Environmental Sustainability and STEAM

Project summary

The pervasiveness of technology in our lives is increasingly drawing attention to a need for professional figures trained in the technical and scientific world, but also for some support assets with a keen interest in the humanistic and artistic knowledge, in line with the growing need for companies to create innovation. The focus on digital technologies in the strategies generated by the companies is undeniable; they emphasize their use to improve processes and to make the offer of products and services more competitive. According to the Information Systems Directors involved in the study, all the experts in the fields of cyber security, digital strategy, data protection, big data, data science, and other innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence and robotics, will be increasingly supported also by resources with humanistic profiles, especially by people with a degree in philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology and design. In other words, the idea of a humanistic expertise within a technical team is developing an optimal formula to create more and more innovative products and services. Thus, it is deemed that the combination of technical and humanistic skills can further strengthen the problem solving ability and inspire more creativity. Therefore, the importance of enhancing our students’ knowledge of STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics - in order to promote knowledge and skills for sustainable development. Sustainability is the change process, in which the use of resources, investment plan, orientation of technological development and institutional changes are all in harmony, and they add value to the present and future potential, aiming to meet needs and ambitions of men. First of all, we can state that there is no alternative: today it is necessary to embrace a sustainable approach. In fact, according to an international study by Wpp in 2019, humanized growth (= purpose) is preparing to become absolutely the main critical success factor and driver development for the companies in the upcoming years, and there are many who know that the strategic approach in which the Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr) is the focus, it is a factor that directs and multiplies the positive effects. These teachings would be part of the plan of the Institute to make progress and improve its educational offer, but also to act as a leading school of the future, able to train students with the must-have skills in today’s job market, as well as being aware and responsible citizens. The detailed study of the proposed contents within a European partnership will produce a double effect: - It will encourage the educational growth of all students who will benefit from the project; - It will increase the knowledge of teachers who will participate in it. Training for students, simultaneously with their teachers training, will be achieved with a two-year course, which includes both a simulated work on the eTwinning platform and an exchange between students. With reference to the mobility, the expected flows are 5. 99 students and 15 teachers participate in the project activities and exchanges. The project is aimed at achieving the following objectives: - Improve students' knowledge and skills on Environmental Sustainability; - Improve students' skills in STEAM subjects through more effective innovative teaching methods; - Improve the teaching skills of the teaching staff in STEAM subjects with particular reference to sustainable development; - Strengthen a network between partner schools, by increasing the ability to operate transnationally and to share and compare methods and results. The achievement of these objectives will produce these outcomes: - Creation of new activities to promote learning and the development of new skills; - A teaching staff able to use new teaching techniques, as an alternative to the traditional teaching methods; - Students with scientific and technical skills, but also critical sense; - A new European collaboration network between schools, teachers and students. The project aims to create an educational path sharing best practices in order to achieve the outlined objectives by using the examination and research of innovative teaching practices, such as Service Learning; their analysis and monitoring of their impact, the practical verification whether this method responds to the needs of students or not, the definition of feature in terms of inclusiveness and innovativeness, as well as their transferability and repricability