In this project, six ambitious secondary schools from Dordrecht (NL), Recklinghausen (DE), Pamplona (ES), Copenhagen (DK), and Split (HR), partners in earlier European projects, and a new school from Vänersborg (SE) have established the need to address an alarmingly large and growing shortage of (future) employees with STEM skills. Priorities are promoting of the acquisition of skills and competences and to promote entrepreneurship in education and social entrepreneurship among young people at their schools, focussing on STEM, involving both secondary and primary school pupils. Pupils need to become more actively involved and take charge of their own STEM education. Erasmus+ topics in this project are natural sciences, teaching and learning of foreign languages and gender equality.
Six exchanges are included in this project. During these exchanges the schools organize a science week with transversal topics, e.g. integration, women in science and sustainability. In each country, regional and national science centers and universities will be involved to give the participants an new impulse in STEM. It is through the synergy of transnational teams that all parties involved, both pupils from secondary and primary schools, teachers and school management, will rise above themselves.
Prior to an exchange, participants use eTwinning to meet and prepare STEM topics and transversal topics. Also, they do an English test online to determine their CEFR level of English before and after the exchange. During the exchange, science and language skills will be practiced in an authentic learning environment. Secondary pupils will pass on their newly gained impulse in STEM to primary school pupils, teaching them, using their own custom-made activating lessons.
Working with other cultures will improve the social skills of all actors involved.This project addresses 1500 active participants, 250 per school. An important target group is formed by primary school pupils, a total of 500. Research has shown that pupils who have a deficiency in numerical skills early on avoid science subjects later on in their school career. In this way, they lock themselves out from many interesting and important jobs in the field of science. Much of the STEM curriculum is aimed toward attracting underrepresented populations. Female students, for example, are significantly less likely to pursue a college major or career. Though this is nothing new, the gap is increasing at a significant rate. Women leave STEM disciplines in disproportionate numbers during their higher education studies, in their transition to the world of work and even during their career cycle.
Preparation started in November 2017. During a two-day international preparatory meeting in February 2018 in Dordrecht we made our ideas concreet. Communication takes place before, during and after exchanges and also in between, in regular intervals, using email, eTwinning, video conferencing and whatsapp. During the project we expect results on different levels. We expect tangible results including free online teaching and learning material, evaluation forms, certificates, renewed partnership contracts, promotional material, adapted school curricula and best practices. But we also will produce intellectual results such as improvement of foreign language skills or developing a personal interest in science, stimulating pupils, especially girls, to seek a job in science. Teachers improve their knowledge and experience in coaching and monitoring the entrepreneurial projects.
During each LTTA, our pupils teach primary school pupils. As the groups work on their transversal topics and science topics in an international setting, it will also involve the use of foreign languages also exposing the primary pupils to STEM and foreign languages.
Our experience in previous projects and exchanges ensures implement responsible project management strategies and monitoring of budgets. The international coordinators monitor financial administration and time management at their own school. Science coordinators coordinate STEM activities. Evaluation on different levels will ensure quality. Certificates will be provided to all participants in this project.
All participants in the project are active in an ongoing dissemination process, both inside schools (e.g. colleagues, departments) and outside schools (e.g. public institutions, website, youtube). In June 2020 a STEM exhibition will be organised in the Netherlands showing important results. The virtual-tour of the exhibition will be set on our projects website.
By embedding project activities in curricula, the sustainability of this project will be ensured and the quality of the activities is high, because they have been evaluated and scrutinized by other teachers of the school. Sustainability of the project is also ensured by publishing the material on our website, on eTwinning and on the Erasmus+ platform.
