The following video clip showcases some of the various professionals from different organisations/companies that not only helped our students to consider STEM subjects but also encouraged and showed them the importance of such careers.
At our school, we believe that students are provided with various opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to enhance their knowledge and motivate them by helping them to raise their high interest in STEM subject, so to consider for their careers. Thus, the following video shows some of the activities that we organised for the students with various companies and stakeholders to raise general awareness and promote STEM education for both male and female students.
The activity aimed at 6th-grade students at Leo Baeck school in honor of the STEM Discovery Week celebrating 70 years for the state of Israel.
During the activity, the students learned about the important connection between science and technology and the process of problem-solving.
The students were presented with an invention, about which they’re supposed to research and to explore additional uses.
The activity is about 4 Israeli inventions and deals with a diverse content range, including subjects of science, mathematics, technology, architecture, Hebrew, English, geography, and environmental protection and sustainability.
It employs digital tools and is in the format of the Escape Room, using “Escape Boxes” that I built by reusing materials.
The activity had several stages:
First, the students were told to help each other to the best of their abilities, as minimal help would be provided.
The students entered the classroom and naturally split into groups.
On one of the tables, there was a box containing several keys, with a mathematics exercise written on each one
There were 4 possible solutions and the students organised themselves into groups based on the answers.
After everyone sat in groups, two locked boxes were placed on each table.
The flag of Israel was printed on these boxes, in order to hint the students the subject of the activity.
The students were instructed to enter a code – the solution to the mathematics exercise – to unlock one of the boxes.
When the box was opened, it contained two different kinds of items:
The first being a page with the word “Invention” written on it in braille, and to its side, the flag of Israel, and a Braille-to-Hebrew translation table.
The students were supposed to understand that the subject is Israeli inventions.
The second box included items or pictures that gave a hint on the specific invention.
For example: One box contained a picture of Mars, a house, and a rosy-cheeked smile-emoticon, referring to project Bubble Face – a project dealing with the development of a structure suitable to be built on the surface of Mars, led by Helen Vaxsler.
Another box contained iron ore and a Jewish hat, referring to the Israeli Iron Dome Defence System.
In yet another box, there were items hinting at the invention of the Solar Water Heater.
The last box contained items hinting at the invention of the extension of shelf life of the cherry tomato.
The second part of the box contained cards with pictures and names connected to the invention, which had to be organised. After organising those, the students had to solve mathematics problems in order to get the code for the next box.
On the cards were printed subjects such as metal-processing methods, renewable and non-renewable sources of energy, methods of sorting fruits and vegetables.
At the second stage, the students were required to learn about the invention. Each group received a QR code leading to educational texts and videos about that invention.
Afterward, the groups were asked to enter the Padlet collaborative board and write about their invention and the scientific principle which it is based on.
For example, the production of cherry tomatoes is possible because of botanic crossbreeding.
After completing their task, each group was asked to use another digital tool – myHistro, and use it to write on a collaborative timeline the following details:
The date of the invention publication, the name of the invention, and mark the location of the invention publication on a map.
Next, the students were asked to answer questions about the subject of solving technological issues – definition of the issue, the solution’s minimum requirements, goals, and environmental repercussions, in addition to mathematics problems and Hebrew vocabulary exercises.
The students were led to the next code.
At this stage, the students were to offer improvements to an existing invention or even a new invention, to plan a model and to build it, photograph it and upload it to the collaborative board.
The cherry-tomato group had to plan out an experiment, including its different stages, and to carry it out.
In the final stage, each group was required to present their model, and to tell the classroom what they’ve learned about the invention and the scientific principle associated with it.
The cherry-tomato group presented their model, and continued the experiment, updating over the next few weeks about their advancements and findings.
Each group that completed all the tasks will be taught 3D printing in group lessons, plan a 3D model and print it out – courtesy of the Israel National Museum of Science, Technology and Space, one of our neighbors at a walking distance.
Link to some photos and files from the activities.
Link to the Live video stream from European Schoolnet’s YouTube channel
Elementary school “Stanimir Veljkovic Zele” Bojnik.
In the preparation for activities about the STEM Discovery Week 2018, teacher of biology, Milica Pejcic, the Serbian language teacher Sanja Kulic and the chemistry teacher Marija Dikic, decided that a debate about organ donations would be very effective.
We gathered interested students (7th and 8th grade) and we explored this topic with them.
We organised the arrival of large number of teachers, a pediatrician, and through Skype, we spoke with the former pupil of our school, Jelena Martic, who is now a successful pediatrician in Malta and has shared her experiences with us.
After watching educational short films, introductory words by teachers and pediatricians, two groups of students started debating. They went through the moral, sociological, psychological, legal and religious aspects. The debate was followed by a jury that decided whose arguments were stronger.
At the end of the debate, we pointed out the alternative possibilities of obtaining organs in the laboratory using stem cells.
This is a short film, which was made by Milena Vojinovic, about the debate:
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are fun and exciting, and learning these subjects can lead to great things. On April 28th, more than 150 children, aged between 7 and 14, got to experience this excitement first hand at Moldova’s premier STEM Discovery Week event, “STIM sa descoperim”, organised by the Moldova Competitiveness Project (funded by USAID and the Government of Sweden), in partnership with Tekwill Academy Kids.
Click here to watch video.
“STIM sa descoperim” took place at Tekwill, a Technology Excellence Center in Moldova’s capital, Chisinau. For three hours, the space was taken over by 12 simultaneous workshops using the latest in educational technology, including LEGO Mindstorms EV3 and Wedo 2.0 robotics kits, MakeyMakey, Arduino, Ozobots, Mbots, and Virtual Reality headsets. The free coding club, CoderDojo Chisinau, provided parallel coding activities, where volunteer-led mentors taught participants how to make their own computer programmes and projects.
Electronic Art with Arduino
Fun Experiments with MakeyMakey
The event was aimed at encouraging children and youth to engage with STEM subjects at high school and beyond, enabling them to access exciting opportunities in tomorrow’s economy. Young Moldovans discovered the wonderful world of STEM through workshops in robotics, fun mathematics, programming, design and virtual reality, and were also treated to a spectacular science show.
Football with Mbots
Sergiu Botezatu, Project Manager at USAID Moldova said “IT has an enormous potential for growth in Moldova, so USAID supports various digital education projects to prepare the workforce for this sector. Learning Science in an interactive way allows young people to develop their logical thinking, creativity and team spirit, and shows them how to apply the practical and interactive concepts of science and engineering to the real world.”
“STIM sa descoperim” formed part of STEM Discovery Week, a global initiative that celebrates and encourages young people to study STEM, and empowers community members to enhance collaboration opportunities among stakeholders in their local area. This year, STEM Discovery Week was celebrated worldwide on April 23-29 under the slogan “Say yes to STEM”.
Three high schools in Chisinau also celebrated STEM Discovery Week, joining more than 10,000 schools in over 30 countries across the world with their interdisciplinary activities using digital equipment. “Mircea Eliade” Theoretical High School created simulations of natural phenomena with the help of robots and various equipment in their Future Classroom Lab. The event challenged students to build rain-stimulated robots, a water slide and a mercury thermometer, all built from LEGO WeDo and LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 technology. Fourth and eleventh grade students at “Socrates” and “Iulia Hasdeu” high schools partnered together to face various physics and math challenges, part of a specially organized science contest and quest.