STEM For Life Erasmus Project

Project Title

STEM For Life

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Energy and resources; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

This project is aimed at getting children to understand that unless we become an more sustainable society, we will endanger our futures. As such the project focuses on different elements of sustainability.
To make this real for children we will have the children make models, so the science they learn gives them something practical to do.
To begin the project the need for sustainability is discussed with the impact of climate change. As such we can examine the ‘what if’ senarios.
A rise in sea level.
A increase in the land impacted by desert.
An increase in extreme weather events.
The current mass extinction taking place within the world.
The impact of human activity such as plastic production.
Once this has been recognised the project moves to two foci to move the children into active problem solvers.
The first focus is based upon energy, how to generate electricity and how it can be used.
To this end the project will teach children how a dynamo works and hence how an electric motor works.
Following this we will consider how an electric motor can be powered by renewable energies, solar, wind, water and of course some mechanical. Although challenging, it may be possible to consider biological energy, for example from compost but for primary schools this is difficult.
The second focus is on habitats and how they can be protected.
This allows the children to investigate and learn about habitats and also the actions of humans upon habitats.
It is expected both foci fall within the curriculum of each country and as such allows the study of physics, chemistry and biology in an integrated, purposeful way.
This is acheived as each part of the project enables the children to use their understanding to construct a model. This model will ideally be of use in the modern age. For example, a simple solar light, solar powered ferris wheel, water wheel to power a dynamo, the potential list is endless. Adding to this simple robotics makes the models as complex as the children and resources can manage.
The aspect on solar energy overlaps with studies on the Earth in Space, Water on geographical studies such as the water cycle, mechanical energy with the human body and safe cycling.
The study of habitats allows children to reflect upon the growth of crops as well as the need for pollinators. The questions regarding how many families have safe places for wildlife, hedgehog homes, bee and bird boxes. Children will run their own surveys on their local wildlife, count the numbers and varieties of insects and compare their local habitat to world habitats. This concludes with recycling and the impact of organic compounds on the environment, plastic in particular.

As the project develops we wish children to create messages for their families, communities and countries. This may as simple as ‘turn off the lights’ to a more complicated campaign asking for funding for solar panels for every home. These projects are all conducted in their home language and although the project intends some activities to be shared, we will all do the same, again they will be in their home language.

eTwinning will be used to allow children to share understanding in English. To start with, we wish to have votes on which model is the best and then move on to asking deeper questions regarding sustainability. How much energy did the English school save by turning off lights? This we hope can lead to challenges such as who can make the fastest solar powered vehicle?

In the project we want children to become the teachers and as such use the digital platform 123 Go.
This allows the children to make a step by step guide in making their own model.
As such, the children can design simple award certificates for completing the model.
These then get posted on the website like a youtube instruction video.

Thus the website hosts why we need to think about sustainability, presentations created by the children.
Then the website hosts what we can achieve through sustainable resources.
Finally, we hope the website will host a ‘science fair’ to conclude all the learning the children have undertaken.

As the website will sit within the Google for Education platform and attached to a Teaching School the potential dissemination is worldwide.
In this respect there will be some qualitative questionnaire to ask children how they enjoyed their learning and whether they remember more by carrying out experiments and using models to show their learning.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 135066 Eur

Project Coordinator

Rayleigh Primary School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• OS “Djuro Pilar” Slavonski Brod
• Sivas Bilim ve Sanat Merkezi
• Nya Rydsskolan
• Theresa Nuzzo School
• Istituto Bilingue Don Morinello