Science” was based on the Cooperation and Innovation for Good Practices takeover. Six preschool educational institutions from different countries (Latvia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Italy, Poland, Romania) took part in the project with the total of 1115 children (including 77 children with special needs) aged 3-7 and 112 teachers with different experience, knowledge, beliefs, common objectives were:
1. To improve teachers’ knowledge and skills while teaching children science based on practical pilot and research activities.
2. To develop methodological materials on teaching science in preschools on the basis of various national competencies.
3. To improve the science curriculum in preschools using innovative teaching methods.
4. To improve the quality of education in the participating organizations and European countries.
5. To improve foreign language skills for teachers and ICT skills.
6. To create a better awareness of the education system in Europe, strengthen the role of preschool profession.
Today, when different technologies rapidly enter educational institutions the most popular are interactive boards, computers, televisions, which have already replaced learning through practical involvement into the learning process.
We believe that the teachers are able to organize high quality, modern, attractive teaching learning process, but teachers have to learn by themselves, look for the opportunities to learn from other European countries. The teachers involved in the project had to summarize their own experience, as well as the one they acquired from other countries and they had to develop methodological materials that worked well with children in preschools.
By doing things practically at different times, in different places, and with different materials, experimenting and studying children learnt simple and complex things in an interesting and gripping way, because the learning process was developed so that it would involve concern about the environment and culture, develop their thinking and imagination.
We chose this subject and believed that because of the project teachers would have the opportunity to improve their understanding of the processes of education in Europe, take the best experiences and share them, improve their knowledge of geography and nature of their and partners’ countries, improve the understanding of education regarding sustainable development and global citizenship, improve their professional skills, learn from others, communicate with teachers in other countries.
Our aim was to achieve the objectives of the project by cooperating and working actively together with institutional management, teachers, parents and children.
The teachers attended 4 learning seminars, during which they took part in practical work, experiments and shared their experience about the sub-themes:
1. „Experiments in learning fundamentals of Chemistry”- Latvia
2. „Experiments in the kitchen” – Bulgaria
3. „Space –the sky above us”-Italy
4. „Experiments with natural materials”-Turkey .
During the transnational meetings in Romania and Poland participants shared experience about the sub-themes “
„Experiments in learning fundamentals of Physics” and “Experiments with naturally occurring colours”.
A new methodological material for teaching natural science to children was an innovation, because it encouraged the use of experiments.
The methodological material comprises a material Guide in teaching science in a preschool ”EXPERIMENTS IN PRESCHOOL “, a calendar „ERASMUS EXPERIMENT 2016”, a city map „MY LITTLE HIKE” which give teachers an opportunity to work in an interesting way, to improve the quality of educational process in the long term. The material has been widely disseminated via Internet sites, so that it would be available to the general public across Europe.
Main activities done:
At the beginning and the end of the project the survey for the teachers and parents was carried out.
Communication and conversation blog created on the E – twinning website.
A website for project was set up and it is still regularly updated.
Calendar “ERASMUS EXPERIMENT 2016 ” was developed and issued.
Together six city maps called “MY LITTLE HIKE” were made, one for each partner country, they depicted the places where you can perform experiments.
Family event, where families carried out experiments using a map of the city and methodological materials was held in each country.
The exhibition “ROCKS” took place in each country, giving possibility to explore the most interesting rocks of each country.
At every international meeting organizations shared their expertise.
Parents’ Day “Parents teach children to experiment” was organized.
Filming, photography, supplementing information were uploaded on the Website.
Teacher`s ICT skills were improved.
Teacher language skills were improved.
Evaluation events of project’s results were held.
Web page www.experimentsforkids.org

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 129275 Eur

Project Coordinator

DOBELES SPECIALA PIRMSSKOLAS IZGLITIBAS IESTADE “VALODINA” & Country: LV

Project Partners

• Obedineno Detsko Zavedenie No 3 “Zvanche” – Burgas
• Punkt Przedszk. Gwiazdeczka
• Istituto Comprensivo “Militi”
• Gradinita cu Program Prelungit nr 37 Braila
• NACIYE KABAKCI ANAOKULU