Today’s students are the leaders of tomorrow. Professions that are connected with STEM are some of the ones that grow the most rapidly and the most paid of the 21st century. Constructing a strong STEM foundation with a multidirectional curriculum is the best way to make students expose to maths, science and technology in their education life. As we are face to face with the benefits and difficulties of an economy that is based on both globalization and knowledge in the 21st century, scientific and technological innovations have become more and more important. In order to be successful in this society that is based on knowledge and technology, it is necessary to raise students’ skills of STEM higher and higher. Our aims are: - To give inspiration to future generation scientists, researchers and engineers. To teach future generations space researches, science, technology, engineering and maths subjects. - To provoke 4-11 years old students from partner schools to choose STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths). - To construct an international internet support network for STEM teachers through a teacher network that provides free education and sources and provokes cooperation. - To provide students learning and teaching sources, to enrich their learning activities by renewing our curriculums. To integrate STEM classes into the parts of the school curriculum. - To strengthen and maintain the partnerships with teachers, communities, partner schools and stakeholders, at the same time, to evaluate and disseminate the good practices. RESULTS: Students’ skills of integrating interdisciplines knowledge and skills and practicing them in order to solve real problems, their spirit of potential in innovation, enterpreneurship and innovation will come out. Students’ learning experience about AstroSTEM will help them prepare for their studies and career in future. Students will think critically by looking at problems in a new way and linking learning across subjects and disciplines. Teachers’ professional capacity, cooperation between stakeholders and schools will strenghten. We'll plan practising STEM education in a suitable way for students’ needs and their interests in school level effectively. Students will learn how science effects us in our daily life, they'll learn incredible world of the space, maths, technology and engineering. The project activities are planned to be the most innovative and effective for students and teachers in both local and partner schools to achieve goals; also to provoke students to research, problem solving, innovative and entrepreneurial. Students take an active role in activities in the STEM clubs, local and transnational activities at every step of the project; outside; Within the scope of the curriculum, they will be closely interested in STEM + Astronomy subjects, and they will have a profile required by the 21st century by turning what they have learned into products. The activities are planned locally for students inside the STEM clubs, teachers will provide students learning and teaching sources, to enrich their learning activities by renewing curriculums to integrate STEM classes into the parts of the school curriculum. While LTTA meetings, host students will cary their studies and outcomes by presenting during the workshops. With e-twinning portal, they will meet and discuss with their peers and develop international cooperation. Students aged 4-11 selected by partner schools and the selection commission of Science, ICT, Mathematics and Foreign Language teachers will participate in project activities in partner countries. All students and teachers aged 4-11 will be involved in local learning and teaching activities. Willing students aged 4-11 will participate in the activities of the Astro STEM Club, which will be established within the scope of the project. However, some activities will be done with parents. So; parents will become aware of STEM issues and encourage their children for activities related to these issues. The project action is designes as; locally teachers will work with the students, apply activities which are developed by the project team teachers, observe and evaluate the results, develop good practices, prepare presentations, outcomes and proucts, present them uring international meeting, study on the results there with the collegues from partner schools and achieve the results and objectives of the projects. Schools will set an example for other schools with the approach of the growing scientists of the future with 21st century skills. Partner schools will have a richer curriculum and more qualified staff on STEM + Astronomy. AstroStem Club will continue its activities in partner schools. Partner schools will organize a traditional STEM fair and STEM career day each year. So; students' knowledge and skills will be sustainable and students enrolled in the school in the coming years will acquire STEM skills.
Our project, based on the use of STEM in primary education, had several objectives. The first two objectives were clearly achieved for us, as during each meeting in partner schools, we discovered numerous activities focused on integrating STEM into the school environment. The project centred mainly on students aged 6-12, but we also found activities offered by secondary school students, mainly in Spain, where presentations on space exploration were proposed. It is worth noting that the age range of students involved in this project (6 to 12 years, and sometimes even younger in certain countries) required the team to constantly adjust the initial objectives to align with the reality of each school and to involve children in the proposed activities. We focused on learning about robots, the concept of coding, and manipulations related to digital developments. In this way, students were able to explore various aspects of this new school environment and took the first steps on a path that will undoubtedly lead them into the world of STEM. Each of the mobilities were weeks of discovery and sharing of ideas during which we also observed coding activities that integrated mathematical and scientific concepts. The skills of these two areas were highlighted during activities related to digital coding. The attending teachers were able to discover and later test new, rich, and diverse lessons with their own students. We all hope that these discoveries may inspire some students to pursue future careers related to STEM. In fact, some older students have indicated that they are now participating in internships or training related to coding or scientific exploration. For objective 3, we hope that the results platform, where we have submitted numerous different documents, will inspire other schools to engage in such projects, and we are available to guide them if needed. As for objective 4, it is evident that the many observations and the organization of activities upon returning to classes after meetings have significantly enriched STEM programs in each participating school. For example, in our school in Belgium, we expanded the available materials for students in a large room dedicated solely to learning these subjects. Preschool children are now engaged in real offline coding activities, laying the foundations for future STEM-related learning. The experience gained during our visits allowed initially hesitant teachers to implement various learning activities in primary school classes and promote STEM development. Parents were not forgotten and were integrated into the project. On several occasions, they either participated in or were informed about the activities implemented. They were able to discover the acquired materials and facilities created through the funding of this project. Their own children also introduced them to certain aspects of this universe that they may not have known. This new interaction between family, school, and children was enriching and engaging. Finally, throughout the project, which ultimately lasted three years due to Covid, we have consistently maintained connections between different partners. Our WhatsApp group is still active, and we continue to communicate regularly through this channel. A week dedicated to robotics activities has just taken place in Turkey, even after the project's conclusion, and other partners will also offer this robotics week to their students during the 2023–2024 school year. Regarding the results, we have no doubt that providing our students with such varied activities will help them integrate interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to solve real problems, and their potential for innovation and entrepreneurship will also be highlighted. Coding, for us, is an essential skill to achieve these objectives and develop the logical thinking necessary to face future problematic situations. The professional capacity of teachers who participated in these activities and this real collaboration has undoubtedly been strengthened. Working groups have formed among teachers to continue discussions in partner schools and offer students rich and varied learning experiences. Some teachers, motivated by this experience, have taken the initiative to participate in individual training on the subject for the benefit of the children. Thanks to this project, we are proud to be able to offer new activities to more effectively train our students and enable them to acquire new tools essential for their future, even though we are aware that STEM is constantly evolving, and new challenges certainly await this generation of tomorrow.