The School Starters Hub Project aims to transform the Secondary Schools to innovation and creativity hubs that will interconnect School, Research/ Science and Enterprises (Local and European) through the participatory approach of a European Platform. School Starter Project aims to tackle initially the European Challenges by adopting activities that will:: 1. Develop interdisciplinary, extrovert and interconnected schools, by motivating all students to engaging in activities that enhance creativity, entrepreneurship skills and connection of education with society needs. 2. Support teachers and school leaders for excellent teaching and learning with applying an integrated school approach that improves learning outcomes, transversal skills, active participation and personal development. 3. Upgrade governance of school education systems by becoming more effective, equitable and efficient and by opening up to new forms of cooperation, between Schools, Research, Enterprises, Local and European Communities. Specific Objectives of the project are to: 1. Transform the school into an innovation hub where all students can develop their idea into a project, service/ product that will be visible to the labour market, other schools and stakeholders. 2, Tackle the mismatch of school curricula to labour market needs. 3. Use collaborative environments and digital technologies to the benefit of teachers, students and entrepreneurs and create strategic interactive partnerships. 4. Up-skill teachers with new teaching and learning approaches that incorporate ICT developments and innovative interdisciplinary techniques like microlearning, design thinking, alternative teaching. 5. Improving scientific and experiential education and the awareness of the importance of science in daily life. 6. Motivate students with collaborative and integrated approaches of teaching and learning that rely on the sequence Know- Design- Implement- Evaluate, thus connecting Knowledge to practice and society. Target groups are teachers, students (16-18 years old), secondary schools, companies, regional and local authorities, educational authorities, incubators. There are 4 IOs previewed: IO1 School Starters Hub IO2 Platform of school starters Hub IO3 Teachers Toolkit IO4 Students Toolkit Including teachers’ webinars and pilot implementation in schools and networks There are also 2 learning activities previewed: C1 Teaching Learning Activity (Joint Staff): Training of Teachers on using the Platform of School Starters Hubs and C2 a students mobility aiming at testing the transnational students cooperation and development of joint innovation project as well as participating in the final transnational multiplier event, in which will include the award of European prize of best product/service idea developed. Multiplier Events will be organised in all partner countries, where prizes for national contests will be awarded. The expected project results are the following: - Introduction of innovative teaching methods and enhancement of the teacher’s professional profile - Development of School Starter Hub embedding digital era into Schools - Enhancing Motivation of students - Innovative Training Materials (Toolkits) - Organisation of an innovation contest with the best ideas developed, that the consortium wishes to establish annually - Cooperation between Schools- Enterprises- Local Authorities - Interactive Connection and Communication of Education to Society and labour market needs - Development of a European Innovation School Hub - Development of creativity and entrepreneurship skills - Inspiration of the entrepreneurship sector Applicant is Politeknika Ikastegia Txorierri a secondary school and VET centre in Bilbao. Partners are Platon, a school from Greece, 2 adult learning and consulting companies, IDEC from Greece and Emphasys from Cyprus, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ruse, Bulgaria and the European Network for Digital Learning.. All partners are experienced and are interested in exploiting the project results. They have the competences and administrative infrastructure required to successfully accomplish the project result, contributing to it from various perspectives.
- Develop interdisciplinary, extrovert and interconnected schools, by motivating all students to engage in activities that enhance creativity, entrepreneurship skills meeting the needs of both the education and society. - Support teachers and school leaders applying an integrated school approach that improves learning outcomes, transversal skills, active participation and personal development. - Transform the school into an innovation collaborative hub where all students can develop their idea into a project, service/ product that will be visible to the labour market, other schools and stakeholders. -Upgrade governance of school education systems by becoming more effective, equitable and inclusive by opening up to new forms of cooperation, between Schools, Research institutions, enterprises, local and European Communities. - Tackle the mismatch of school curricula to labour market needs. - Up-skill teachers with ICT developments and innovative interdisciplinary techniques like microlearning, design thinking and alternative teaching. - Motivate students applying high performance collaborative challenges
In most EU school systems, students find it difficult to transit from school to real work. Apart from that, skills and competences related to creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship are under-developed. High-quality education for all will help Europe achieve its economic and social objectives. Schools play a pivotal role in lifelong learning, and therefore action is needed to improve the quality and performance of school education. As technological and digital change is having a profound effect on our economies and societies, Schools need to respond better to this new reality, by encompassing ICT tools and methodology in the teaching methods they use. Therefore, School Starters´Hub modernised the education systems developing not just students’ scolar knowledge but an array of skills, including creativity and critical thinking, as well as fostering entrepreneurial mind-set that are crucial nowadays for the development, progress and future employability of the students. We have also addressed the need of strengthening the profiles of the teaching professions by offering them tools that encompasses strategy implementation, curriculum, teacher training and building of strategic partnerships with stakeholders.