Teaching Innovative Practices in STEM Erasmus Project

Project Title

Teaching Innovative Practices in STEM

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

The Teaching Innovative Practices in STEM (TIPS!) Project is formed by the association of four secondary schools higly releveant in their respective regions from different European countries (Spain, Belgium, France and Italy). The teachers had detected in their students a low motivation towards the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, which has translated into an alarming decrease in scientific vocations. In each center the project was led by a specialist teacher in innovative pedagogies who were aware of the need to equip themselves with new STEM pedagogies and promote the exchange of good practices through Open Educational Resources (OER), therefore this project was created aiming at validate and disseminate innovative pedagogies in STEM, including Inquiry Based Learning (IBL).

The association is formed by four centers:
    – Corazón de María School (Gijón, Spain) – Coordinator
    – Lycée Marguerite Yourcenar (Erstein – France)
    – Enrico Fermi Institute (Castellanza – Italy)
    – Sint Donatus Institute (Merchtem – Belgium)

As each school is specialized in a different field, carrying out this project transnationally has allowed the exchange of the lessons learned, the generation of educational resources in European languages ​​(which will have a long-term impact among teachers) and the interaction between students and teaching staff, encouraging the use of English and increasing the motivation towards its learning. In addition to pedagogies based on IBL, the centers have exchanged their knowledge about collaborative work and multiple intelligences, learned how to incorporate into their lessons themes of great impact on students (nanotechnology, astronomy, etc.) and success cases such as scientific fairs or optional subjects designed at the center.

The associated centers sought with this project to achieve the following objectives:

OBJECTIVE 1 (O1): To increase basic (mathematics, science and technology) and transversal competences (entrepreneurship, digital and linguistic competence) of students. With special attention to English as a Foreign Language. (Horizontal Priority, Priority in School Education)
OBJECTIVE 2 (O2): To reinforce the education and training itineraries of STEM teachers, providing them with the means to produce a high quality teaching. (Horizontal Priority, Priority in School Education)
OBJECTIVE 3 (O3): Creating and disseminating STEM OER in several European languages ​​(Horizontal Priority)
OBJECTIVE 4 (O4): To increase the European dimension of the educational community of the partner schools, promoting the creation of a network of centers with common interests that can continue developing projects in the future.

These objectives have been achieved thanks to, among other activities, short-term student and teacher exchanges where in workshops in each partner school, teachers showed their innovative practices in STEM (O1, O2, O4). The language in the workshops has been English, they have followed the IBL model and promoted the interaction between the students mixing them in groups of different nationalities (O1, O4). At the beginning of the workshop there was a TIPS Guide (in English and another European language) was showcased, allowing participating teachers to replicate the workshop in their centers among students and non-assistant teachers. These guides are available online at the TwinSpace project (O3), which serves as a repository and has been widely disseminated in the media, social networks, and webs of Educational Institutions, following the dissemination plan of the project. Therefore we hope to achieve abundant traffic towards them that will produce their reuse by STEM teachers at all levels from the local / regional to the European.

The association aims to create a network of centers with common interests that can continue to develop projects in the future (objective O4). The training that will be received by the teachers directly involved in the project will have repercussions on their teaching, providing them with new tools and ideas to improve the skills not only of the students directly involved, but also of future generations. As a result, it has been a project with a future vocation, in which the participating centers, given the success obtained, are willing to continue to promote collaboration and exchange of good practices at all levels of the educational community.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 101700 Eur

Project Coordinator

COLEGIO CORAZÓN DE MARIA & Country: ES

Project Partners

• lycee Marguerite Yourcenar
• Istituto Enrico Fermi
• Sint-Donatusinstituut