Integrated Science Labs: the innovation of the scientific didactics Erasmus Project

Project Title

Integrated Science Labs: the innovation of the scientific didactics

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: Natural sciences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The project was part of the internationalisation plans of the educational offer, which originated from the needs for improvement that emerged in the self-evaluation documents and were subsequently formalised in the objectives of the partner schools’ educational offer planning documents.
It has achieved several of its objectives, such as for example:
-fostering interdisciplinary coordination of science teaching programmes
-to deepen the common aspects between the scientific disciplines, with a view to an interdisciplinary development of the teachings
-emphasising the central role of laboratory activity in the renewal of science education
-improving entry orientation by promoting the image of technical studies as innovative
-promoting teacher training in the use of new technologies and in CLIL teaching
The task sharing activity with the assignment of specific project tasks to each partner school and the definition of the project activities and the related timetable were carried out and shared among the partners through e-twinning, e-mail and Skype-call.
The detailed planning was carried out during the LTTAs foreseen in the project’s time frame.
During the first year, each partner identified a scientific phenomenon with physical, chemical, biological and/or naturalistic implications. It was analysed by deepening its theoretical/practical study and investigating its implications in the field of integrated sciences. The activity of planning, carrying out and documenting a specific laboratory experience was carried out (planning of the experience; construction and calibration of the necessary equipment and instruments; experimental carrying out of the experience; documentation of the work carried out and elaboration of technical sheets in English).
During the LTTAs the pupils involved participated in CLIL lessons related to the project.
During the second year all partners had to repeat the activity for a new scientific phenomenon. The programming and planning phase of the second year activities was regularly carried out during the LTTA at the beginning of the year in Portugal (C4) and all partner schools carried out the planned activities for the pupils during the second year.
The project activity was carried out by the pupils in both curricular and extra-curricular time, was included in the curriculum and was specifically assessed.
The last two LTTAs envisaged by the project (LTTA for sharing the activities carried out by the pupils during the second year (C5) – Madrid March 2020; LTTA for finalising and evaluating the project (C6) – Reunion May 2020) were not carried out due to the COVID pandemic.
In accordance with the procedures foreseen by the Erasmus Plus Managing Authority, a request for an extension of the project duration by 12 months was submitted and accepted.
It was expected that the last two LTTA projects could be recovered in presence during the 2020-2021 school year.
The recrudescence of the pandemic, however, prevented the recovery of these LTTA in presence and consequently the various concluding activities of sharing, assessment and evaluation of the project were carried out by the partners at a distance using the Google Meet platform already in use for Distance Learning in all the partner schools.
The information flow between the partners was carried out initially via e-mail and also with other communication and sharing channels (video-skipe-call, whatsapp group, google drive etc) and in the final phase of the project through the Google Meet platform.
In order to assess the quality levels reached, monitoring questionnaires (Customer Satisfaction” of the Hot Survey and Cold Survey type) were drawn up and administered to target groups within the schools and also to external stakeholders in the areas involved.
A proof of the achievement of the envisaged objectives will be the possibility to re-propose, in the future, the workshop experiences of the project in the form of interdisciplinary integrated science modules carried out in CLIL mode.
Dissemination meetings were carried out (initially in presence and during the pandemic years at a distance through digital platforms), both within the partner educational communities and externally in the local communities involved, which impacted on wide and diversified “target groups” (families of pupils, companies and trade associations collaborating in the design of ASL paths, teachers and students of lower secondary schools).
A logo was designed and presentation material produced, and articles were published to disseminate the project in local newspapers and on the partners’ websites.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 117146,48 Eur

Project Coordinator

ISII MARCONI & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Fundación Dales la Palabra
• LYCEE SAINT-PAUL IV
• FURNESS ACADEMIES TRUST
• 5 General Lyceum Veroias
• AGRUPAMENTO DE ESCOLAS DA MAIA