Innovating by Doing Experiments About Leonardo Erasmus Project

Project Title

Innovating by Doing Experiments About Leonardo

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

Five schools from Estonia, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain designed the project I.D.E.A.L. acronym of “Innovating by Doing Experiments About Leonardo”, with the aim to raise students’ awareness of cultural heritage and encourage the development of cross-sectoral know-how.
In an effort to provide students with the 10 crucial work skills and empower them to face global challenges and competition educators will activate FABLABS as spaces where students can put theoretical knowledge in practice by mobilising:
– Sense making
– Adaptability and flexible thinking
– Social intelligence
– Practical approach, on the basis of combining traditional and digital methodologies

Classrooms will become innovation and inclusion hubs with Leonardo da Vinci and his work in the background, as a link between the past and the future, handcrafting and tech/digital skills.

Students aged 9 to 12 years old are already digital savvy and familiar with touch technologies. In order to complete their range of competences, motor skills ought to be developed through handcrafting and manual activities.

Context analysis highlights two Main Objectives:
– Boosting cooperation, inclusion and development through exchange of good practices and through mobility
– Promoting the acquisition of STEAM skills through tinkering, making and coding.

Targeted objectives
– Raising awareness around Leonardo Da Vinci, his work and invented machines;
– Developing wood-working skills by reproducing wooden works;
– Increasing coding skills with the aim of digitalising previously built wooden works;
– Developing game or entertaining apps;

Students get to know Leonardo’s work ( e.g. helicopter, slingshot and submarine) they realise a 3D version of them in an effort to develop both hand crafting and digital skills as well as critical thinking, team work, self-esteem, freedom of experimenting and failing, with the aim of trying again.

These activities, based on a peer-education models, allow for the implementation of a number of strategies, aiming at including/engaging students with diverse backgrounds.

FABLABS consist of 4 executive phases:
1. building Leonardo’s toys’: spinning top, kite, yoyo;
2. coding the toy’s software through an APP, by using the programme “Scratch”.
3. building the real model of a Leonardo machine;
4. projecting the prototype with specific functions, described by using the “Scratch” code.

Outputs
Year 2018-2019
“Leporello: Leonardo the inventor”, an accordion book on Leonardo’s inventions
“Sketchcodex” – hand-sewn copybook, built by using book binding techniques and mirror writing.
“Leonardo spinning top” wooden reproduction

Year 2019-2020
“Prototype, the Leonardo’s machine according to us”
“A coded prototype”
“Game app: the digital spinning top in a digital maze”
Methodologies such as Learning by doing, cooperative learning, mastery learning e tinkering, making, will support the achievement of expected results all the way through the duration of the project.

Outcomes
• Growing the number of students interested in pursuing science related careers (STEAM domains)
• Making Fablabs’ methods and tools available to the society for extracurricular activities
• Including woodcrafting, book binding and coding in the academic programme.

After the completion of the project, the partners will volunteer as jobshadowing or entities where fablab activities will serve as educational tools.

Overview: the benefits of I.D.E.A.L
• Allowing for a new cultural Renaissance
• Increasing, by studying Leonardo da Vinci and his work, the educational and social value of the European cultural heritage
• Promoting STEAM skills through formal/informal as well as practical and participative learning, in an effort to boost students’ multiculturalism since a very young age;
• Thanks to the partners’ diverse skills and culture, allowing for a higher success rate for all students and including those with cultural disadvantages: in fablabs, each partner’s expertise becomes common knowledge or knowledge used cooperatively; the exchange of best practices boosts a smart, inclusive and sustainable growth”.

Our motto is : “La sapienza è figliola della sperienza.” “Wisdom is the daughter of experience.” Leonardo Da Vinci

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 122834,9 Eur

Project Coordinator

Istituto Comprensivo Castel Frentano & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Kurtna Kool
• Escola Frederic Godas
• Scoala Gimnaziala Numarul 5
• Agrupamento de Escolas Miguel Torga