SMART Science, Maths and Relevant Technology Needs Needs addressed for the organisations involved: real world learning, thematic lessons connected to live experimentation, and every teacher involved using ICT to update, develop and deepen Best Practice. We need to catch the interest for Science, Maths and relevant Technology in the young who are to choose a pathway in post-16 education and feed the interest by challenging the students we have; we need to inspire them to choose this academic route at Uni level and make sure teachers and students learn to actively nurture the ideas of internationalisation; we have a need to find the ways to work together between countries i.e. transnationally as e.g. the Swedish curriculum says we are to work on internationalisation and foster entrepreneurial citizens. These are goals for all involved in education in the EU, voiced in the mindset of key competences and areas to develop in learning up to 2020. The same ideas are on the desk of a student as well as on the treachers' all the way up to the EU commission. Objectives The objectives of our projects are: developing transferable skills, strengthening the profile of the teaching professions and quality through mobility and cross-border cooperation; entrepreneurial learning, international cooperation and relations for development Partners We are seven partners: five schools, a multimedia company and an international research centre Activities Activities delivering outcomes Creating a SMART Digital Guide to publish on the Internet and EST, free access The guide shares a bank of themes and lessons used by all (to develop further) SMART weeks Teachers and students from all partner countries meet in real life and work together CERN Course for teachers attended by teachers from all partner schools CERN visits for students Excellent links to work life and state-of-the-Art real life research of Science, especially Physics, Maths and Technology, all very relevant to the teachers' aims and students' future. Students will be working with their various projects for a full year and complete them when they visit CERN for one/two weeks. External collaboration Involved pro-active, state-of-the-art organisations have together with schools obtained the desired real world learning connection. Teachers working with expertise active on the up-to-date work market (incorporate organisations/enterprises with education), also feeding them future employees. Enhanced collaboration and constructive discussions on how we best secure required quality. This works both ways as the work market is partly unaware of transforming changes of education over the last two decades. Closer links to real life research, work life (companies and other organisations e.g. museums and societal ones) seeking real solutions to real problems. The project' s methods will be the future way of working in the departments at our schools, i.e. voiced in learning plans and syllabi to come. Thus, the sustainability is built-in as an integral part of the scheme.
Five countries worked together to develop transversal skills to strengthen teaching professions. Our aims were to improve the teaching of Science, Maths and Technology. Background factors were a) declining interest among students b) a not uncommon lack of ability to pull through demanding courses and subjects in secondary school to qualify for Uni and career in the field. We shared the belief that varied ways of delivering knowledge and skill content to learners would be beneficial and that educators need input to enhance students learning and results. We worked to a) catch the interest for Science, Maths and Technology in those to choose a pathway in education and b) continually fed the interest by challenging our students as they need inspiration to choose this route also at Uni level. We encouraged teachers and students by working together between countries, thus exemplifying the idea of transnational collaboration to nurture entrepreneurial citizens who will pursue their aspirations in the field instead of dropping out. We identified a need of more real world learning aka applied learning and thematic lessons connected to live experimentation. Once at the go, we had teachers use ICT to update, develop and deepen their own Best Practice. Objectives: a) strengthen teaching professions b) increase teaching quality through mobility and cross-border cooperation c) develop transferable skills and inspire entrepreneurial learning, international cooperation for the benefit of staff and student participants’ development, which - in its turn - would rub off on our teaching teams, departments and senior management thus creating a positive cycle in school leading to students enjoying a more varied teaching enhancing their learning. Partners Five schools and a multimedia company. An international research centre took on the role of supporting partner • Alytus Kolegija - a university of applied sciences in Alytus, Lithuania, with students in the highest level of education • Lycée Charles Baudelaire, an upper secondary school in Annecy, France, of only theoretical/academic studies - in terms of student age alike the • Coordinating Swedish school Bromangymnasiet, but the two represent different educational traditions and backgrounds. • Two secondary and upper secondary schools in Devon, England, of which one is rural - Tavistock College - and the other is a city school - Devonport High School for Boys. Both schools have had students join project activities across age groups to give the SMART project its full span age wise from secondary to university level. • Alén Multimedia, based in Coruna, Spain, run by former teachers focusing on more diverse learning using ICT facilities to develop education in the digital era. • We also need to mention here the support of our affiliated (silent) partner – the international organisation CERN. Activities SMART platform – the creation of a pedagogical platform for teachers to consult and contribute to. (O1) SMART Digital Guide – Best Practice shared for others to try. The Digital Guide’s interactive face caters for feedback for further development and advise adjustment to users. Partners worked continually on trying and improving a range of thematic lessons across areas of Science, Maths and Technology. SMART sharing and trying each other’s ways of teaching. We tried partners’ Best Practice and added commentary on results and suggestions for development, partly to strengthen the link to context and external collaboration. (O3) SMART Report published on the platform in collaboration with CERN (O4) SMART Weeks - a film produced to exemplify what international collaboration to promote hands-on learning and transferable skills can look like between schools. Partners’ teachers and students met in real life to network, build common ground and inspire one another (O6, C1, C2) SMART Report on Physics Course: our Lithuanian partner visited CERN to update knowledge, improve networking and to establish a collaboration with CERN. (O7, C4) Results and impact other than expanded network between people and countries: • A more active involvement of students and teachers in the learning/teaching process. Students and teachers working together aware of transferable skills and developing these actively. The method of learning by doing was used in the most efficient way leaving lasting impact on syllabi planning. Teachers of mutual or different subjects plan together for their students’ learning • Digital Guide offers greater variation of how student knowledge can be obtained • Obtained understanding of progression between stages of education • The digital guide provides many examples of hands-on learning that has worked as a mind-opener to many teachers and to school management • External links with companies, consortia and other education centres as well as ways to collaborate with these are an important result and impact