Good news from STEM4CLIM8's team!
Finally, the STEM4CLIM8 Project’s end has been reached after two years. During these two years, the Project Team has been working very hard and diligently, in great harmony. Even though the world has undergone a difficult period because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Project Team managed to stay in contact very well and perform all project duties on time successfully.
In this article, we will start by mentioning a little bit about the piloting activities of STEM4CLIM8. After finalizing all lesson plans for teaching earthquakes, heat waves and floods, all project partners introduced these lesson plans and all the outputs of the project provided within the project website to teachers who volunteered to apply them in their science classrooms and to be part of the project. The teachers introduced the STEM4CLIM8 console to the students, made the students practice all the activities in these lesson plans and experience the physical computing blocks, guided the students to learn about natural disasters and their connection with climate change through playing Minecraft, and finally motivated the students to use their potential coding skills. All teachers and students did a great job during the process. We owe huge thanks to all of them…
Let’s talk about the impressions of the piloting applications on us. First of all, we have to say that all of the volunteer teachers were real lifelong learners. Lifelong learners tend to rely on their knowledge of any subject. They ask more focused questions. The teachers who took part in the STEM4CLIM8 Project were curious and excited about the project, and they wanted to know every detail of the project activities. They practiced student-centered teaching in their classrooms. They created environments for students where the students felt comfortable asking questions and exploring the learning materials further. Secondly, students looked very interested and excited about the project and its outputs. They worked in groups and as individuals within the project activities. They enjoyed it a lot, they were very curious, they asked a lot of questions, and they did many types of research. They communicated continually, supported each other, and shared their knowledge and experiences. They enjoyed playing Minecraft a lot. And we strongly believe that we contributed to the digital skills of students through the STEM4CLIM8 Project.
Now, it's time to mention the multiplier events activity of the Project. All of the partners introduced the project and its outputs to stakeholders of the project, including teachers, pre-service teachers, school administrators, public/private institutions’ representatives, etc. The general impression we got is that the Project’s outputs are very useful and that they are sustainable materials to teach climate change. We met new people thanks to these activities, and we formed new partnerships for new projects.
We supported teachers in developing more practical approaches to teaching STEM. We developed materials and resources that support STEM and climate change learning. We promoted STEM skills among children, as well as a consciousness of the connection between natural disasters and climate change. We created a virtual Club, that will be able to share knowledge and broaden the reach of the STEM4CLIM8 console and supporting resources. As the final word, the STEM4CLIM8 Project team is proud to have reached the project objectives successfully.
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The STEM4CLIM8 Project Team
