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Description
Primary school Vladimir Nazor, Đakovo, with project STEM for Planet Earth aims to resolve the problem of insufficient level of STEM skills of target groups through bilateral cooperation with a partner organisation GeoCamp and association The Open Computer Workshop Association "We are all against" for technologically advanced 21st century society. Teaching skills of 9 teachers in STEM will be improved by participating in 11 training activities based on the developed school curriculum with STEM area included in order to transfer knowledge to 150 students, including 10 gifted pupils and 25 with disabilities which will participate in 14 activites. Adaptation and equipping of 2 STEM classrooms will ensure quality of education.
Summary of project results
The main problem or challenge faces by the Project Promoter was related to the lack of educational programs and activities for the students in the STEM fields, as the result of insufficient investment in human resources and inadequate infrastructural prerequisites, related to the lack of adequate equipment for the establishment of modern STEM classroom. The project aims to solve the above problem, i.e. the project aimed to solve the problem of the local community of Đakovo and Osijek-Baranja County in order to make it easier for students to transition from primary to secondary school, which will, consequently, ensure easier inclusion in the future employment, reduce unemployment rate and enable the success of the target group for life in modern society. The goal of the project was to strengthen the capacities of Elementary school Vladimir Nazor Đakovo by improving the STEM skills of the teachers and students, as well as to modernize two STEM classrooms and acquire STEM equipment.
The project was implemented through four main activities. Through Activity 1, the teachers who participated in the implementation of the project, took part in educations and workshops, as well as mentoring and job shadowing held by the project partners. They also participated in the visit to the project partners in Iceland, which aimed to improve STEM skills, competencies and knowledge of teachers in teaching students in an interdisciplinary manner. As part of Activity 2, students'' STEM skills were developed or strengthened through extracurricular activities designed to develop or strengthen their STEM skills. Also, as part of the Activity 2, two field classes were held in Dubrovnik and Zagreb and a project assignment was carried out with our partner form Island. Through all the mentioned activities, the students who participated in them improved their STEM skills and knowledge. Through activity 3 curricula for extracurricular activities were developed, a project assignment was developed and carried out in the activity 2, in cooperation between our students and students from Iceland. Our partner Open computer workshop developed interactive materials that were used in the implementation of the project and will remain for future generations. As part of the activity 4, two classroom were adapted, one for classes in physics/mathematics/informatics and one for classes in biology/nature/chemistry. After the adaption, the classrooms were equipped with modern furniture and new equipment was purchased for holding STEM classes.
As the result of the implemented project, the teachers who participated in the implementation of the project acquired new knowledge, skills and competence in the STEM field. Based on the newly acquired teaching skills in the field of STEM and the curriculums developed during the implementation of the project, the teachers held educational programs and extracurricular activities for the students who were involved in the implementation of the project. Aditionally, as the result of the project, two classrooms were adapted and equipped with new modern equipment and furniture for holding STEM classes.
Summary of bilateral results
1. The project benefited from bilateral cooperation in such a way that we learned a lot from the Partner form Iceland. Numerous online meetings and workshops were held, where our colleagues form Iceland introduced us to their educational system, which is quite different from ours. The teachers who participated in the implementation of the project were on a study trip to Iceland where they saw firsthand how the educational system works in Iceland, they learned new teaching methods, new approaches to students and new forms of work and how to include STEM in teaching processes as much as possible.2. As main results of bilateral cooperation, we can highlight new knowledge and skills acquired through the implementation of the project. The Partner gave us many ideas on how to improve the educational process and we also learned some new learning methods, which we applied in the teaching process. The exchange of experiences was priceless for teachers (through a trip to Iceland, a partner''s visit to our school, many interesting and instructive trainings and workshops) and students (together with their colleagues for Iceland, participated in the preparation and implementation of the project tasks and in this way they learned about diversity, understanding and a different educational system). All of the above enabled teachers and students to meet new colleagues, a new culture, new ways of teaching that are different than ours.3. Through this project, teachers and students have made wonderful friends with whom they will definitely try to cooperate as much as possible in the future and potentially get involved in additional joint projects.