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Description
STEM COUNTY project will improve STEM skills of teachers and pupils in primary schools in Zadar County. This will be achieved by modernizing school facilities, raising the capacity of teachers, educating pupils and exchanging knowledge and experiences in STEM. By implementing project activities, 13 STEM classrooms will be equipped in primary schools in Zadar County, some of which are on the islands and some in rural areas. Primary school pupils involved in the project will be provided with equal opportunities for education in STEM regardless of the location of education. Through educational activities, participation in fairs, conferences and a study trips, 532 pupils and 58 teachers will strengthen their skills in STEM.
Summary of project results
The Development Strategy of the City of Zadar addresses key limitations of the educational system in the projected area: insufficient number of educational facilities for pupils with difficulties, unsuitable educational infrastructure and deterioration of certain existing buildings and equipment in primary and high schools, infrastructural undercapacity of schools, insufficient cooperation and coordination between pre-primary educational institutions and schools, educational worker deficit (especially in the natural sciences), absence of specialised programs for children with disabilities and gifted children, insufficient correlation between educational curriculum and the requirements of the labour market, insufficient number of science and technology centres and institutes, limited number of accessible rooms for practical classes. In the international knowledge assessments (PISA4), 15-year old children in Croatia achieve (under)average results in language and maths literacy and natural history. It is necessary to adjust the approach to acquiring knowledge, teaching basic skills and to direct it into application, which are the foundations of this project. The implementation of the Project was aimed at increasing the ability of teachers to carry out extracurricular activities based on STEM and equipping schools to make such classes possible. The project activities also sought to motivate students for STEM fields and encourage earlier development, since early learning through research and with a scientific approach develops an interest in deeper engagement with scientific topics even at a later age. Through the existing Centers of Excellence of the City of Zadar in working with students, many benefits of such extracurricular activities have been observed, and the project is planned to expand to as many students as possible. With the STEM County project, students also gained access to tools that enable them to turn ideas into real objects. In this way, the number of students who want to progress and study in the STEM field increases significantly.
Act.1. and 2. brought developing the ability of teachers in STEM and strengthening the STEM skills of students and Act.3. and 4. brought teacher training and the implementation of activities for students within the active citizenship. 61 teachers were educated in the field of STEM through 15 educations and 25 trainings. 39 teachers participated in 2 conferences and 8 of them in 1 fair on the subject of STEM. 892 hours of extracurricular activities in STEM were held for 654 students of which 54 are gifted students and 39 students with disabilities, 30 hours of a specialized program were held for 54 gifted students, a model of STEM County was created, 60 hours of a specialized program were held for 10 students with disabilities and organized field lessons for 329 students. 61 teachers were educated on models of teaching students in active citizenship and they exchanged experiences in Croatia and Norway. 74 workshops of active citizenship were held for 654 students including 54 gifted and 34 students with disabilities. Through Act.5. 5 manuals were created (4 from the field of STEM and 1 from the field of active citizenship - teaching materials for the development of models of learning and practical work in STEM and in active citizenship) by 8 teachers and 1 expert from the University of Zadar. Act.6. brought modernization of classrooms and the procurement of STEM equipment for schools. 5 classrooms in 5 elementary schools were adapted, 13 classrooms in 13 elementary schools were equipped and a "Science Park" was established in 1 elementary school. Act.7. brought organization of study visits in the country and abroad. 3 study trips to Norway were organized for 43 teachers and 2 representatives of the City of Zadar and 4 representatives of the Vitenfabrikken Museum visited Croatia and participated in the final conference of the project. The opening and closing conferences, 4 media conferences, STEM week and Science Fair were held, profiles on FB, Instagram and Youtube are open, 2 informative announcements were published on the radio and 5 announcements on web portals and the press and promotional materials were produced through the Information and Communication Act. As part of the project management activities, the Partnership Agreement was signed, the project team was established,the action plan of the project was defined, 5 meetings of the project team were held, the progress of the project implementation was monitored and the final report was submitted.
Implementation of the project and the implementation of activities Act.1., Act.2., Act.3., Act.4. and Act.5. resulted in improved STEM skills for 61 teachers and 656 students, of which 54 are gifted students and 39 are students with disabilities. Since there is a large number of involved participants, both teachers and students, the effect will also be felt by the general public, since all stakeholders work in the elementary school institutions or attend it and students pass on information about the knowledge gained in the project to their families and society. Implementation of Act. 6. resulted in the adaptation of classrooms in 5 elementary schools, the equippment of 13 classrooms in 13 elementary schools and the establishment of a "Science Park" in one elementary school. Equipping and adapting classrooms enabled the implementation of planned project activities, as well as the continuation of teaching and extracurricular activities in primary schools, since the new, adapted classrooms and new equipment can be used by all teachers and students which contributes to the improvement of the entire teaching process of one school and it''s "school life". By implementing Act.7. bilateral cooperation between Croatia and Norway was improved through the exchange of knowledge and experiences of teachers from Croatia and representatives of the Vitenfabrikken Museum. The effects of the exchange of knowledge and experience were also reflected in the students - participants in the project becasue teachers transferred the acquired knowledge and experiences from Norway during the organization of STEM workshops and workshops on the topics of active citizenship. The visit of the Norwegian partners to Zadar County and familiarization with the work of primary schools and Centers of Excellence of the City of Zadar and the exchange of knowledge and experience between the partners achieved a higher level of cooperation and laid the foundations for some future new projects, which certainly improved bilateral cooperation between the countries.
Summary of bilateral results
1. The project benefited from the bilateral partnership by organizing 3 study trips to Norway in which a total of 43 teachers and 2 representatives of the Holder project - City of Zadar participated. The study trips to Norway were an opportunity to improve the knowledge of teachers in the STEM field and active citizenship. Norwegian partner, the Vitenfabrikken Museum, has rich experience in implementing STEM programs with children of different age groups, which was the main topic of all meetings of the partners from the two countries. and which were held within the framework of the implementation of Activity 3. The visit of Norwegian partners to Zadar County and familiarization with the work of primary schools and Centers of Excellence operating in the City of Zadar, as well as the exchange of knowledge and experience between partners, achieved a higher level of cooperation and foundations have been established for some future new projects. 2. The main results of bilateral cooperation are the exchange of knowledge and experience in STEM fields, but also in topics from the framework of active citizenship between teachers from Croatia, representatives of the City of Zadar and representatives of the Norwegian partner, and the establishment of foundations for future new projects. 3. The cooperation with the Norwegian partner - the Vitenfabrikken Museum during the implementation of the project was excellent and the study trips of the teachers and representatives of the City of Zadar to Norway and the visit of the Norwegian partners to Croatia contributed to understanding and sharing of information and the establishment of really good foundations for further cooperation. At the moment, there are no concrete plans for continued cooperation, but an agreement has been reached between the project partners that they will remain in contact and be open to any form of further cooperation.