STEAM -Children Engineers Academy Erasmus Project

Project Title

STEAM -Children Engineers Academy

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: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Inclusion – equity; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The project was addressed to 845 children aged 6-14 from Greece, Poland, Spain, Italy, and Estonia. It was conducted from IX 2017 till VIII 2020 in partner schools. The results of the project will be shared by the project website/partner schools’ blog pages/Facebook profiles/Twinspace. In all partner schools, we faced the same problem – children had low achievement of Math/Science/ foreign Language skills. We based our statements on a reliable source of information like the external and internal evaluations, the final exams results, and marks. When we checked European sources of data about STEAM like Eurobarometer -European Commission and STEM Alliance, we realized that not only our schools had the problem, but it was a bigger issue. Europe needs an adequate output of qualified scientific specialists to foster a dynamic and innovative knowledge-based economy. To achieve this goal, we needed to increase participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) studies, and careers. We should start this input from the very beginning -from the primary education- but the term STEAM was rather unknown in most European countries. The typical school gives students ‘readymade” knowledge/facts. Through this project, we tried to give our students a chance to conduct experiments, look for their own solutions, collaborate in peer groups, learn outside the classrooms, get problem-based, and inquiry-based learning. In most school Math, Technology, Science, and Art is taught separately. In this project we integrated all these subjects and what is more, we integrated STEAM and ICT. We taught all these subjects bilingually.
Our organizations needed the project which would bring the new elements in the typical education through the exchange of ideas and experiences between organizations realized during the whole project and especially during STEAM WEEKS and STEAM summer/ winter CAMPS.
Our main aims were:
1. To foster the development of social, civic, intercultural competencies, media literacy, and critical thinking.
2. To promote innovative methods, develop learning materials and tools, and effectively use ICT in education.
3. To promote the acquisition of skills and competencies by addressing underachievement in math, science through effective and innovative teaching.
Specific objectives.
1. Discovering the new forms of teaching/learning through STEAM.
2. Motivate the pupils to develop their critical thinking, collaborate rather than compete, persist, and create.
3. Create in each country a bilingual e-book with STEAM lesson plans.
4. Motivate and support the teachers in implementing these forms in practice.
5. Promote our common achievements indicating values and the opportunities included in the implementation of the results in the STEAM education.
Project ” STEAM Children Engineers Academy” responded to our common needs and met the objectives referred to above.
– The project allowed us to create interactive learning/teaching environments for students and teachers.
– There are some important aspects that indicate that this project should be implemented in the form of an international exchange of experience and training in innovative STEAM techniques. These aspects are:
1. The object of the project was the innovative forms of teaching using STEAM which needed a direct contact with all partners. Participants came from different countries, representing various cultures, languages, lifestyles, and different approaches to the STEAM. The fact that the project would be realized in a multicultural environment was a huge advantage that raised its educational value. It was an extraordinary experience for teachers and pupils which taught all of them to be open-minded, accept different educational systems, and approach another learning environment.
2. The STEAM 100 lessons created by different countries, contained some exceptional elements of national culture which made them unique.
3. The final product of project were multilingual e-books (in each partner country in English and in mother tongue) which contains a set of scenarios of STEAM lesson plans. It also contains the information and photos about experiences conducted in the STEAM project countries. Not knowing if the perception would be similar or completely different in partner schools, we were still sure that in spite of the differences such as education, teaching, culture, and experience there was something that connects all children. It could also be that the factors such as culture, education and local habits determined the children’s perception in the way that in each country STEAM would be taken differently. In that case, the approach to STEAM had its own unique form in each country.
4. Both of the results were considered as a success. The project aims were to unite not divide as it showed that the common elements connecting all people are actually the beauty of diversity.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 145060 Eur

Project Coordinator

Szkola Podstawowa im. M. Kopernika w Czaslawiu & Country: PL

Project Partners

• Ekto dimotiko sholeio Egaleo
• I.C R. GIOVAGNOLI
• Tabivere Põhikool
• Colegio JABY