Introduction
This School Collaboration is fully funded under the International Visegrad Fund, with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and ScienceScope being project supporters. The Collaboration took place in V4 countries only, including Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
Background
Teaching and learning STEM embedded in real life scenarios have to start at an early education level. Our societies face a technological revolution where IoT, Big Data, and AI provide solutions that tackle global challenges, including climate change, food security or – as we see in the current scenario – pandemic outbreaks. Hence, it is crucial to stimulate students’ curiosity in these subjects and possible future professional career paths, and to highlight the role of science for societal progress.
The project ‘IoT, Big Data and AI: Innovating STEM Teaching through Strengthening Teacher Professionalisation’ is a 3-month long hands-on training programme for teachers on IoT, Big Data & AI-related teaching in secondary schools: on a pedagogical, curriculum & technical level.
Schools in V4 countries are provided with cutting-edge technological equipment that focuses on environmental and climate change monitoring. All participating schools were connected through one common technical platform. Joint data collection and analysis enable an interactive teaching & learning environment that transcends borders and allows the teachers to discuss, jointly explore and identify areas for collaboration on experimental lessons for STEM classes. The project not only offered teaching & learning opportunities for STEM subjects; it also allowed cross-fertilisation across other subjects (e.g., English, ethics, geography, social sciences, etc.).
Programme & Activites
The “IoT, Big Data and AI: Innovating STEM Teaching Through Strengthening Teacher Professionalisation” project engaged participating schools in 3 key activities:
Activity 1: Training Sessions and Development of Teaching Modules on “IoT, Big Data and AI for Innovating STEM Teaching”
Training Sessions
In total, 3 thematic sessions were conducted. The training sessions were designed and delivered by education & thematic experts on Education for Sustainable Development, with a focus on environmental and climate change education as well as 21st century skills development. Open for both teachers and students, these thematic trainings supported the learning partnership in a technology rich environment. All participants – teachers and students – received a certificate after the project.
Technical Training Sessions
The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in our daily environment is a relatively new concept, especially in education. Therefore, it is important to conduct adequate and relevant technical training sessions for teacher participants to be able to use new tech tools to innovate existing learning settings and to support their students in achieving deep learning goals for STEM subjects. 5 technical training sessions were conducted for participating teachers to enhance their knowledge on and digital competence to implement IoT and AI-driven projects’ activities. Besides, focusing on teaching basic concepts of IoT, Big Data and AI, these sessions also helped participants develop required technical skills and an understanding on the IoT Device & Weather Station which they used throughout the project.
Activity 2: Virtual Peer-to-Peer Exchange and Knowledge Building Sessions
Throughout the project’s implementation, virtual meetings brought together all participating teachers, including their students, for a peer-to-peer exchange and knowledge building & sharing. These virtual sessions of about 1.5 – 2.5 hours each included various meeting formats, with a focus on interactive engagement of all participants (e.g., speed-dating, polls, and small-group discussions) and collaborative elements (e.g. visual, virtual brainstorming). In addition, the organisers invited experts from V4 countries for each session, and provided a keynote as food for thought. Coordinated and conducted by teachers for their peers, these sessions were an opportunity for informal and non-formal group learning.
Activity 3: Handbook for Teachers on the “Use of IoT tools to Innovate STEM Teaching”
The project concluded with the production of a Handbook on the ‘Use of IoT Tools to innovate STEM Teaching’. It was a joint collaboration between all project partners and participating teachers. Capturing their experiences throughout the project, it included concrete lessons learnt and guidelines on pedagogical, curriculum & technical related matters based on practical examples. The handbook was launched officially through the STI Forum on Wednesday, 4 May 2022. Download a copy of the Handbook here.
Find out more about this project:
Please click the following to access to the briefs for the virtual sessions:
Welcome & Introduction Meeting
Welcome & Introduction Meeting
Thematic Sessions
Technical Sessions
Peer-to-Peer Sessions
Closing and Final Teaching Module Presentation
Closing Session
